A/N: Sooooo... remember when I said this would be out Wednesday?

Ha, didn't work.

So anyway, sorry for the delay, and for those also waiting for Eveningshade... it will also be delayed. I have Anatomy, Physics, and Writing homework to work on... and they are all long AF. So, expect Eveningshade by this Wednesday.

This takes place just before, and then just after, the Esper/Leo/Pallas introduction.

Anywhatsits, on with the chapter!

Clang!

The sound of metal against metal echoed throughout the clearing, as two woman, decked in armour, battle for supremacy over eachother. Dual scythes clashing with a single swordspear in a desperate and erratic dance, both combatants put their entire will behind each strike.

"Give him back! You have already stolen from me one member, you will not take a second!" Pallas shouted at Artemis, who simply smiled deviously in return as she met her swordspear with ease.

"HA! It's too late for you! Jason has already given into his nature, and become a breeder for or Lord. A beautiful specimen, in fact, more beautiful than any other but me!" Artemis said back, prompting a growl from Pallas, "And you will soon join him! After all, everyone deserves to feel joy. I can give it to you now, or force joy on you later. I will make you happy whether you like so or not!"

Pallas screamed in rage and hate for the statement, and how twisted it was. How could this once kind goddess let herself become this monstrosity? How could she do this to so many innocent children?

"How dare you!" Pallas shouted, smashing the two scythes out of Artemis's hands, before leaping into the air to land the final blow.

"THIS IS GOODBYE, BITC-"

Blzzzzzzzt CRACK!

A bolt of lightning blasted Pallas back, stunning and disorienting her.

"Don't be so rude, Mother. You should get along with Lady Artemis~!" A blonde haired girl said from her position at the edge of the clearing, a wide smile splitting her face, "Give in, mommy! Let yourself be happy, too!"

Pallas was stunned. That psychotic bimbo over there must be Jason. Or, what was left of him. It seemed she truly was too late. Teardrops formed in her eyes as she turned to flee.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast!" Artemis said, clicking the two scythes together, and tying one of her hairs to the tip of each scythe's blade to make a terrifying bow. Pallas, however, wasn't so easy to catch off guard, and quickly used her swordspear 's handle to kick up dust. Artemis pulled back and let fire six arrows, all missing the now fleeing titaness of war.

Artemis was impressed. Only a select few could dodge her shots. She needed Pallas now. For both pride, and for the power she could add to her Lord's court.

"Stop her, hunters!" The insane goddess cried.

The words echoed through Pallas's head as she finally got to the edge of Artemis's territory, finally able to flash away.

But it wasn't meant to be. At least, not easily.

Splash!

A hunter hit her with a bottle of black, viscous material. It oozed into her back, reaching even all the way over to her left breast, and dripping down to the crevice of her rear. She howled in agony as the material burned into her, and she hastily flashed back to her room as Artemis smiled deviously in the background.

'Fool. It's already over. It will only be a matter of time before you give in to bliss, Pallas.' Artemis thought, 'And then you can fly unchained with me.'

Pallas landed with a thud, the burning in her back subsided, but there was still an ache in the afflicted area.

"What the absolute fuck was that load of horse shit." She said through her panting.

God it hurt her. She took off her shirt and breastplate to look at the damage, and winced. The afflicted area was all a vile purple colour, with little lumpy pustules where the glass bottle had cut her.

"Holy shit." Pallas swore.

She rubbed the purple coloured flesh softly. Big mistake. It felt as if Eros had blessed her clitoris with his divine, highly skilled tongue. Every spot she touched sent waves of pure lust through her.

'Oh gods, that's horrible and wonderful at the same time. But I can't be... taken down by this. Don't give into that temptresses lies, Pallas.' She thought, an out of place sense of ease flowing through her spine afterwards.

'Lies?' A voice said in her head, 'Oh, believe me, all that I offer is real and tangible. I only wish to spread joy!'

Pallas was scared now. For both her self, and the others in her care. Hearing voices in one's head was not a good sign.

'Who are you?' She asked, her voice filled with fear and malice.

A deep, rumbling laughter erupted from the voice, echoing around the inside of Pallas's skull.

'I am Ouroboros. The Void. You were connected to me when you fused with my essence. It's nice to finally meet you.' Ouroboros said, 'Artemis has told me much, and I have seen even more. All of it was good, to some extent or another.'

Pallas's eyes widened, her fear fully realized. She was turning.

'Turning? Oh Huhuhuhuhu! No, dear, not at all! You will only 'turn' when you decide to accept my gift. I cannot force it upon you.' Void replied to Pallas's dark thought, 'Though, Artemis has essentially forced it on some before, against my will. Breaking them until they agree to accept. Not how I truly wanted things to go, but beggars can't be choosers.'

Pallas had to laugh at the thought. Ouroboros, the entity that was considered on par with Khaos herself, was not only in her head, but talking about how she couldn't control a goddess she had brainwashed. Sheesh, what a horribly conniving pregenesistic being.

Knock knock knock!

Suddenly, the sound of her door being banged on broke her thought conversation with the old deity. She instantly felt a increase in pressure, signalling the ending of Void's connection. At least, the temporary ending.

"Pallas? You were shouting a bit a second ago? What's up?" A male voice, most likely belonging to a young adult or older teen, called through the door.

"Oh, it was just a whole bunch of... bad news, Luke." Pallas said, putting on a sweater as she walked over to the door, unlocking the three separate locks, before opening it to reveal a lean yet muscular, sandy-brown haired teen, "I mean... Thalia is dead. Gone. And Jason... well, he faced a fate worse than death."

The teen's face scrunched in shock, and his eyes seemed to hallow for a moment, stuck in the doorway as Pallas walked by.

"Come on, we can discuss this in your room. I don't want you going in mine, but this should be a private moment." Pallas said.

She quickly walked down the hallway, past three other rooms, before she reached the end and entered the room. It seemed like a normal teen bedroom, other than the model Caduceus and a pair of winged sneakers there really wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Well, besides the fact that it was unnaturally clean, but that just spoke of Luke's character.

"So... Thalia died?" Luke asked, though his voice didn't rise a bit, stuck in a dead-set monotone.

Pallas looked over at the son of Hermes, a softness in her eyes.

"Yeah... and Artemis got Jason."

That shook Luke, as his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"WHAT!? But, he's a- you know, a... a he!?" Luke exclaimed, "How can she take him?"

Pallas sighed heavily, showing her teeth to Luke, who noticed the odd sharpness to them that wasn't there before, taking note to investigate later.

"Yes, well, when I faced her down, I only barely lost. The ultimate reason I did: a blonde haired bimbo shot a lightning bolt through my skull. Then referred to me as 'mom' in the way only annoying ass Jason did. It was him, Luke. Or, at minimum, it was his flesh being used as a puppet for a dark goddess." Pallas said, her shoulders slumping lower than Luke had ever seen.

Which happened to expose her shoulder blades and back to Luke, who took note of the purple colouration. This was something he had to investigate. If Pallas was taken as well... oh boy. He refused to believe it yet. He would search her room, even though she hated that. He needed to be careful now, though, as not to alert her to his doubts and questions.

"She got him..." He said, letting the room hang in silence for a moment after, "Pallas, I-... I need to think. How about-"

She stood and cut him off as he trailed into his suggestion, her initial interruption being over lapped with the end of his sentence, turning into a garbled mess. Followed by an even more garbled set of apologies.

"Haha, well, anyway, I agree with your need for privacy, so, I'll go check on my chariot repair, and get some dinner while I'm at it. Seeing Esper again after five years, and I mean really seeing AND talking to her, will be nice." Pallas said, walking out the door, "Anyway, I'll try and get some of your favourite pie!"

The door shut, and the zap of her flashing happened a moment later. Luke immediately sprung into action. He quickly grabbed his lock picks, and walked over to Pallas's room. The three mortal-made locks were nothing to a son of Hermes, and he had them off in four minutes.

He snuck in, and there on the ground was a puddle of a black substance he new all too well, the name still echoing in his head.

'Taint'

Pallas sighed as she exited her old friends workshop, walking slowly towards a nearby diner to get some food. It took a few moments to get there, but Pallas was in no hurry. Eventually, the diner came into view, the neon glow of the signs illuminating the surroundings of the diner, like a tiny sun in a pitch black sky. Mt. St. Helens sat in the distance behind the diner, and the regrowing forest surrounded this place. It was quiet, and far from the bustling cities along the coastline of the state. It felt desolate, and almost lonely.

But Pallas enjoyed the feeling. The hatred, and fear, of what Artemis had unleashed unto the world was eating at her, and this small moment of peace was a wonderful reprieve. She pushed open the double-doors, and made her way to the counter.

"My, it's real late right now, and out in the middle of nowhere too, so seeing someone like you in this place is... well, it's quite a fine surprise." The waitress said with a smile, "Soooo... what do you want? The pie isn't as fresh as it was when I baked it in the morning, but it's half off now."

Pallas laughed a small bit, taking in the menu, before turning to the smiling mortal.

"I think I'll take the pie. Half off's a good deal. My... friend... back home loves apple, always did." Pallas said, the waitress smiling back at her, "Then, I'll just have, like, nine hamburgers and two bacon burgers. Sorry for the large order but-"

"No, 'sall fine!" The cook shouted from his position in the back, "Only other customer is Johnny over there, passed out from yet another night of drinking. So, I don't have anything else to do."

Pallas giggled. She enjoyed the small banter, and the quirky personality of the restaurant. It almost seemed like the place stopped aging in the 1950's.

Though, so did the whole rest of the town, if the place could be called that. How this place survived the eruption of St. Helens, she didn't know. Must've just been on the good side.

She walked over to a booth, before sitting down and laying back to wait. The pressure to her sensitive spot still sent waves of pleasure through her, but she really couldn't care less right now. She just wanted a break. For one small moment...

"ORDER'S DONE!" The cook shouted, causing the man at the counter end to mumble and shift.

Pallas grabbed the food, packaged in a few paper bags and a box for the pie, before thanking the staff and walking out to the road. She used a bit of her godly shape-shifting to create another arm and throw a drachma on the ground, calling the sister's cab.

The cab came speeding up, doors opening on arrival.

"Where d'ya wanna go?" The first asked, looking at Pallas with her one eye, "There's a bonus fee for food, ya know?"

Pallas put the stuff gently in the back, before getting in herself.

"Yes, I know." She said, taking off her glasses to reveal her light orange eyes, causing the first to gasp.

"Oh deary! Pallas, how are you!"

'Oh gods...' Pallas thought.

"Um, look. I am not feeling too well, can we get back quick? I'll pay bonus if you don't bicker." The tired titaness replied.

The sisters just nodded, silently agreeing to not bother their old friend. The ride was short, and Pallas payed double for it. She walked into the house, before calling the kids down to eat their dinner. All came, except for Luke.

"Hey, do any of you know where Luke is?" She asked, concerned for the poor boy. He had just lost his two best friends.

"Still in his room." One girl said, munching into her burger.

Pallas sighed, picking up the pie and the two bacon burgers and walking up the stairs with them. She knocked on Luke's door, before simply going in. There was no one.

'Odd...'

She then walked out and down the hallway, stopping when she reached her own door. She slowly opened it, before going in and shutting it behind her. She then turned on the lights and turned around.

To end staring at the twin barrels of a celestial bronze sawed-off shotgun. And Luke.

"Don't fucking move! What the hell did you do with Pallas? TELL ME!" Luke shouted, his fingers twitching and his face contorted in rage, "I saw your teeth and tongue, and I noticed the fucking 'Taint' or whatever the fuck that sludge is on the god-damn ground!"

Pallas dropped the food instantly, quickly replying to try and calm down Luke.

"Woah! Okay, please, be calm, put down Bullzeye! Come on, I can explain everything. I am Pallas, and I am still in control of myself." She said, surprisingly calm, mostly due to the fact that she noticed the none of his fingers were on the trigger.

'He never intended to shoot... he would've rather died than kill me... oh my gods.'

"Okay, but only because you know this gun's name." Luke said, lowering the weapon, "So, what in Hades happened?"

Pallas sighed.

"Artemis caught me in the back with a vial of Taint. I fused with it when I warped here. I have my sanity, but I can talk to Void." The titaness explained tiredly.

Luke frowned, dropping the gun as he stared at his last friend. He didn't want to lose her, too. He truly didn't. He couldn't live anymore after that.

"So- So you think you'll eventually go insane like them? Cause if true... I'll do anything to help you. Really." He said, tears beginning to fall.

Pallas quickly grabbed him up into a hug, holding him as he sobbed.

"I- I've lost so much... without you... I-..." The son of Hermes said, fading into tears at the end.

They just stayed like this for a moment. Holding eachother. It was emotional, and warming.

"Pallas, please, I-... Look." Luke said, turning away from her, "Pallas, I- I-... I LOVE YOU!"

He quickly planted his lips onto the titaness's own, pushing into her and taking her in shock. She quickly pushed away however, startled by the sudden move and afraid that she would taint him. He backed up a few steps, staring at her with now bloodshot eyes, before blushing in embarrassment and running out of the room.

'Really shouldn't've done that.' Void commented in Pallas's mind, 'He really loves you...'

Pallas sat on the edge of her bed, head in her hands.

'I know. I really do.' Pallas said, 'But thanks to you, I can't have him. I don't want to taint him.'

A moment of silence came over the two, but it didn't last long.

'It doesn't matter, Pallas. He will still set out. Tomorrow. On a quest to save you. To make it so that, you two can be together. He thinks that you don't want to be with him because he's mortal...' Void replied, 'Why don't you see him off? Tell him of your feelings and reasoning. Then, I swear of my sister Khaos's name, that if you put a drop of Taint in his drink, I will guide him to a future where he is safe, and where you are together. Without me corrupting him into some 'Dark Prince' to be with you.'

Thunder rolled in the background, signifying the truth behind Void's promise. Pallas's eyes widened.

'You truly mean it?' She asked.

'Yes, I do.'

'No strings attached to this? You won't just make him a demon, or whatever?'

'Unless you request it at any point, as the offer to join me is always there for you. Then, I will make him your void-touched hunk of a breeding partner!'

'Of course...' Artemis sighed in her mind, 'Okay. I agree. Make sure he's safe though...'

She finally stood up, her mind settled. Pallas picked up the food, and laid it on her bedside table. The titaness of war then walked out of the room, and made her way towards Luke's. She opened the door immediately, catching him muttering about 'time', or something. He turned towards her, about to say something, when she took off her pants.

His mouth dropped and his breath hitched as he almost failed to process what was happening.

"Come on, Luke. I don't want to be all alone in this..." She said, "I know you plan to leave tomorrow... Void told me. I want you to know I love you, before you leave."

The seventeen year old then rushed to unbutton his shirt, and take off his own pants as she removed her bra and panties. She walked over to the bed, climbing on and gesturing to the nearly naked boy as he struggled to remove his underwear.

"Are-are you sure about this? Is this out of pity?" He asked, pausing briefly.

"No, Luke. I- I love you too." Pallas said, before gesturing to get on the bed again, "Now, come over here and fuck me silly."

His first time was awkward. Like, really awkward. But she was out of practice, too. Despite her friend's quips about her, she hadn't actually slept with a man in well over fifty years. Stacked with her affliction pleasuring her, she came quick. She moaned on even his most simple thrusts. The whole thing only lasted maybe five minutes, but it was the most intense five minutes of their lives.

"Sweet Olympus..." Luke panted, laying down in bed, drifting into sleep, "I need to try that more often."

As he slept, he dreamed of a peaceful tomorrow, with a Pallas free of Taint, and himself as an immortal by her side, knowing that he would have to leave her for a while in order to achieve it.

He left early that next morning, with only a select few clothes, some weapons, a dream, and a plan to achieve it, placing a not explaining his actions and reasoning fully to Pallas.

Oh, and a bottle of water.

That may or may not, have contained a little bit more than he bargained for.

Afterthoughts:

Okay! So some plot! Luke's introduced, and Pallas and Void are more fleshed out.

So, I have a few question:

Do you think Void is actually being truthful with Pallas, or is she planning something deeper? Is she really a bad person, or simply a being with good intentions, but bad ways of doing them?

NAHH! Of course Void is evil. But Pallas doesn't know it. Or maybe Void manipulated her using their connection? Who knows! Well, I do... but whatever.

Obviously, as is hinted by Luke's mumbling of stuff to do with 'time', he plans on doing something with Kronos.

What that is, though... I think will surprise you. Especially what I have planned for the Labyrinth.

Next chapter will be Percy and Arachnebeth focused, and will skip a few years. I don't want to write their first meeting... just imagine it was like any other awkward meeting between two roughly eight year old kids.

So, until next time, Buh-bye, and please review and favourite!