Chapter 8: Hidden emotions & smiling clown

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson

A/N: So light trigger warning for everyone, bought to be some torture and stuff ahead… kinda. Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys the drama. I managed to jam into the chapter. Also Next chapter we figure out why Percy is older than he should be! Woop! Also does that mean lemons in the next chapter? (::) cookie?

LAST TIME:

"You knew!" Percy whispered as loudly as he could as Tracy gave a confident smile.

"You're my brother of course I knew, besides Zoë, you weren't that secretive with your stares towards him. Ever since a few years ago I've noticed something between you two." She admitted as Me and Percy just blushed harder.

"Then what about Artemis-." Before Percy could finish the sky erupted with booms of thunder and lightning flashed across it as a storm suddenly began to form in the sky. All three of us looked up to the quickly darkening clouds with concern as soon a massive face began to appear in the sky.

Recognizing the face my eyes widened as fear gripped my heart, he wasn't supposed to know about this place. There should be barriers to prevent him from finding this place. How did he KNOW!?

"A HIDDEN SON OF POSEIDON! AN ILLEGAL DEMIGOD CAMP! ARTEMIS!!!!!!" The furious face of Zeus made from thunder clouds roared as the entire world shook.

NOW:

THIRD PERSON POV:

Artemis felt Zeus' roar shake the very foundation of Olympus as her face paled when she listened to her father. Currently she was in her temple relaxing but the sound of her father broke any peace she had obtained. Suddenly worries filled her mind as her thoughts raced. However before she could do anything an IM popped up in front of her revealing Zeus with a face like stone, but his eyes were like that of thunderstorms of rage.

"Come to the throne room." With that the IM disappeared as Artemis' face paled further and her stomach dropped. Her stunning beauty was now gone as her face was filled with dread. She almost wanted to flash away from Olympus but knew better, if she did her punishment would only worsen, even more so it would shift to her hunters. With one thought Artemis disappeared from her temple and arrived in the center of the throne room.

As she looked around she was surprised to find only her father and Hera were present, the goddess just gave her a look of pity and sadness. Although Hera and Artemis never quite saw eye to eye, with her being proof of Zeus' infidelity, she never openly opposed her. In fact you could say Hera was lenient towards her, even caring at some points. Still seeing her saddened eyes made Artemis shudder in fear.

Olympus was held together by its rules and regulations. Gods needed to follow the rules so that chaos wouldn't break out. Or so that gods couldn't go rogue, like when the titans ruled, without any repercussions for their actions. That is why the council was formed, though some rules were broken there were very little repercussions. Her charges were different from those, Artemis has broken a very important rule.

"I can explain -." Artemis tried but Zeus raised his hand to stop her as Artemis held her tongue. As she did Zeus began to speak in a deep tone that made the room shake a bit.

"You are faced with two charges, Artemis. Number one, the construction and use of an illegal demigod camp that you told nobody about. You were only allowed to have the hunt under the pretense that you alway remain moving and never permanently settle unless you go to a camp. Having such a camp which is not monitored by the council could spell disaster in the future. Our enemies stir and large events are right around the corner. I cannot have such insubordination coming from you or anyone of the Olympians."

"Number 2, harboring a demigod of the big three without telling the council. Demigods of such are too powerful and must be monitored at all costs by the council and be part of a camp, once they know of their identity. Though you are an Olympian you are not the council. Even my demigod children Jason and Thalia went to their respected camps yet, you hid him and didn't tell the council. I don't care that he is Poseidon's, though it is infuriating that he broke his oath, hiding him is at your own fault."

Artemis' eyes filled with fury as she felt the need to scream at Zeus. She managed to hold herself together as she took a breath and finally spoke. However, as she did she couldn't hold a steady tone as her body trembled a bit.

"I-I know my camp was illegal but I am and always will be loyal to Olympus! The hunters are as well! We carry missions out for you without a second thought! We keep monster populations down! We do everything we must for Olympus and the demigods as well!" Artemis couldn't help but raise her voice as Zeus stayed silent, her silver gray eyes focused on the man himself as she continued.

"Also why do you suddenly care about demigods being registered! That rule has been overlooked for years! Only when the council found out about Thalia and Jason-."

"Enough!" Zeus roared as the room shook a bit, small bolts of lighting bouncing in his hair and beard as Artemis was rendered speechless. Her father was such a hypocrite that it made her insides twist in rage. Seeing her father in such a state she turned to the only other help she had at the moment.

"Hera! Please! What I have done is wrong and I broke the rules. Yet my achievements outweigh my faults! Can't you see that!" Artemis yelled as she turned to her step mother as Hera's soft brown eyes met hers. She stayed silent, saying nothing, but with sad eyes Hera conveyed a message to Artemis that made her fall into an internal stupor.

'It's not about what is right or wrong, it's about sending a message. You are to be punished regardless of your achievements, to make sure others do not follow in your path. I-I am sorry.'

That is the message Artemis got from Hera as she stood stunned. To make an example out of her, an Olympian, was so extreme that it was unheard of. Though, with the prophecies approaching Zeus needed to make sure Olympus would not crumble. What way to do so that to show nobody was above the law? Even though he himself seemed to be.

"Your punishment is to be shared between you and your hunters. As they are an extension of yourself they will be included." Zeus said as Artemis snapped her head towards Zeus with a face of rage. Her anger finally broke free of her grip as a silver aura spread from her throughout the throne room. It collided with an aura of gold from Zeus himself. Zeus' face showed a slight hint of anger as well as his daughter challenged him.

The whole throne room shook as the auras clashed with one another making the air sizzle as if an explosion was about to happen. The silver aura itself was filled with madness as it attacked his aura relentlessly. Even small cracks started to spread where the two auras collided. Cold silver eyes dung holes into Zeus' as Artemis finally spoke in pure anger.

"Don't you dare harm my hunters! I am the one who broke the rules! I am the only one to be punished! They had no say in my actions! If you touch them…" She yelled at the beginning but ended with a cold tone as their aura's held firmly against one another as neither moved an inch.

"You are to be punished regardless, Artemis. Like I said, your hunt is an extension of yourself. To forgo their punishment is impossible, I can only shift more of it towards you. The least I can do is make it so they cannot receive any help from any god for 3 years." Zeus said as Artemis stood her ground for a bit longer as her aura finally started to retreat. Zeus did as well but only fully retreated once hers was completely put away.

"Very well, I agree… Zeus." Artemis said his name with such venom tha Hera felt her ears tingle a bit. For him to hear his name instead of Father made Zeus frown at his daughter, he was only doing what needed to be done at the moment.

"Let me ask you something though." Artemis said as her cold eyes remained trained on him.

"How did you find out?"

"A… loose lipped sea nymph. Apparently a boy that appeared to be a son of Poseidon and a huntress had slain several of her sisters. I just followed the clues and found out on my own."

Knowing that Zeus was more than likely telling the truth, Artemis closed her eyes as her body trembled. She remembered Zoë and Percy telling her about their quest and the nymphs they ran into. Who knew such a simple thing would lead to her biggest secret being exposed. Artemis couldn't find it in herself to blame Percy for all of this.

For Zeus to meet the nymph that Percy let go was a twist of fate itself. Although, knowing how Zeus slept around with nearly every nymph there was, it wasn't a surprise he must have run into her eventually. Hera just remained still as the hidden message was revealed to her. Yet another night of infidelity from her husband. She held a calm face, but the tightening grip of her hands said otherwise.

"What is my punishment?"

"With everything you have done… just two broken limbs and one wing." Zeus said as Artemis' eyes went wide as her whole body shook as she took a step back in fear.

"Zeus…" Hera tried to say something but his cold eyes stopped the goddess in her tracks. She truly felt sorry for Artemis at that moment. Her soft brown eyes and regal face showed sadness as she turned to her step daughter.

"Now receive your punishment." Zeus said as he stood up as Artemis shook even harder. Her back itching violently as she bit her lips. At the same time Zeus began walking to her and shrunk down to his human height. Soon he was before Artemis who slowly looked up at him with eyes of pure rage and disgust. Slowly she extended out her left arm as Zeus didn't hesitate for a second.

With one swift movement he reached forward and grabbed her arm with both hands. Without a hint of emotion his arms flexed and a sickening breaking sound was heard. Artemis' upper arm snapped easily under the force, now looking so deformed that you could even see the bone threatening to break from the skin. Even with that, the Goddess herself remained quiet.

Not a peep was heard or even a grimace was expressed. Her eyes just remained focused on Zeus as her mind was lit aflame from the pain. It took everything she had to remain quiet, even as a goddess the pain from breaking a bone was extremely painful. She was staying silent to undermine anything Zeus was trying to accomplish.

"Now the leg." Zeus simply said as Artemis stayed still as his leg kicked out, sweeping her feet from under her. Artemis just stayed still, avoiding the blow as she fell to the ground. She caught herself with her good arm as pain flared from her broken one but she still did not change her face. Without another word Zeus raised up his foot and stomped down right on the back of Artemis' right knee.

The council room shook from the force from his stomp as another sickening breaking sound rang out. Artemis' body shuddered in place for a second as the pain tore through her body. Still her face remained impassive even though a cold sweat covered her body as she took deep breaths. Zeus just slowly picked up his foot as golden blood dripped from his shoes.

Artemis' knee was greatly deformed as her ichor began to pool from the spots bones had broken free. Zeus just stared down at Artemis as she took deep breaths not saying a word.

"Your wings, reveal them." He said with a deep tone as Artemis seemed to stop breathing as her mind raced. Finally Artemis showed a change of expression as she gritted her teeth so much it seemed like they would crack.

"Now!" Zeus nearly yelled as Artemis slowly revealed her wings. Yes, all gods had wings, each having their own style and plumage, however their wings were not regularly used. With the ability to teleport and fly in their chariots most wouldn't use them. Most of all, the main reason this was unknown was because their wings were very vulnerable and sensitive so they tried to keep them hidden.

You could even say showing your wings was more of a private matter than a public one. It showed the person you were with your vulnerable side, a way many gods bonded with others or even mortals. Artemis herself had only exposed her wings several times in her life and that was only to her mother and her fellow Olympians.

Slowly two large wings emerged from Artemis back as they came out of their hiding places. They were two large gray silver wings with the feather style of a falcon. Their width was more than a dozen feet and their underside actually had white feathering complimenting the gray silver top. They had a beauty to them that would make anyone stare in awe and wonder, unfortunately Zeus was in no mood to admire.

"Left or right."

"Right." Artemis said as she bit her lip as she felt a foot on her back forcing her to lay flat to the ground as a hand gripped her wing causing her to shudder. Never had a person besides herself touched her wings, just the feeling of Zeus doing so made her want to throw him off and run away. His foot kept her planted firmly on the ground, then he began to pull, but Zeus was not pulling quickly.

Artemis felt pain begin to flare in her back like nothing she had ever felt before, muscles slowly tearing, bones warping, tendons ripping. The spot her wings attached by her shoulder blades began to slowly rip as her skin poured out golden blood. The pain was so excruciating Artemis finally couldn't stand it anymore and her plain face broke and a scream escaped her throat.

"AAAAHHHH!" Her voice shook the throne room, a cry of pure pain as tears began to flood down her face. Her good arm even tried to reach back and stop what was happening somehow but Zeus quickly pinned the good arm under his other foot. He then began to pull from another direction causing her even more pain as her whole body shook.

"STOOPPP! NOOOO!!!" Artemis screamed yet again as her whole body convulsed her mind barely hanging on, but Zeus just kept slowly pulling. Hera had long stopped watching as she closed her eyes and turned her head, each of Artemis' screams caused her to tremble. Each of her pleas for Zeus to stop caused her hands to just grip her throne tighter and tighter.

Finally after several minutes a sickening snap and tear was heard as the wing was fully ripped from Artemis' back. Blood poured from the wound where her wing used to be. Zeus just stepped off Artemis who was violently sobbing on the ground yet her body remained still. He then looked down at the wing in his hands and tossed it to the ground like it was trash. He then straightened his suit and kicked the blood off his shoes.

"Your punishment has been given, you will be forgiven for your wrongdoing. During the next council meeting we will discuss what we will do with what is left of your hunt. Be it the registration of your camp for permanent residence or if we dissolve it." Zeus said as he walked away as Artemis' cries slowly stopped as she looked up at Zeus, her face still covered in tears and pain.

"W-What? Left of my hunt?"

"My… presence above your hunt attracted several hundred monsters in the area. They will all more than likely be heading straight towards your hunt. Though your hunt is well trained, there are a large number of monsters. I pray for their survival." Zeus said as he flashed out leaving a completely stunned Artemis.

"NOOO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! THIS WAS MY PUNISHMENT NOT THEIRS!" Artemis screamed in anger as her fingers dug into granite beneath her as she suddenly began to drag herself forward. Her direction right towards Apollo's throne. The overwhelming pain and the blood loss taking their toll as her crawl was slow, she even let out screams with each time she pulled herself. Torrents of insults spewed from her mouth towards Zeus.

Her strength was leaving quickly, a trail of golden blood decorated the throne room now. She however was still several dozen feet from his throne and she no longer had the strength to pull herself forward. Her previous anger was still present but she no longer had the energy to express it. It was then she heard the sound of footsteps as she slowly turned her head to see Hera approaching her.

"Please… save them." Artemis begged through tears as Hera didn't say a word. Her soft brown eyes filled with a thousand emotions, even her regal supermodel like face was filled with sadness. Surprisingly she slowly bent down and then actually picked up Artemis with the utmost care. Trying to avoid her injuries as much as she could, she finally held Artemis princess style.

"I can't, I am sorry. Your punishment forbids it." Hera said in a sad tone, she then began to walk towards Apollo's throne as Artemis just stared up at her.

"W-Why… are you helping me?' Artemis asked in a shaky voice as her blood loss was finally affecting her consciousness more. Slowly her vision waned as Hera glanced down at her.

"..." However, Hera stayed silent as she finally approached Apollo's throne and slowly sat down Artemis in front of it trying to avoid any open wounds. She kept Artemis from touching the throne until she was fully seated. Taking one last look at the crying goddess Hera had tears of her own threaten to fall from her face.

"T-Thank you." Artemis said with the last of her energy and closed her eyes as Hera just gave a nod. Then the goddess slowly leaned forward and kissed Artemis' forehead for a second and then pulled back with a sad smile on her face.

"I pray for your swift recovery." Hera said as she reseted Artemis on Apollo's throne and then teleported out. A second later the sun god himself appeared with wide eyes as he quickly began to tend to Artemis' wounds. His hands trembled while he did basic first aid before picking up her unconscious body and taking her to his temple.

Though he knew of her punishment and even argued against Zeus about it. The king of the gods only turned a deaf ear towards him. Thankfully it didn't prevent him from helping her current injuries. Still he didn't know that Zeus would do something as drastic as this. All he could do was grit his teeth in frustration, while gods healed quickly he was more than extremely worried for her condition.

Elsewhere Hera appeared in her own empty temple, as she did she began to take shaky steps until she got to her bedroom and collapsed by her bedside. Tears streamed down her face as violent sobs were choked out of her throat. She just sat on the ground gripping her bed sheets as she sobs continued.

"I-I'm sorry A-Artemis. I-I'm so s-sorry." She said to herself as she tried to wipe her tears away but they were not stopping anytime soon. After several dozen minutes she finally was able to stop her sobs but not her tears. She remained slumped against her bed with closed eyes, a blanket pulled from it now covering her as she seemed exhausted.

"I'm sorry! All I could do was sit and watch as you cried out in such extreme pain, I'm such a coward! You may have done something wrong, but you did not deserve such a cruel punishment! Even your hunters must fight for their lives while you can do nothing! Zeus that fucking bastard! Why must he be like this?!" Hera said in an infuriated tone as she gritted her teeth but then gave a large sigh, as she did she just pulled the blankets closer trying to fall asleep.

"If only I wasn't in the position I am in now. If only I was free of my position. Then I could help you with anything you needed. I just wish I…I had the courage to tell you how I feel." Hera said with a sad smile on her face as she finally dozed off to sleep.

LINEBREAK:

TIME: Several hours since Zeus visited the hunters

PERCY POV:

The monsters were like a flood that never seemed to stop. With only about 70 hunters at the moment in the camp, 15 of which were injured, it was extremely difficult for us to defend the camp. Zoë was like the goddess of Archery herself, Artemis would be proud, she never stopped firing arrows even when her fingers began to bleed. Each arrow found a vital point or soft spot on the monsters. Each hunter themselves wasn't a slouch either, dozens of arrows striking down on a single monster causing it to bleed out and turn to dust.

"Percy! The East side needs back up! There is another big one!" One of Tracy's little music notes shouted in my ear, and instantly I was on the move. Currently the barrier was gone, Zoë said it would be restored in a few hours but we didn't have a few hours to spare. Being one of the best hand to hand combat units in the camp, excluding the butcher aka Phoebe and her massive cleaver like sword. I was sent to other sides to suppress monsters when they got too close or a monster that was too tanky for arrows to take down.

Currently our defense is situated around the cabins, all the injured hunters were currently held up in Artemis' cabin. All of them prayed to the gods for help but nothing was heard. They even sacrificed items and food, yet each was rejected. Even Artemis herself wasn't answering any prayers or IMs, which was extraordinarily rare. Whatever was going on in Olympus was serious and my fears for Artemis grew rapidly.

"Incoming!" I heard a hunter scream as a boulder smashed into the wooden barricade that the hunters kept in case something like this ever happened. Several hunters were thrown back as the barricade exploded into splinters showering me and others. I just sprinted faster as my muscles burned, how many hours had it been? Two? Three? I couldn't remember.

"Get anyone with bad injuries to the cabins! Go get another barricade! I will hold the breach!" I yelled, sprinting forwards past the rubble just in time to see a 10 foot tall forest troll slowly lumbering towards us.

"Fuckkkkk…" I cursed looking at the behemoth as I saw some smaller monsters bringing over a cut down tree and throwing it in front of the troll as he slowly picked it up and then began walking again.

'Universal troll weakness #1 fire.' Mom said in my mind as I nodded.

"I need you to use fire arrows on this guy immediately! Don't let up until he drops! Also I need a torch!" I yelled as a hunter grabbed one from a fire pit situated not too far away and tossed it towards me. With a simple catch I put the torch in my shield hand, I then took a deep breath and then ran forward.

The small monsters only got in my way momentarily as my Kopis sliced through them cleanly. Blood and golden dust coated the ground, making each step sound like you stepped in mud. Still I kept my feet as steady as I could as I sliced down yet another hellhound and used my torch to burn the face of a short green skinned goblin. The little creature screamed in pain until I cut its head from its shoulders.

"Percy duck!" Tracy's music note sounded in my ear as I did exactly as I was told, a second later my mind tingled and a massive tree swung right over top of me. With total disregard for its fellow monsters the troll swung its tree club, the force alone was enough to splatter several monsters that it hit.Thankfully in a second I was back up and running towards the lumbering beast.

The troll thankfully was dreadfully slow and I was able to get underneath it with ease as it tried to grab me but had no luck. It let out a frustrated roar that shook my ear drums and made me nearly go deaf as I sliced into its legs. Even my Kopis was not enough to do any major damage. Its thick skin was like natural armor and a second later the skin started to sizzle and regenerate itself.

"Don't you have a bridge to terrorize somewhere?!" I roared as I dodged a hand grab, and even a foot trying to stomp on me as I kept cutting into the troll's legs. Soon arrows that were lit aflame started to sink into the monsters as it roared in pain.

'That is a different type of troll Percy.' I heard a male voice as I dove to the side as its club smashed into the ground where I was a second ago.

"Not helping dad!" I roared at Order as I jabbed my torch into the back of the troll's knee. In just a second the flesh was caught aflame as I pulled back and the troll was forced to one knee. I just stood surprised for a second glancing down at the torch, I should have used this thing sooner.

'You are your mothers child that is for sure.'

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

'Hey! What's that supposed to mean?'

Both mom and I complained at the same time, I swore I heard something hit someone on the other side. I stared at the lumbering troll as it tried to guard against the arrows from the hunters. It seemed that the flames were too weak to do anything like the torch did, so it looks like I'm going to have to scale this bitch. With one deep breath I sprinted forward, with precise movements I jumped onto its foot that was behind it and then with a powerful leap I landed on the troll's back. I then slammed the Kopis into its back to keep myself from falling off as it gave a roar of pain as blood seeped from its back.

It tried to stand up and throw me off by standing up but the hunters were extremely helpful as they focused on the beast's face with their arrows. It was forced to cower itself with its arms as the fire burned its skin from each arrow, it even bent down more to cover itself giving it a flat back. It was my turn then as I ripped out the blade and began to slice it as fast as I could.

While trying to preserve my energy I fed as little as I could into the blade to keep it sharp enough to rip through its thick skin. Finally after a dozen slashes a big X cut into its back and through its tough hide revealing tender mutilated flesh. With a wicked grin I grabbed the torch from my other hand and slammed it into the cut. Like gasoline to a flame the blood and flesh instantly lit aflame. I wasn't done as I stomped down on the torch forcing it further into the beast's flesh.

"Wooden carrier is repaired Percy, come back. Also pick up what stray arrows you can, we are running out." Tracy said as I nodded silently, it appears our situation is turning from bad to worse. The beast beneath me let out roars of pain as I hopped off its back and sprinted back towards the hunters. Behind me the troll began to go berserk as its insides seemed to start to combust. Smoke began to pour out its mouth as it began to swing at anything it could touch as small monsters were squished to puddles of goop.

Seeing the giant being run into the crowd of monsters on its destructive path was nice. I was actually surprised to see how fast the troll started to combust, in the future I might see what happens when you mix troll blood and greek fire. I bet an interesting combination would happen.

'You will blow yourself up.' Chaos said as I scoffed a bit.

"You worry too much mom… wait mom! Sally! Tracy our cabin!" I yelled I couldn't believe I forgot, monsters started to attack so suddenly there was basically no time to think.

"Don't worry I sent her a message a long time ago, she managed to make it to town a bit ago. She even managed to have them call about a forest fire. The cabin… I don't know." Tracy said, causing relief to wash over me. Quickly glancing back at the troll who was now covered in fire running through the woods, mom wasn't that far off from the soon to be truth.

"Thank the primordials." I said as suddenly a super loud moo shook the air causing me and every other hunter to cover their ears. At the same time something that sounded like an explosion sounded off and dust could come from the opposite side of our camp. Some monsters hearing this suddenly began to flee the scene with eyes full of worry. This couldn't be good.

"Minotaur!" It was the only word I heard from Tracy as her music note shot up into the air.

"All hunters retreat to the main cabin immediately!" The note shouted as it flew back to Tracy as I began to sprint with all my might. Why the fuck was there a legendary minotaur in West Virginia?

As I quickly made my way towards where the beast was at I was met with a sight of pure horror. Several hunter corpses scattered the area, they had been crushed or cut completely in half by the monsters. Their eyes still wide in fear but their souls now in Hades' realm, it was truly a gruesome sight that made me grit my teeth. All of these hunters were my family! I could only focus my rage on the beast as I ran forward.

Standing over 13 feet tall in total with a massive double sided ax in its hand the half man half bull stood like a tower of pure muscles that would make any bodybuilder jealous. He wore a loin cloth and… fruit of the loom underwear? Don't get distracted Percy! Its massive horns crashed into trees and broke them apart causing even more damage as he attacked one hunter that was currently stalling him.

Currently Phoebe was doing an amazing job stalling the beast, her massive 5 foot long 2 foot wide cleaver with an additional handle on the back of it was clenched in her hands as she chopped away. She was precisely deflecting and parrying blows from the ax that could crush boulders with ease. Each one threw up a dust cloud as it landed on the ground. Some hunters were still firing arrows at it but each one bounced off its copper skin like it was nothing.

"On your left!" I roared as Crimson Sky took the shape of its spear as I reared back and threw it with all my might. Phoebe, hearing my yell, jumped backwards dodging another blow from it. Dust was thrown upwards but a crimson beam tore right through it, the spear sunk several inches into the leg of Minotaur as it gave a roar of frustration.

"Hey muscles for a brain! Strike the spear!" I yelled as Phoebe's face showed anger, but her own bodybuilder-like muscles bulged as she swung her giant weapon flat side down right on top of my spear. Like a hammer on a nail the spear sunk several feet deeper until the tip of it ripped out the other side of his leg.

The beast roared in pain finally as blood dripped from the wound. However now with a full spear in his thigh he couldn't walk properly as he stood still for a moment huffing angrily as Phoebe retreated over towards me.

"I'll get you later for that boy." Phoebe said not taking her eyes off the furious Minotaur.

"Whatever you say… so you got a plan? You've taken down hundreds of bigger monsters." I asked as I glanced at her as she frowned.

"Damage it until it falls or trap it then do the same. Frontal assaults really aren't our specialty." She said as I nodded. By now the Minotaur had actually ripped the spear out of his leg and threw it away, however it just reappeared on my wrist in its bracelet form.

"I'll distract it, you two and Zoë find opportunities to do as much damage as you can. Percy your shield won't break under his blows so deflect them as much as you can." Tracy said as her and Zoë both joined me and Phoebe as we nodded.

"What about the others?" I asked as Zoë shook her head.

"Everyone is busy guarding the main cabin. They don't have time to help us, we are on our own." She said as we all nodded.

"Zoë, take this just in case. If me and Phoebe can't hold this bitch back you and the hunters need to escape. It can be used on any door. " I said as I reached around my neck and pulled out an old fashioned copper skeleton key and gave it to her as she gave me a confused look along with Phoebe. Tracy just looked at it in surprise as she gave me a glance, I just met her and nodded. Our conversation was quickly over as the Minotaur roared and then charged us.

Me and Phoebe were both off to the races as she charged the beast, he just reared back his weapon and striked at me as I leaned to the side, easily dodging the strike. Thankfully he was so big that his moves were easy to read, but his speed was truly impressive for his size. Just the gust of wind with the blow was enough to jostle me. I just whipped out my kopis and struck his arm leaving only a shallow cut.

Phoebe on the other hand was focused on his legs as her cleaver swung forward with all her might and cut only an inch into the monster. We both cursed at his toughness. I poured a bit more energy into the blade hoping for it to cut even deeper into him. Then he began to pull back his ax hoping to catch me in the backslash. I used my shield to parry the blow at a precise angle but even then I was forced backwards and slid several feet as a numbness spread through my arm.

With that I just charged at his legs as well as he tried to strike me yet again. this time a silver arrow shot from the side and landed inches from his eyes as he was forced to close them. He then threw up a dozen stones that I blocked with my shield and then went to work on his legs and sides that I could reach. Even Phoebe was going at it as one of his strikes was equal to several of ours. Each of his strikes met nothing or my shield as I kept him focused on me.

Dozens of 3 inch deep slices covered his arms and legs as my blade dripped with blood. He even tried to grab me sometimes but his palm was soft. I used my blade to cut deep gashes into his fingers and even run through his entire palm. Several arrows also now stuck deep into his facial muscles and occasionally the beast would see some sort of illusion appear from nowhere and he would strike at it. Still even with all of our effort the beast still stood.

"We need to do something else, this is barely working. His rage is also feeding his strikes, my arms can barely take it anymore." I said as Phoebe nodded, she had even had to deflect several strikes with me in this fight. To make matters even worse a forest fire had actually broken out, from the direction the troll ran off towards, we maybe had an hour before the fire was on us.

'I told you to be more careful.' Mom said in a worry filled voice, I could only imagine what it felt like to simply have to watch your son fight for his life.

"Next time for sure." I whispered to myself.

"I have an idea." Tracy said to us as we listened.

"Percy, see if you can strike his chest with your spear. He is very guarded of it so I will distract him with one big illusion. Phoebe, just use your muscles to smash it. Zoë, be ready to strike in an instant." Tracy said as we all nodded. Just like that light began to converge in front of her and the Minotaur as Tracy began to sweat bullets. Soon a 15 foot godzilla was formed in front of it as the beast eyes went wide.

Every single person in the area and even the monsters went wide eyes as more and more monsters ran away as a new alpha predator joined the mix. Still seeing it rear back its head and inhale a large breath all of us could only cup our ears and wait.

"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!" The illusion leaned forward and let out a roar so loud it shook my very body. The entire forest for miles just shook from the sound as Tracy put on the best show ever. The Minotaur itself stood stunned as he then began to attack the giant fake lizard. Each blow only distorted the image a bit and the Minotaur was none the wiser and didn't notice a thing for now.

Godzilla even fought back swinging its claws as the two behemoths fought one another, yet not one drop of blood was drawn. Now was my opportunity as I took aim with my spear and focused. The minotaur was too guarded of its chest, I had tried several times to strike it but nothing worked. With one breath I reared back, took a few steps and launched my spear.

However, that is when things turned for the worst. A giant ax suddenly sailed through the air that held the illusion of godzilla. The ax was too fast as it came right towards me, passing right by my spear mid flight. The massive ax was far too big to dodge at my position and If I knew I would quickly end up with a severed limb. All I could do was raise my shield up to block, but the full force throw of the Minotaur was too much for me.

""PERCY!"" 'PERCY!' Three screams was all I heard as the weight of the throw slammed into my shield which instantly slammed into my chest and threw me back. All I felt was weightlessness and pain, my shield arm was broken on impact and I'm sure I had several broken ribs as well. The taste of copper filled my mouth and blood was shot from it from the impact.

Then I landed, the first wall of the cabin I hit broke under the force of me slamming into it. I then ragdolled across the interior, slamming into whatever was in my way. Each time I hit something it felt like something new broke, finally I came to a halt as I slid across the ground and hit the other wall of the cabin. Everything hurt so much that my nerves didn't know what to do. I just lay on my side as blood oozed from my mouth and my eyes slowly closed.

The only thought in my mind were the people I knew, both my moms, Tracy, dad, the hunters, Artemis, Hestia, and finally Zoë. I just wish… I could have told you more about how I felt about you, or at least go on a date with you. Also maybe talk to you about something that has been stirring inside me lately each time I saw Artemis, you would probably kick my ass and dump me though if I did. I didn't know what to think about the feelings, I needed to talk to someone I could trust and you were her.

It was then the building shook and then suddenly started to collapse as I saw a glimpse of a face through the hole I came in. There was Zoë crying as she ran towards me.

LINEBREAK:

THIRD PERSON POV:

"Let her go!" Screamed Zoë in an absolute fury at the Minotaur as he held Tracy in one hand as the demigoddess struggled to breath as his fingers wrapped around her entire throat. The Minotaur just swung his blade down once again sending rocking flying towards Zoë as Phoebe appeared by her side knocking them out of the way. Said huntress had a massive gash on her forehead and was now gasping for air as blood impaired her vision as she took a knee.

"Phoebe, go to the other hunters. You're too injured to fight." Zoë said as the girl just shook her head and tried to stand but stumbled a little.

"W-We have to get Tracy back first." She managed as she gritted her teeth and stood up and held her cleaver in front of her. Exhaustion taking her over as Zoë could only face the helpless situation head on. All she had was her knives left which did little to nothing to the monsters hide. Still the beast almost seemed to stare down in a mocking face as Tracy's face was turning white from suffocation.

Zoë felt broken on the inside, the first male she had fallen for in over 2 millenia was dead. She saw him disappear under a mountain of rubble in an instant. Her genuine feelings for him now tore her heart apart, she couldn't even say goodbye. Even his sister seemed to have the same fate as him as she continued to thrash around begging for air. Yet Zoë could not do a thing but stand and watch. Everything she tried was futile, every trick, every arrow, every slice. Even her vice commander was not giving up and seemed on her last legs as well. It felt like a repeat of what happened ages ago when the hunt fell and left only herself and several girls.

"Why…am I always so weak! AHHH!" Zoë screamed in frustration at herself as her mind swelled with all her thoughts that were like a raging storm. All she wanted to do was punch something as hard as she could… and then something in her snapped. With that a gray aura suddenly exploded from her body like that of a god. Phoebe's eyes went wide in shock, even the Minotaur seemed to freeze as Zoë's honey brown eyes turned to a stark furious gray. The aura felt ancient and earthly, like that of a titan, but Zoë didn't care as her furious eyes landed on the Minotaur causing it to step back a bit.

"I will kill you!" Zoë finally seemed to lose all train of thought as her rage filled her mind and she rushed towards the monster.

At the same time a tattoo began to form on her outer right thigh, a tiara over a crescent moon, it was absolutely stunning with detail. As it appeared gray tattoos began to spiral up from her fists and feet, more spiral patterns started to run up her body eventually ending with a large one at the base of her neck. Then a simple line right under her eyes from ear to ear and one from her bottom lip down her chin appeared as well.

Zoë didn't care as she kicked off the ground with such force that it shattered the stone beneath her. An unknown strength filled her body as she launched herself through the air like a missile right at the Minotaur. He tried to block her but he was caught unprepared by the sudden action, Zoë's fist was like a 14 ton hammer as it slammed into his chest.

It even caused his chest to cave in a bit as her mind was still flooded with pure anger and fury. The force behind her punch was so great it threw the 13 foot tall beast backwards through the air as he let go of Tracy in the process.

With a loud thud the Minotaur landed over 20 feet away and slid a few more. Zoë herself gracefully landed on the ground with Tracy in her arms as the semi unconscious demigoddess coughed violently in her arms. Blotches of blood however stained her lips more and more with each of her coughs. However, Zoë just stood there until Phoebe came limping up to them with wide eyes.

"Where the hell did that come from!? That was fucking amazing! I had no clue you had powers! Can you do it again?" She asked ecstatic for her friend and the quick turn of the battle, but then suddenly Zoë's eyes rolled into the back of her head and fell down to her knees. Phoebe stood stunned for a moment as the two unconscious women, as she was left alone.

Then the Minotaur started to get back up, he held absolute fury in his eyes now as he let out a billowing moo and slammed his ax into the ground as he got to his feet.

"Fuck me! HELP!" Phoebe yelled as she picked up the two unconscious women, but her body was in no condition to run. All she could do was limp forward as the Minotarur finally got to its feet and let out a massive bellow. Its body then seemed to bulk up a bit as its copper like skin turned red as steam blew out its nostrils, Zoë's punch had sent it to a berserk state.

Some hunters in the distance started rushing to them but they were simply too far away to help as the stomps of the Minotaur grew closer and closer. Unfortunately Phoebe was too slow as it quickly caught up with them and then raised its battle ax up with both hands, ready to strike down in an instant.

Phoebe just closed her eyes and waited for it all to end but the only sound she heard was a swoosh of wind and then a boom that shook the ground. Nothing squashed her or even injured her as she slowly opened her eyes in confusion to see a black figure standing above her. The being was a bit shorter than the Minotaur but way more skinny, except for the arm holding the ax.

Its left arm, unlike its right that hung all the way down to its knees, was up in the air and was a bulging mass of muscle nearly the same size as the Minotaurs. The Minotaur put even more force into its arms and let out a roar of frustration, but the being stood silently but only the ground cracked beneath him.

Suddenly the being reared back its other fist as it punched forward as its entire arm inflated with muscles. The Minotaur roared and blocked the strike with its shoulder as it slid backwards a dozen plus feet. However the black being remained still as it looked down at Phoebe causing her back to shiver. Its black smooth mask with creepy red eyes and smile was something that seemed right out of hell.

After taking a glance at the trio it just began walking forward towards the Minotaur as the beast brought up its ax and began to attack again. To the black creature it was slow, so incredibly slow. It reached out and grabbed the ax by the blade stopping the Minotaur in its tracks as it couldn't move it an inch. Then with one tug the beast was pulled forward only to meet a downward punch of the black creature. Its head slammed into the ground causing it to crack even more.

The black creature didn't stop there as it began kicking the head of the Minotaur further into the ground as hard as it could as the cracks spread further and further. The Minotaur even in its berserk state was stunned to a daze as it began bleeding profusely from its head. Then the black creature reached down and grabbed the horn of the beast and then pulled its battered head out of the ground. The Minotaur had seen better days as blood spewed from its lips as it coughed a bit.

"SKREEEE!!" The lanky black creature suddenly got close and screamed into the Minotaur's face as the red smile on the mask broke apart revealing a set of shark-like serrated teeth.

It then lunged forward and bit into the Minotraurs skull causing the weakened beast to scream and roar until its final moment when the black creature bit a full chunk of its skull and brain. With sickening crunch sounds the creature chewed what was in its mouth but then spit it out like it had tasted something disgusting. It then simply tore off one of its massive horns leaving the beast to bleed out on the ground. The legendary Minotaur was finally dead, at least until it reformed next time.

Then dragging the horn behind it the ferocious smiling creature that now had blood all down its front, began walking towards the trio, unfortunately the hunters still hadn't reached them as they stood stunned from what just happened. Phoebe just stood petrified as the monster approached her, thankfully the show had caused all the surrounding monsters to hesitate even approaching.

With one swipe of its hand it picked her and the other two up and began walking again as it still continued to drag the 6 foot long horn behind it. Phoebe even began to thrash around but it couldn't escape its clutch. Thankfully it didn't crush her in its hand or eat her were her only thoughts.

"Put me down!" She roared but yet the creature didn't yield as it approached the place the hunters were all residing. All of which had their bows trained on it but didn't know what to do as it saw it protect them from the Minotaur.

Finally it stopped outside the cabin and lightly dropped the three off as it then quickly began to shrink until it only stood 5 foot tall but still had its lanky appearance. Keeping its normal smiling appearance it just stood there for a second as Phoebe just stood protectively over the two.

"Key." It said in a scratchy voice as it pointed to Zoë as Phoebe tried to think but then the thought hit her. The key Percy gave her! Although, how would this thing know about it? Unless…

Slowly Phoebe seemed to understand a deeper meaning to the situation, at least partly, as she reached around Zoë's unconscious head and pulled off the necklace that had held the key on it. With one swift movement the creature took it from Phoebe as he approached a door to an exterior shed attached to the cabin. Then the magic began and the key quickly transformed into the key for the door and went into the lock perfectly.

Then the whole door began to change to a pristine white granite door as everyone stared amazed. With a soft click the door opened revealing a white screen that nobody could see through. Slowly the creatures turned to the hunt and motioned for everyone to go in. Phoebe just gritted her teeth for a moment, her theory was only about 70% sure but it was all they had at the moment.

"Everyone in! This creature is our friend! All of the injured go first and then everyone else!" Phoebe yelled as they all stood still in slight shock.

"Hurry up! You wanna be a monster snack!?" She said as she picked up Zoë and Tracy and then dragged them into the white screen and as the hunters began to move. In under 3 minutes every hunter injured and healthy went through the portal with bags of supplies and anything they thought they might need. Once the last one entered the creature took one last look around.

The monsters finally decided to approach again but the forest fire already surrounded the area setting the hills ablaze. Although its stare was blank you could sense its aura was filled with sadness. With one last look it then turned to the door and walked in and closed it behind him. Then the granite door turned back to the normal metal door as the monsters and the fire began to raise the camp to dust.

A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Lots of details and my mysteries to resolve huh… shit i have to be the one to solve them… dammit. Regardless, I hope it is good for everyone! If you have any questions please feel free to ask away lol.

E/N: Just doing my job and editing this stuff now! Sorry that you guys have to deal with all these spelling errors, I promise he is so much better than he was.. *cough* Fatal Flaw *cough*. All jokes aside, enjoy! Please continue reading! - Dex

Also, discord.gg/wttJDs62Dy for our discord server!