Blank.

"Ships gone; Mindarus dead; the men starving; at our wits' end what to do."

~Intercepted Spartan Message

Perseus

Waking up in Artemis's tent was beginning to become a regular occurrence for Perseus. Unlike before, however, the goddess herself was seated in front of him, boring into him with those silvery eyes that certainly made her the most intimidating thirteen year-old he had ever met.

She didn't say anything, which only made his discomfort grow, though on the upside, an arrow was at least not protruding from his throat as before.

He looked away, gazing around the spacious tent - anywhere but the auburn-haired teenager, who seemed to be peeling away his skin to pick at his inner-held thoughts. Goddess of the Hunt was certainly an apt charge, and looking around, Perseus couldn't help but wonder how his head would look up on the walls with the rest of Artemis's prey.

The goddess's lips tugged back into a sick smile for a brief moment.

"Don't give me ideas, Perseus," she said, saying his name with such venom that Perseus wanted to run and never look back. Wisely, he remained planted, and instead, his fingers subconsciously tugged at the silver string tied around his wrist.

Seemingly satisfied that she had put the fear of...well...a goddess into him, she reached behind, and produced his bow; formerly Selene's symbol of power. Immediately he was on the edge of the seat, only just managing to stop himself from reaching out and grabbing the ornate, silver weapon from Artemis's hands. He hadn't realised just how much he had missed it until it was right there in front of him, humming its low, energy inbuned song that called to him strongly.

"I couldn't believe it at first. 'No way Selene would raise such an impulsive, reckless boy,' I told myself, and it was only when Vesta handed me this that I realised it to be true," she said, answering Perseus's question as to how it came to be in her possession in the first place. Vesta must have picked it up outside her temple, he thought, silently promising to send her a prayer, if he managed to live through the next five minutes or so.

"You knew my mother?" he asked, interested, though also hoping to change the subject away from the bow, before Artemis could get to the part about him cheating her out of an archery contest.

Those silvery eyes flashed darkly as he spoke, but to his relief, she didn't smite him.

"Of course. She relinquished her titles and domains to me, years ago, and then faded from this realm. Or so I thought…" she said, muttering that last part.

Perseus watched her closely, and realised his mother and Artemis were a lot closer than the goddess was letting on. There was a subtle sadness, hurt even, hidden behind her words, and it reminded him just how important his mother actually was.

"I detected the lunar-tide inside you when we first met; it's what led us to you here, in fact. But I never truly thought you were the Son of the Moon until I saw this," she continued, gesturing to the ornate bow, before doing something that really surprised him. The goddess threw it to him, and he instinctively raised a palm before it could hit him in the face, and dutifully caught it.

Immediately, he felt imbued with the ethereal buzz the bow emitted, sharpening his thoughts and making him feel...whole. He had missed it greatly.

Still, he couldn't help but affix Artemis with a quizzical gaze.

She shrugged, standing. "Selene gave it to you. Far be it from me to question the will of the Moon," was her explanation.

Perseus blinked. "Does this mean...I'm free to go?" he asked, confused.

The goddess rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

He probably should have sprinted away the instant she had said that, but having been chased across half of Greece, not to mention being shot by her, Perseus couldn't help but question the sanity of the goddess.

"Why? I'd have thought you would have hauled me in front of the Olympians in chains, at the very least," he asked, tempting fate.

Artemis affixed him with a frown, as though she couldn't quite believe he hadn't started running yet.

"The Greek Olympians are no more, Perseus. The Heart of the West has shifted, and so too do our personalities shift with it. Zeus has forgotten you ever existed, and having seen what you did to those two idiots, I must conclude that you are an asset to the Council, not a threat," she explained, quite matter-of-factly, though Perseus was getting the feeling that she was doing him a favour, and perhaps one that he hadn't earned..

"Deimos and Phobos weren't working alone," he frowned, switching the subject.

The goddess nodded sagely. "I know. Those two don't have the brain power to come up with such an aggressive plan, stupid though it was. This is not the last we will hear of this matter."

"Will they be punished?"

She took a moment to reply. "That's none of your concern now. I will investigate the matter further, and report my findings to the Council." That meant no, in Perseus's mind, and he was sure there was a lot more she wasn't telling him. Her tone, however, left little room for arguing.

"You must remain out of their sight. A wild, loose godling is rarely something that goes unnoticed, but these are tense times. The Ancient Laws may or may not apply to you, but I would expect the son of Selene to carry his power responsibly, or else he may find himself in chains, facing judgement, very soon," she warned.

Perseus already knew that. Kind of. Still, one thing kept nagging away at the back of his mind. "The archery contest…" he began.

"I haven't forgotten, and I suggest you tread lightly, Perseus. Even the strongest bowstring can let you down when it is most needed," she warned darkly, making the colour drain from Perseus's face.

The bow in his hand responded too, resonating a low, reverberating hum in his hand at the perceived threat. Stiffly, he stood, and Artemis waved her hand dismissively, signalling that she was done talking with him. With a shallow bow, the Moons' son exited the tent, leaving slightly more disturbed than when he had entered, but even so, he knew he had got off lightly.

A mop of dark-brown hair was the first thing to greet Perseus, as he stepped into the warmth of daylight. He let loose a light 'oof' as Zoë tackled him into a tight, albeit brief, bear hug that quickly put the colour back on his cheeks.

"Still male, I see, kelp-head. What did I tell you?" she said quite smugly, though Perseus could detect a hint of relief in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Must be nice when a guess turns out to be true, huh?" he fired back, unable to contain his smile in her presence.

Zoë responded by giving his arm a playful punch, and they walked through the Hunter's camp, shoulder to shoulder, smiling, much to the suspicion of the silver-garbed hunters' themselves. Perseus ignored their dirty looks, and instead found enjoyment in looking at Zoë's various looks of wonder and longing at, what he considered, the Hunters' fairly mundane tasks. He quickly realised that he had forgotten just how new it all was to the former Hesperid. Even something as tame as fletching an arrow must have seemed fairly alien to her. He found it quite adorable in truth…not that he'd ever voice that thought.

They were stopped, just before they got the edge of camp, by a Hunter several years younger than Perseus, who sported a steely, but friendlier face than her compatriots.

"Perseus, right? I wanted to thank you personally… For, you know, getting us out of that cage, and away from those...things..." she said, cringing outwardly, making Perseus wonder exactly which of the 'things' in that cave she was referring to. Her voice was familiar as well, and though it took him a second, he realised he was talking to the same brave demi-god that had challenged him in the cave.

"Well, I wouldn't have made it out alive if not for Zoë, so she deserves the credit. I'm just glad you escaped safely," he replied, bumping said demi-titans' side, and smirking as he caught sight of her reddening cheeks.

The hunter seemingly found that piece of information quite gratifying to hear. "Showing the men how it's done, huh? You should definitely join, you know. We're a proper family," she said, and Perseus watched as Zoë's embarrassment at the attention morphed into a brief look of longing and interest, before that familiar smile appeared, and she wrapped an arm around Perseus's neck, pulling him close.

"Thanks, but...I have my family right here."

A squeeze followed, but Perseus felt flabbergasted at her continued willingness to decline an invitation to an admittedly awesome family, just to remain at his side, and it showed in the look of confused surprise on his face.

The hunter gave them a sceptical look, but if she disapproved, she certainly didn't say it. "Well, I wish you luck out there. Keep each other safe," she said, though Perseus got the feeling that it was directed more towards him, in a 'touch her and I will definitely be killing you' sort of way.

"Oh, and if you see Aspasia back at the village, tell her, from me, she can rot in Hades for what she did. I'll skewer her myself if I see her again…" she added quite casually, muttering that last part, but Perseus's interest was already peaked.

He frowned deeply, tensing, and Zoë removed herself from his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

The hunter shrugged. "She was the one who led us to the cave in the first place. We were on a quest to destroy the monster within, but she didn't stick around long enough to face it. A coward, if you ask me," she explained.

Perseus's fists were shaking.

"What about the other demi-gods? You can't have all been on that quest; I counted ten, at least," Zoë chimed in.

"Most were taken in their sleep; the others, on the road," the huntress explained simply, before walking away, muttering under her breath about 'cursed daughters of Athena'.

Perseus stared directly ahead, frowning deeply and unpleasantly as his mind raced. Phobos had mentioned a spy, but he never would have suspected her specifically. He hadn't seen the person, or being, who had knocked him out, but Aspasia knew where they were going, and at roughly what time. It made sense.

Blinking away his stupor, he turned to Zoë, whose expression was a mix of anger and confusion, just as his was.

"Time to go," the godling stated, deeply and darkly, whilst Zoë nodded resolutely, the full truth nigh.

They all but ran back to the village, which was no mean feat, considering the distance, as well as the heat. Perseus spent the whole journey silently cursing himself for not spotting the treachery sooner. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, especially now that Zoë had explained how the daughter of Athena had unwittingly told her that she knew exactly where they were, and how they had split up. Not to mention the general edginess and suspicious nature in which she conducted herself.

The sun was high in the sky when they rounded the last hill overlooking the village. The houses were arranged in their characteristic u-shape, with Chiron's mound at the edge. From above, it looked deserted, but Perseus knew it was a deceptive view. Aspasia was there, somewhere, unaware of the coming storm. The thought of the demi-god tricking mere kids into bondage made him tense with anger.

Zoë's outstretched arm across his chest stopped him before he could launch himself down that hill. He snapped his head towards her quizzically.

"Let me do this, Perseus," she said, eyes pleading, and for a second, he felt compelled to say yes. His protective nature over-rode that feeling, however.

"No way, Zoë. Who knows what kind of tricks she's got up her sleeve. We don't know what's at play here. We-"

"Do you trust me?" she interrupted, smiling appreciatively at his instinctual need to protect her, but she was no longer the helpless girl he had found in the middle of a Grecian road, and deep down, he knew it.

"Of course I trust you, Zoë… But-"

"Then you'll let me do this. I trust you to watch my back more than I trust myself to watch yours," she, again, interrupted, and Perseus could see there was no arguing with the nymph. She had that same steadfast look of determination he had seen when she plunged her knife into the giant's back. There was no swaying her.

His gaze softened, and with a sigh he nodded. Saying nothing, he reached into his pack, and produced the second of two hunting knives, identical to the one around Zoë's waist.

He offered to her hilt-first. "Here. You deserve the matching set. Humiliate her," the godling said, a proud sparkle in his eye, as she deftly took the blade, and spun it between her deft, capable fingers.

They had a job to do, though, and once more his expression darkened, the anger kept at bay only by his anxiousness at the danger Zoë was about to be in. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, and kept it notched, just in case.

"Watch my back, Perseus," the demi-titan said resolutely, unsheathing her first knife.

Perseus could only nod, as his best-friend started down the hill, trailing behind her at a safe distance, senses on high-alert. It was quiet...but a shuffling noise in one of the buildings caught his ear. Not an instant later, a face appeared in the window of the top floor. Perseus vaguely recognised the figure as someone who had pointed an arrow in his face when they had first arrived, and he dipped his head in a friendly manner, though kept both hands on his bow.

In response, the figure pointed to just beyond Chiron's mound, towards the training field, before disappearing into the gloom of the building.

"Zoë?" he whispered to the demi-titan in front; she turned her head towards him in response.

Wordlessly, he mirrored his silent ally, pointing towards the tree-shrouded training field, and the demi-titaness gave him a nod, shifting the direction of travel towards, what he hoped, was an oblivious Aspasia, unaware of the coming danger.

From behind him, a door opened, and then another, and Perseus whipped around, only to be confronted with a group of dishevelled demi-gods who silently followed, keeping their distance, but acutely aware that something was about to happen. In Perseus's mind, it confirmed they were heading for the right place.

They entered the tree-row, and the sound of talking caught Perseus's ears. Zoë, too, heard it, and she froze, seemingly gazing across the flat, sandy field, before spotting her prey right in the corner.

Before Perseus could react, she was in the open, marching across the field with her hunting knives drawn, and the godling had to scramble after her, immediately spotting the blonde-haired she-demon, and her three Athenian compatriots.

"You're a liar, and a traitor, Aspasia," Zoë accused, loud enough so the small, gathering crowd behind could hear.

The group turned, and Perseus caught the brief look of shock on Aspasia's face, especially when her startling grey-eyes flickered in his direction. This was Zoë's show, however, and he kept his bow ready, prepared to drop anyone if need be.

"You better have evidence, little-girl, or I'll be compelled to reap blood-payment for that remark," she growled in response, but Zoë didn't slow, and she was on her within moments, swiping her blade downward in a diagonal arc that would have made contact, had the daughter of Athena not rolled out of the way with a surprised yelp.

Her guard drew their weapons, and advanced towards the demi-titaness, but Perseus sent an arrow careening into the shoulder of the nearest man, and a second arrow notched just as quickly. Quite wisely, the other two backed off with their groaning, wounded comrade; their weapons sheathed, under threat of another expertly placed shot into whoever dared move.

He then watched with anxious, bated breath as Zoë fought with fluid precision, working her two blades in tandem as the grey-eyed traitor struggled to defend the onslaught with her three-foot long xiphos.

Perseus quickly found himself mesmerised by the dance, as dust was kicked up by both parties, blurring their movements, and the shrill clatter of metal on metal filled the valley for miles. He suddenly felt ashamed that he doubted Zoë in the first place. She was unassuming at times, and perhaps underestimated herself, but the last few days had clearly brought alive the inner-strength that Perseus always knew she had.

From where he was standing, the demi-titaness was clearly the better fighter, and it was only through her desperate, unpredictable movements that Aspasia managed to nick Zoë's forearm with her blade, creating a light cut that made Perseus's fists clench around his bow, tensing, ready to jump in at any second.

Zoë responded, however, unperturbed, swiping her leg low across the floor when Aspasia's momentum was fully against her. She crumbled to the floor heavily, and in an instant, Zoë's two blades clattered against the flat of her blade, before twisting with vicious precision, sending the sword flying through the air and out her reach.

Perseus released a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding, but he still kept his bow at the ready, calmed by the Moon's essence contained within.

"Say it! Tell us the truth! Tell us how you were working with Deimos and Phobos! Tell us how you kidnapped Perseus and the rest of the missing demigods! Tell us!" Zoë raged, pressing a knife to the sprawled girls' throat, such that a thin trail of blood trickled down her neck.

Apparently she saw that the writing was on the wall, despite her eyes searching frantically for a way out. Perseus made sure her compatriots didn't move an inch to help.

"Say it!" Zoë screamed once again.

"Fine! Yes! It's true!" Aspasia responded, snapping back, like the cornered snake she was.

A wave of murmurs coursed through the crowd behind, and Perseus twitched at the sound of approaching hooves.

Apparently, the answer wasn't good enough for Zoë, and she pressed the blade in more firmly.

"Swear on the Styx that you were working with Phobos and Deimos in a plot to betray Olympus," she growled, voice low and deadly, and for a split second, the godling almost felt sorry for the trapped demi-god. Almost.

"I-I...swear on the Styx that I was helping Deimos and Phobos…" the girl responded quietly, fear painted across her face. Thunder crackled in the distance, and that murmur turned into full-blown shouting.

Zoë pulled her blade away with a smirk, turning towards Perseus and, leaving Aspasia on the floor, humiliated and exposed.

He un-notched his arrow, smiling brightly at the understandably proud demi-titan, who had humbled her opponent, in truth. She reciprocated, but a blur of movement behind her caught his attention, and without thinking, he grabbed Zoë's shoulder, and sent her sprawling into the floor, just in time for Aspasia's concealed knife to bury itself in Perseus's upper rib-cage, releasing a torrent of golden ichor onto the ground below.

Perseus hissed in pain, angrily grunting as he sent the traitor flying, with a forceful, well-placed kick to the chest, before staggering backwards.

The girl fortuitously landed right next to her blade, and with a feral growl, grabbed it and launched herself towards the godling, revealing those two grey orbs to be emitting a strong golden light, piercingly bright in the daylight, and making Perseus's breath hitch in his throat as he recognised the intense stare from his dreams. His hesitation lasted but a moment, though, and with a hint of fear and desperation, he scrambled his arrow back to the string, pulling back with fierce strength, only to be greeted with the shattering twang of the bowstring snapping under the extreme force.

It clattered out of his hand, and in an instant, the possessed-girl was on him, swiping her blade with speed and dexterity that he had not seen prior. The whoosh of wind grazed his skin as the tip passed close to his nose, and the godling only just managed to duck under the accompanying downward arc that almost sliced him in twain.

Her movements were a complete blur, and it was only by luck that his leg connected with her thigh, staggering her momentarily, though not stopping the sword from grazing his arm - the cut barely registering in his mind as adrenaline just about kept him from being diced.

"What ho, Perseus!" Chiron called out, and the godling's eyes whipped towards the trainer, who was sporting a nifty bandage around his head. He threw an object, which flew through the air off to the side, and Perseus had to roll underneath Aspasia's sword to catch it. A hair-pin.

For a split moment, Perseus thought it was a cruel joke, but in his hand, it grew into a leaf-bladed, one-handed sword in a blaze of light. Instantly, Perseus felt the essence of the sea course through his finger-tips, and the hair rising on his neck made him swing around, just in time to duck under the approaching blade before it sliced his head clean off.

The momentum worked in his favour, and as if he was on auto-pilot, he twisted himself around, clattering his blade against Aspasia's side as the balance launched her forward, and piercing through her armour as though it were paper.

She exploded in an eruption of golden light that kicked Perseus off his feet, and onto the floor below, leaving nothing but singe-marks where she had stood.

He groaned harshly in pain, which suddenly hit him like a horse-cart. Dark spots covered his vision, and golden-ichor coated his fingers. He had no time to savour the victory before Morpheus embraced him, and with one last, despairing look into those endlessly beautiful, obsidian eyes, he slipped into unconsciousness.

A big premise of the story was changed, for reasons relating to continuity, and the inevitable plot-holes that will ensue in the later chapters. Re-reading the first chapter might be worth your time, but I hope the rest is up to scratch. Tell me what you think below regarding the story direction, and the relationship between our two favourite immortals.