In Camp Half-Blood

Artemis appeared at the entrance of the camp, the blonde daughter of Athena by her side. They marched past the Big House, a silence welcoming the two as the various dirt tracks in Camp were void of campers. Nature, however, played no part for the various animals that played a role in Camp continued on their daily routines.

Annabeth's ADHD picked up on the absence of sound, her hand reaching to her dagger instinctively.

The ladies marched silently till they saw the Goddess who could answer all their doubts, an Olympian in her own right. They approached her from behind as she stoked the flames of fire pit. A stray ember went off to the side.

"I wouldn't sit there if I were you," Hestia said without turning around, "Might be hot for a while." She gestured to areas around the pit, small plates of food arranged delicately on them. Artemis and Annabeth seated themselves around the pit, eyeing the Forgotten Olympian suspiciously.

The three sat in silence, waiting for one of them to make a move, but none came. The silence continued with Hestia gently stoking the flame, which was orange, and a surprising tinge of purple. Annabeth stared into the flames as she absent-mindedly ate one of Hestia's sandwiches.

"You knew all this time, didn't you?" Artemis asked, her eyes a steal grey, "You knew this would happen from the beginning." Hestia gave the pair a sad smile, still staring into the flames.

"I've lived for centuries, Artemis," Hestia said sadly, "I've watched boys grow into heroes, perform feats of incredible proportions."

"Aunt Hestia," Artemis asked stone-faced, "Why didn't you tell anything sooner? We could have helped him. We coul-"

"I knew it would end like this, years ago." Hestia continued as she stoked the flames. "I knew it would be him against the Olympians the moment he stared at me on those steps right there."

"How did it happen?" Artemis questioned further, yet she received no answer.

"You know, Annabeth," Hestia looked up for the first time, directly at the demi-god, "You were one of the lynch pins. After Tartarus," Annabeth flinched at this statement, "He and you would have been able to exchange hearts and still be considered the same. To break a bond as honest as that speaks volumes about the dishonesty of the breaker."

Artemis looked from Hestia to Annabeth and back again, the puzzle pieces falling together. The Huntress' eyes pricked from time to time as she understood the story from then on. She could see the strings as she replayed the scenes, controlling each and everyone involved in Percy's life. She saw the strings connecting Olympus to the limbs of every camper and huntress, including herself, as they destroyed Percy's life piece by piece.

"I couldn't get involved." Hestia spoke to Annabeth, her eyes reflecting the dying red of the fire pit, "I couldn't change what he was destined to do. Please, Annabeth, forgive us."

Annabeth laid motionless throughout the entire monologue, her sandwich still hovering in front of her mouth. In her mind, her hubris had let her believe that the entirety of the blame on the Olympians, and rightfully so. They were the Olympians, and their power knew no bounds. However, Hestia's confession had brought out a much larger side of her, the side that stuck to her friends. The side that would throw her body in front of an incoming arrow. The side that would stick to her friends no matter the cost.

"I left him when he needed me most," Annabeth stated, no tears for she felt she did not deserve that reward, "I left him so he was at his weakest."

The two goddesses looked on in silence. Artemis' head supported a migraine as it dwelled into the intricate web that was the Olmypian's plan. She could see it all clearly, including what the minor gods and goddesses had been doing. She was about to ask another question when a thought struck her.

"My huntresses have two cabins hostage."

In Lady Hecate's cavern

Percy sat in the wooden chair, his back straight as he silently observed Hecate praying by the statue. He watched her as she clasped her hands together, kneeling in front of the un-identifiable statue, tears hitting the ground from time to time.

"It's rather rude to stare at a lady," Thanatos chided Percy from behind, his wings folding themselves as seamlessly walked across the cavern floor, "Especially if she's at her most vulnerable."

"Says the god who's seen the mightiest of heroes at their most vulnerable," Percy countered, his eyes still staring at the goddess.

A chair materialized next to him, made out of obsidian instead of wood, to which Thanatos directed himself to. The god of death only chuckled at Percy's statement, ruffling the demigod's hair like a brother would as he sat down. The two men sat in silence, their eyes directed towards the goddess, neither of them wishing to desecrate the calm serenity of the cavern.

"That's was a dirty plan," Percy said off-handedly, "Letting me think I stole your wings. Making me believe that you were a monster as well."

"A hero is often a pawn to immortals, are they not?" Thanatos responded, "The same can be said of minor immortals to Olympians."

The demigod nodded his head slightly to show that he had gotten the message. Hades' realm would always be under his watch, and anything Thanatos had said or done would have been under surveillance. It made sense for the god to trick him into believing what he did.

Though that didn't stop Percy from getting some revenge.

"Sorry for tearing out your wings," Percy said, with a smirk on his face as he remembered the pain the god went through.

"Sorry for making you tear them," Thanatos responded with an identical smirk.

Percy's smirk remained on his face for a few moments. His eyes went back to observing the goddess of magic as she went about her silent vigil. His mind started to wander, as did his eyes, looking around the cavern for the hundredth time. He once again looked up to the faceless statue as a question rose up to his lips.

"Why is she praying to a faceless god?"

Thanatos raised his eyebrow a bit at the question. He mulled over the answer, his right hand absentmindedly carving into the arm of the chair he was seated on.

"The thing about the unknown, Percy, is that it can be anything you want." The god answered cryptically, almost as if it was an open secret that no one talked about. The god looked at Percy with his mouth set into his very own version of a sad smile. Tapping his own eye, Thanatos jerked his head towards to statue.

Confused as to what he meant, Percy looked towards the statue's face, straining his newly acquired eye. The eye focused on statue's face, zooming towards it. The boost in vision allowed the demigod to see rough indents on the face, little scratches that dotted the surface. On further zooming in, Percy could see the indents come together, forming names, ichor dotted randomly around it from broken nails.

The second wave of guilt hit him at this. He could see the suffering Hecate put herself through, scratching the names of those who had fallen. To pray and remember them till the end of time. He could not even begin to imagine the pain.

But he knew she wasn't alone, for it seemed there were different patterns for sets of names.

Different handwritings.

In Eros' cabin

A loud knock on the door startled the terse campers, while the hunters remained stoic. They kept their eyes trained on the demigods, their fingers millimeters away from their daggers. Thalia rose up from the seat she was seated on and marched towards the door, already knowing who was behind it for she could feel her presence.

"Lady Artemis," Thalia said as she opened the door, a little bow soon following. "How was the meeting, Milady? Any news on Percy?" The occupants of the cabin soon followed in respect, some after a prod from their wardens.

Artemis eyed Thalia's prosthetic arm as she spoke, "Quite a bit actually. However, before we get into anything, I need to send out a few messages. Phoebe." A heavy set huntress from the back of the cabin stood up, "I want you to allocate a huntress per cabin. Each huntress has to remain at their post till I call them, understood?" Phoebe nodded her head and marched out the door, followed by the rest of the huntresses present in the cabin.

Those remaining in the Eros cabin, aside from Thalia, stood in confusion, wondering what the change in orders could mean. To the lieutenant of the hunt, it was quite simple. Artemis wanted to keep the entire camp under watch.

The lieutenant wasn't surprised when Annabeth walked into the cabin, nor was she surprised when Chiron and Nico soon followed, the former in his wheelchair. She was, however, surprised when an unknown girl entered behind Nico, her brown hair plated with rune stones at the end. She was dressed in a regular camp t-shirt with accompanying denim, but Thalia guessed that this girl was no ordinary camper.

"Lady Artemis," Chiron said once the doors were closed, "Why did you summo-" The goddess had raised her index finger in silence.

"Lou Ellen," Artemis said to the girl, "Could you place a few wards around the cabin, ensure that nothing penetrates its walls." The girl nodded and began to chant, the runes in her hair glowing a light green before dimming down. "Excellent. Apologies Chiron, but I take it you already know the answer to my question."

The centaur, previously observing all that was taking place, nodded his head. His eyes bore into those of Artemis and a look of understanding passed across his wise eyes. Nico seated himself on a chair, and gestured to his friends to do the same.

Chiron pushed his wheelchair towards the Eros campers huddled in the corner. The camp director enquired about the well-being of the campers and checked up on them before turning his attention to the other occupants. The goddess of the hunt was waiting for all the movement to cease, her eyes closed as she tried to once again push the guilt that ate at her.

She could see the sea-blue eyes of Poseidon, welling with tears. Eyes that showed utter despair in a pathetic plethora of attachment. Eyes that would later turn into the fierce blue, mixed with hints of gold that would die out as the life behind its owner ended. The eyes were once again transforming, morphing, but she was shaken out of the nightmare by her lieutenant.

"Why are we all here?" Thalia asked, clueless about what was at play.

The other four looked quietly at her, not knowing how to explain it to her. Their eyes moved towards the prosthetic arm attached at her shoulder, before moving down. They knew that she would take it roughly, as she had lost the most. They stared at the ground in silence until an impatient cough from Thalia made them look up.

"Thalia," Annabeth said after breathing in, "It's about Percy."

Thalia looked at her best friend with a scowl, "No shit, Annabeth." This earned a bit of a snort from Nico, who had resorted to looking at his sword.

"What's she's trying to say, static girl," Nico said with a smirk, but a sad look in his eyes, "Is that Perce is innocent."

The cabin was silent.

"I figured these two knew the moment I saw them talk to Aunt Hestia," Nico explained to everyone, more so to Thalia than anyone. He took a deep breath, "I don't know the exact details, but, Chiron and I knew he was being set up."

Thalia didn't look up as her eyes remained focused on her fake wrist.

"It seems that our father," Artemis said with discontent at the relation, "Has been carrying out a well thought out plan." Thalia's silence encouraged the goddess to continue, "He has, alongside my sister and step-mother, created a precise set of building blocks to dismantle Perseu-"

"Percy," Nico corrected, his eyes boring into Artemis as she explained.

"Percy's life." Artemis corrected herself, annoyed at Nico for interrupting.

Thalia continued to stare at the ground, uttering only one word to indicate that she had listened to every word spoken, "How?"

"He made him go insane," Chiron answered that, "With the help of Dionysus and Hera, am I correct?"

Annabeth shook her head, "This has been going on for more than half a year, Chiron. It started the moment Jake got here." Annabeth's mouth was in a stiff line, "My mother wanted me to fall for him, and like a fool I did. She figured I was the lynch pin to this entire plot."

"Take out the girl that gave him a reason to live." Nico summarized painfully, a slight hint of malic in his tone.

"How did she plan on Jake being here?" Lou Ellen spoke up for the first time, "Even by my calculations it's virtually impossible to account for a guy with those looks to pop up here."

"Automaton." Was Artemis' response, "Courtesy of Hephaestus."

"And then came the bout of insanity that made him go berserk," Nico continued. "Could smell the grapes on him."

The cabin remained silent, the words uttered sinking into their heads. Their minds whirled as they all watched Thalia, expecting some sort of response. No one dared to move. After a few minutes, Annabeth raised her hand, about to touch Thalia's arm.

"Thalia, are you okay?"

"Feeling…." The rest of Thalia's response went to a murmur as she instinctively grabbed Annabeth's before it could touch her.

"Thalia?" Artemis asked, ready for any outburst the demigod might have to the gods. What followed, however, would always be a surprise to Artemis, irrelevant of how much time she had to prepare herself.

"Feeling like a detective, are we?" Thalia said, her voice a low growl as she threw Annabeth's arm away. "Like you've solved the puzzle of the century?"

"Thalia…"Annabeth mumbled, shocked.

"You know what he told me when I met him in New York?" Thalia said, standing up, "He called me a coward. I thought he had finally crossed the line of sanity then, but now I realize what he meant. We're all cowards."

She glared into Annabeth's eyes, "You were his girlfriend! You were the one that kept him here!" Her fingertips sizzled with electricity as they approached Annabeth. Nico's hand on her shoulder stopped her from going any further.

"And you!" She glared at both Nico and Chiron, "You both knew he was crazy before he was sent to Tartarus! Why the hell didn't you two speak up?!"

"You were supposed to believe in him." Nico retaliated, his black eyes boring into Thalia's piercing blue, "Yet it was you who raised a sword to his neck!" Nico spat back. Artemis stepped in between the two demigods, ready for a fight if necessary.

"Don't try and protect me!" Thalia whirled on her mentor, "You're worse than all of them!"

Everyone stood frozen as the demi-god stared down Artemis. The tension in the room could have been cut with Riptide. It was obvious that the next few moments could lead to utter destruction, but nobody moved. Even Artemis was shocked into silence.

"You killed him more than any of us ever could." She growled venomously as tears came to her eyes, "You and your family took everything from him. His parents. His dog. His brother!" Thalia staggered forward, "You ruined his family!" The demi-god pushed past Artemis, throwing open the door and running outside.

The rest of the occupants sat silently, mulling over what transpired. The accused stood where they were, the waves of guilt washing over them with every passing moment. Annabeth soon followed Thalia's exit, running towards the washrooms, her hand covering her mouth. Artemis knew the demigod would hold herself responsible, especially after what her aunt and lieutenant said.

Nico soon followed, gesturing for Lou Ellen to follow him out. Chiron also followed, shepherding the Eros campers out of their dorms.

Artemis was the only one who remained. She looked around the cabin as she breathed in, her hands raking her hair. She closed the door with her heel, and leaned herself against the wall, eyes closed. She slumped down, sliding against the wall as her hands pressed against her eyes.

Seated on the floor, she closed her eyes and let loose. She let the guilt flow over her like waves, every event of the last few days flashing before her eyes.

One lone tear was enough to show the ocean of guilt she was swimming through.

In the girl's washroom

Annabeth hurled once more, the contents of her breakfast once again dotting the clean ceramic. She pressed her hands on the sides of the stall, letting it all out until her knees collapsed from the exhaustion. Her thoughts sped past here, each succeeding chain of events more sickening the last. She sat on the cool tiled floor as her hands rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe out the images she was seeing, but they were to remain permanently fixed to her brain.

She rested her against the side of the cubicle, tears flowing down her cheeks, but she never sobbed. She did not want the camp to know she was broken. Not yet. So she let her tears fall in the silence of the empty baths.

"Hey!" She heard Nico's voice outside her stall, "Annabeth, we have an emergency!"

"Just because you're gay," Annabeth mumbled as she wiped her face, "Doesn't mean you get to come into the girl's washroom." She stood up, leaning on the flimsy wall support.

"Annabeth!" Nico shouted as he banged the cubicle door, "Get out here!"

"Hold your horses!" Annabeth said out loud, "What's the matter?!" She threw open the door.

"Thalia's heading towards Olympus."

In Hecate's lair

Hecate got up from her pose in front of the statue, her hands still clasped in front of her. She headed towards the two men who had been watching her pray. To her, their presence was a source of comfort, and with Percy here, her powers were no longer spread thinly.

Her lair was always hidden from the Olympians.

"So that's how Triton almost got to meet his girlfriend again." Percy completed his story to a chuckling Thanatos. Both the men were laughing, but the sadness of Triton's death was still apparent in both their eyes. "Hecate." Percy acknowledged with a smile, standing up to offer her his seat.

She raised her palm to decline.

"It seems that your friends know of the Olympians' plan." Hecate said, a small smile gracing her lips.

"It was only a matter of time," Percy responded, "But I had hoped they didn't. I wanted them out of this." He sighed. "Guess it's going to be another war." His hand curled into a fist.

"And it appears that the first battle might start sooner than we expected." Hecate continued, looking at Percy with sadness in her eyes. "Thalia is heading towards Olympus."

At those words, Percy stood up, his chair vanishing as it reached the floor. "That damn idiot!" He cursed, "I thought I'd have more time."

Thanatos also stood up, his wings already springing out. He nodded his head to Hecate, indicating she continue.

"Percy," She said soothingly as she came forward, "I'm sorry," She raised her palm to caress his cheek, "But I won't be able to shield you this time. Your powers are too strong for me to shield from the Olympians. I wish I co-"

"Don't be," Percy said with a serious tone, his hand grasping Hecate's, "You did more than enough and I can't even think of a way to repay you. Honestly, you put yourself through hell for me."

Hecate laughed a little and patted Percy's cheek, her mind flashing through all her sons who died in the war. She looked into his eyes and knew that he might also be one of those sons, but she couldn't tell it out loud for fear of jinxing it.

"You're destined for a change, my young hero." She said, lowering her hand, "Please, be careful." She turned her back on the pair and went towards the statue, heading down towards the nameless cemetery. Percy and Thanatos waited until she disappeared before turning to each other.

"I'm afraid I can't accompany you to Olympus, dear friend," Thanatos said offering his hand, "Not yet anyway."

Percy shook his hand, understanding his reasons. "I guess we'll meet at another time." His wings also slid out, their metal tips glittering in the green light.

"I guess we will." Thanatos said, as the two parted ways.

Somewhere in the sky

Thalia rode on the back of black Pegasus, her arms clasped around its neck as her face was buried into his mane. She closed her eyes tightly as she fought the urge to throw up over the sides, the dizzying sense of vertigo hitting her full force.

She did not relent to her fears.

Her best friend went through hell for her and she was going to repay him.

Even if she had to go through her own.

At Olympus

Artemis flashed on to the edge of Olympus. She looked towards the horizon, hoping to see a sign of her huntress, but there was none. She strained her vision a bit more, but there was still no sign. Satisfied that Thalia had not arrived yet, she rested against the steel banister that encircled Olympus.

She closed her eyes, attempting to calm her mind from all what had transpired in the last few months. She was just about to get her senses to rest when she felt someone behind her. She slowly turned around, coming face to face with her prey, Percy Jackson.

"Percy," Artemis whispered, a wave of unease passing through as she took in the man before her. The evidence of her family's action was clear on his face, from the scar decorating the side Apollo's eyes was in to the raw skin on forearms. His clothes though, were new. He was sporting a plain black t-shirt and denim trousers. Nothing flashy, but they also seemed to look rumpled, as if he had run all the way from wherever he was.

"Artemis," Percy said, his eyes in slits at the sight of his brother's murderer. His sword slid out of his arm, cutting through between his knuckles and appearing in his palm. He raised the sword to the goddess' neck and kept it there, "You murdered my brother, you bitch!"

Artemis raised her palms, not wanting to defend herself. "Percy, loo-"

"No!" Percy growled, pushing the sword against her neck, "Don't try and excuse yourself! You worthless excuse for a goddess of justice!" He spat into her face, the air around the two of them thickening. The demi-god pressed his sword onwards, beads of ichor dropping to the paved roads of Olympus.

Artemis took a deep breath, silently going over what she wanted to tell Percy. Going through every possible apology, explanation and briefing, she gave up. She knew that what she and her family had done was simply unforgivable. The guilt clung around her heart tightly, pulling her deep into the sea of regret.

"Perc-" Artemis began, but was interrupted as she had been thrown to the banister circling Olympus.

"Don't!" Percy yelled in a forced whisper, "I know you know what happened! I know that you guessed that your family screwed me over! But guess what?!" He flicked his sword back inside his arm, a sickening slush sound accompanying it. "You screwed me the most!" He punched square in the jaw, his armor underneath his skin adding to the punch.

Artemis' head snapped to the side. It snapped to the other side as he punched again, ichor spewing from her mouth. He began to kick her in the abdomen as tears welled up in his eye, trickling down and mixing with the ichor. Blood soon joined the floor as his knuckles started to bleed from the punching.

The goddess took it all with no complaint, understanding that she was deserving of this, in her eyes, mere punishment. She hoped that with every hit, every kick, the feeling of guilt would escape her bit by bit. She hoped that she was paying her penance to the hero by putting up with the beating. To no avail as the guilt remained, snuggled in the corner of her heart, unwilling to depart.

Suddenly, the beating stopped.

Opening her swollen eyelids slightly, she looked up to see Percy standing over her. His chin rested on his chest as he sobbed silently, his arms hanging by his sides. His lips were tightly pressed as he tried to suppress his sobs. He stood there, vulnerable to any attack from the goddess at his feet, but none came.

Staring at him some more, Artemis raised her hand slowly, intending to comfort the crying demigod.

"Stand down, Artemis." A familiar voice growled, "He doesn't need your help."

In the dungeons of Olympus

Iris sat cross-legged, her head leaning against the wall behind her and she slept soundly. Nike sat on the bench given to them, staring at the rainbow goddess as she absentmindedly picked at the dirt in her nails with her business pen. There was no sound, save for the deep-breathing of the sleeping goddess.

Nike looked to the dark brown ceiling, mulling over the plan laid out to them. She could see the flaws clearly, but every path victory had potholes. Almost lost in thought, she was soon brought back to reality by Iris' stirring.

"Thanks Morpheus," Iris said with a smile, her eyes still closed.

The outskirts of Olympus

Thalia stood by Percy's side, her arm clasping his shoulder. He turned his body, resting his head on her shoulder as he sobbed silently. His arms encircled till he was crying with his head buried in the crook of her neck, holding on tightly. She patted his back, tears threatening to spill but she held them back. It was her time to be strong for him.

Artemis leaned against the low wall, using her arm to prop herself to a seated position. She winced as her ribs started to mend and a few teeth started to grow into place. She coughed up ichor. Artemis' eyes met Thalia's, an apology passing towards the demigoddess.

Thalia looked away.

Suddenly, a trumpet horn blew across Olympus, alerting all the occupants of the floating city of the invaders.

Percy guess that it was his vast array of powers that made it confusing for the defense system to recognize who he was immediately. Still clutching Thalia, tears almost over, his wings unfurled themselves. He encompassed Thalia and himself as arrows whizzed by, shot by the various automatons that Hephaestus had created after the Titan war.

Percy waited, knowing that the Olympians would soon be here.

"Get out, Perseus!" Zeus bellowed as he flew on to the pavement, "And unhand my daughter!" Thalia tensed under Percy's grip at that moment.

"I'm not your daughter!" Thalia yelled back, "You think I want to be related to you after what you've done?!" She was itching to go out and face her dad, but Percy's tight grip on her arms kept her in place.

"Thalia!" Zeus commanded, "Get out of there or you'll get struck like Perseus!"

There were no other sound, except for the almost faint sounds of sparks in the air.

"You are insufferable." Zeus said, almost to himself. He knew he had to get out his daughter out or else she'd be in danger. "Bring out the crossbow!"

Percy heard the slow wheeling of something heavy. A click was heard as it inched, turning towards the pair of demigods. They heard the cranking of a lever as it pulled back the bolt, ready to release. Percy braced himself for the blow, planning on riding the impact so that he could throw Thalia somewhere safer.

The twang of the arrow was heard, but the impact was never felt.

Instead the sound of an arrow hitting metal rang across the pavement, deafening anyone within a ten meter radius.

"Now you'd kill your own daughter?" A man said, his voice familiar yet unrecognizable to the demigods still covered by the wings, "You really are a heartless bastard, father."

"Hermes…" Zeus said, his voice losing its power.