Hi, this is my first Percy Jackson fanfiction, as after reading the series I felt it would be interesting to do.

I've been reading quite a few of the Artemis based fanfics and i don't think this has been done before....

I will come back and edit this at a later date, so any constructive criticism is welcome.

I'm working on several fanfictions at the moment, so i will update this one as soon as humanely possible.

So finally...enjoy

Chapter One: Discovery

It was night-time in Camp Half blood, and all was silent, except for the occasional explosions coming from the Hephaestus cabin. The full moon hung solitary in the sky; there were no stars tonight as they were hidden by a vast, dark blanket.

Percy Jackson, the resident son of Poseidon was diligently performing his guard duty of the Camp's borders. He glanced at his analogue watch, and seeing it was 11:20pm, he sighed. His shift would soon be over and Annabeth would take the duty, a proposal that her mother, the Goddess Athena had devised to ensure they spent as little time together as possible.

"Just 10 more minutes." He muttered, changing his direction for a final pass near the lake. His eyelids drooped as he struggled to keep awake; ever since he had taken a swim in the River Styx his most dominant activity during the day was sleeping. But he would always wake completely rejuvenated -which would last for the next couple of hours at the most. He perched himself on the pier watching the waves crash against the white beach. The demigod peeled off his worn converse and dipped his bare feet into the cool water; as the usual surge of strength raced up his legs and engulfed his being.

A soft moan escaped his lips as the fatigue slowly faded from his body; there were some perks to being the son of the sea god. He wiggled his toes, feeling the water lap around them like caressing velvet fingers.

Percy leaned back on his elbows, as he observed the moon in the sky. He was relaxed. For the first time in a very long time no one was trying to take over the world and nobody wanted him dead. With the exception of course of Ares and the hordes of monsters who would pounce on him if he left the safe confines of Camp. Kronos had been destroyed, or as close to as an immortal being could be destroyed and Annabeth was here for the next two weeks, on hiatus from the reconstruction of Olympus.

He was brought violently out of his blissful reverie by a rough push in the small of his back, and he landed gracelessly into the water. Luckily his mind had reacted on instinct and he was saved from having to walk back to his cabin drenched, in the search of dry clothes.

"Hey, Seaweed brain!" Annabeth shouted, twirling her Yankee baseball cap on her index finger.

"Hi Annabeth" he beamed, pulling himself out of the water and onto the wooden pier. "Do that again and I will push you into the lake." He teased as he embraced the blonde tightly.

"You'll have to catch me first" she smiled, biting her bottom lip and looking up at the sky warily.

"I think we can risk it" Percy stated, as he planted a chaste kiss on her lips. Thunder boomed overhead and he pulled away, returning the smile, "Remind me why we are going out..."

As he leaned in to steal another forbidden kiss, his attention was wrenched from Annabeth and to the trees on the edge of the lake. She too heard the disturbance and they both spun round. A dozen young girls emerged like shadows from the forested undergrowth, their silver ski jackets glistening in the moonlight.

Percy immediately recognised them, "The hunters.."

It was Annabeth on the other hand who spotted the more immediate problem, "That looks like…Artemis?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked closer; undoubtedly the petite frame of the 12 year old goddess was being cradled in the arms of the hunter known as Phoebe.

The two demigods faced each other, it was certain that if the hunters came here for help something was very wrong. As it was, they scrambled to the group of hunters who were being led by Thalia. The daughter of Zeus jogged up to intercept the approaching demigods and was immediately bear-hugged by Annabeth. Thalia only half-heartedly responded, her hand idly patting Annabeth's back, "Hi Annabeth-Can you go and get Chiron?"

Annabeth let Thalia go from the embrace; "Sure…" she paused, looking behind Thalia "What happened to Artemis?"

"That's kinda why we're here…" she mumbled, turning to face the hunters who lingered behind her. Annabeth frowned but otherwise ran off in the direction of the Big House, leaving Percy with the hunters, most of whom were radiating revulsion towards him. Willing to do anything to avert the glares he was receiving, Percy looked upon the goddess herself. Her faintly tanned skin displayed no visible signs of physical injury; no cuts or grazes. She was wearing exactly the same as her attendants; blue jeans, silver jacket and lace-up combat boots. In fact Percy observed, Artemis appeared to be asleep- her body was limp and her eyelids closed. But Percy knew that behind those eyelids were startling silver eyes, those eyes which had seemed so old on such a young body. Like they had seen thousands of years go by, which of course they had. The last time he had seen the huntress she had been armed in her full battle regalia, clearly more than human- he could not make that same distinction here. Now she looked like any normal pre-adolescent girl, albeit a girl with a very distinct silver aura.

Percy then turned his gaze to Thalia. Barely two years had passed since she had become the lieutenant of the hunters but the change within his friend was incredibly noticeable. It was not just the changes brought on by the blessing of Artemis, but the way she almost seemed to ooze leadership, even now in this obviously alarming situation. She stood more poised and graceful, her shoulders were relaxed- she seemed calm and at peace with herself.

The sound of hooves against dry soil announced the arrival of Chiron, his white stallion body eerily reflecting the moon's rays. Annabeth ran behind the centaur, her blonde hair trailing in the wind. Chiron skidded to a halt besides Percy and addressed Thalia.

"Thalia, Annabeth said something was wrong with …Lady Artemis?" his voice sounded unconvinced of the statement.

The Lieutenant sidestepped to give the centaur a better view of the huntress and gestured to Phoebe who walked forward, seemingly unburdened by the goddess. The remaining hunters hung back, huddled together.

"We don't know what happened- there was this flash of light and- then Lady Artemis was lying on the floor. We haven't been able to wake her up."

"This is indeed troubling.." Chiron approached Artemis, "I haven't seen anything like it in all my years."

All of the hunters were now crying, with the sole exception of Thalia who was trying to suppress her emotions. But even she looked distressed, her electric blue eyes darting between the goddess to Phoebe and then to Chiron. "We couldn't think of anywhere else to go- It was either here or Olympus."

"I see, I think you made the right decision coming here, at least for the time being."

Percy leaned closer to Annabeth, "Wouldn't Mr D know more about this sort of thing- where is he?" he whispered in her ear.

Annabeth pointed behind her, Percy followed the motion to the Big House where he could just see the silhouette of a man standing near the window. "He said he would watch and mentioned something about 'he couldn't be bothered to walk out here'."

"Go figure."

They turned their attention back to Chiron, who had begun to pace in front of the hunters muttering in a barely discernable tone.

"Thalia, could you and the hunters go to Cabin 8, take Lady Artemis with you- alert me of any changes. I will need to contact Olympus immediately-"

The centaur faced Percy and Annabeth, "We will need to hold a council of the cabin leaders, could you two inform all the cabins-except the Aphrodite cabin." He added.

He spun back round to Thalia, "Of course you are welcome to come Thalia, bring one other if you wish." And with that he galloped back to the Big House, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Thalia's head was lowered; her booted foot kicked the dirt on the floor. "You heard Chiron hunters…go to Cabin 8." She ordered, but her voice was laced with defeat and uncertainty. Nevertheless the hunters obeyed, Phoebe in front leading the party towards the glowing silver cabin. Thalia remained behind, her gaze focused on the two demigods in front of her.

"Are you okay Thalia?" Annabeth asked, clearly concerned for the wellbeing of one of her best friends.

"Yeah, it was just unexpected that's all. I mean, without Lady Artemis…it doesn't feel -right." The lieutenant's circlet caught the light as she raised her head, "I'm supposed to look after them, but this-I don't know how to handle- I feel so useless." She confessed, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

For Thalia to openly admit such a sensation was a rare occurrence and Percy found he couldn't respond. His only thought was how much this was affecting all of the hunters, including Thalia. It was like their universe was collapsing in on itself. A quick peek at Annabeth confirmed he was not alone in his thoughts.

"Anyway..I better go, make sure their okay- see ya." The lieutenant briefly uttered before sprinting to rejoin her sisters.

"I've never seen her so shaken." Annabeth said, still watching Thalia's distant form fade from sight.

Percy nodded his head in agreement, "Come on, we better get everyone ready for the council." He grasped Annabeth's hand in a sign of comfort and they both ran off to alert the cabins.

The Council of the Cabin Leaders

The council, as usual was held in the recreation room around the ping pong table. All the leaders were there; Jake Mason the head of the Hephaestus cabin, Katie Gardner of the Demeter Cabin, Connor and Travis Stoll, Clarisse- who was wearing red pyjamas emblazoned with various weapons, Will Solace, who had taken leadership of the Apollo cabin and Thalia, who was the head of two cabins; Artemis and Zeus- was seated next to a slim hunter with almost elfish features who appeared no older than 7 or 8. Even Nico was present, although he was sitting on a chair in the corner emitting almost visible waves of hatred towards the elf-like hunter. Even from this distance the others were leaning away from the ghost king, the smell of death and decay which seemed to permeate the son of Hades hung heavy in the air.

The other leaders of the minor god cabins had also attended, and it made for quite a cramped table. Of course the only cabin that did not have a representative was the Aphrodite cabin, for reasons best explained later. Chiron and Dionysus were seated at the head of the table, the former in his wheelchair to allow for more room.

Clarisse scowled around at the amassed group of teenagers, "So why are we having a Council?" her glare focused on Percy, and she continued, "What have you done now? And why are the hunters here?"

"Percy hasn't done anything." Annabeth reprimanded, a slight frown formed above her eyes.

Chiron spoke up, "A very disturbing incident has occurred and I felt it best to warn each cabin of the potential consequences." He met each confused face in turn, "From unexplained causes Lady Artemis is.." he paused, waving his hand in circles trying to find the right word, "- unconscious. She and the hunters will be staying in Cabin 8 until more appropriate arrangements can be made."

Nico's demeanour darkened, and the shadows behind him seemed to enclose around the demigod, "Why should we accommodate for them?" he growled.

Surprisingly it was Thalia who answered, "Because we have nowhere else to go." She dismissed, her head lowered and her eyes focused on her clasped hands in her lap.

James, a son of Eris- the goddess of strife spoke, "How long do you think Artemis will be unconscious for?"

Percy who had been shuffling anxiously in his seat, voiced his thoughts adding to what James had said, "Can Gods even become unconscious?"

Chiron looked at both Percy and James, "We are working with the unknown although it appears she is unconscious. But honestly I can only guess at the cause, I can't find any records of this ever happening before-"

"That's because it has never happened before-"

Everyone spun round to the wine god, who was lounging in a chaise plucking grapes from a vine.

"Don't look at me! I'm a young god- I just know it has never happened before, or everyone on Olympus would have been talking about it." He shrugged, and returned his attention back to the grape he held in his fingers.

"Why isn't there a councillor from the Aphrodite cabin here?" Will Solace asked, whilst he raised his hand gingerly for permission to speak.

"Due to the animosity between Artemis and Aphrodite I thought it would be better if this stayed between your cabins. This has to stay secret…for the time being. We can't have it spreading round the Aphrodite cabin that an unconscious goddess is in Cabin 8. And I am unsure of whether Lady Aphrodite or any of her children will act upon that piece of knowledge-"

There was a rumble as thunder echoed overhead and Chiron hastily added, "Although I am sure none of the gods would act on such an event. I will establish a contact with Olympus and inform them of the current situation-" Chiron paused mid-sentence and turned to face Dionysus.

"Should we call for Apollo?" Chiron muttered to the indifferent wine god.

"Not yet, this is the most exciting thing that has happened around here in ages." He droned, his voice completely lacking anything reminiscent of excitement.

Chiron again faced the congregation, "I also understand there to be some bitterness between the hunters and the cabins, but I ask for your cooperation on the matter- even you Connor and Travis." He eyed the Hermes councillors, until they grudgingly answered in unison, "Fine we will keep all pranks to a minimum."

The elfish hunter spoke, her voice shook with untold grief, "So basically you don't know what is wrong with Lady Artemis?"Her hazel eyes pooled with green tears-she was a dryad.

Clarisse groaned, and was immediately nudged by Jake Mason. Chiron looked upon the dryad with solemn eyes, "We can only guess what the matter is. Thalia could I talk to you ? The rest of you are free to return to your cabins."

The councillors filed out, several glanced back at Thalia but most wanted to hastily return to their beds. Percy and Annabeth also parted ways, Annabeth to resume guard duty and Percy to collapse into his bunk. Nico shadow-travelled out of the room and Dionysus disappeared shortly after the others, leaving the aroma of freshly picked grapes in the air. It was only Chiron, Thalia and the dryad who remained; the latter curled in a ball on her chair- her knees pulled up under her chin.

Chiron rolled himself to the edge of the table, "What exactly happened before you found Lady Artemis? Tell me everything you can remember."

Thalia replied, her head still lowered, "I didn't see much, I was still in the camp.. I just heard Alexis' cry for help and a flash of light then I ran into the clearing. Lady Artemis was on the floor, in the same state as she is now. I called for Phoebe and then we all came here."

Alexis , the dryad who had been rocking in her seat, suddenly gave a sob and her tears flowed with renewed vigour. "I was there, although I didn't see much more- One minute Lady Artemis was following a minotaur trail, there was a flash of light as Thalia said and the next Lady Artemis was on the floor. Thalia arrived soon after. But I do remember one other thing-" Alexis hesitated, her eyes narrowed as she tried to remember every detail of the moment, "Everything went really dark and cold, like all the life had been sucked out of the place. It was horrible." She cried, and buried her face into her knees.

Chiron patted the dryad on the shoulder, "I'm certain that whatever is wrong with your lady will soon be remedied. I must go and contact Olympus-Thalia is there anything else you wish to tell me before I leave?"

Thalia shook her head mutely, as she got to her feet.

"Very Well, if there is any change you know where I'll be." The centaur took one final glance at the hunters before he too left the room.

The two hunters sat in silence for quite a period of time, each absorbed in the sorrow of what exactly had befallen their leader. Thalia seemed in a state of utter shock, her head slowly turned from side to side. The dryad trembled from head to toe, her clothes damp from the tears she had shed. After 15 minutes, Thalia spoke, "We better get back."

"Yes Lieutenant."

The formality was unexpected, as many of the hunters simply referred to her as Thalia. It seemed that as Artemis was otherwise incapacitated, Thalia had gained full leadership- at least for the time being. Without another word, Lieutenant and dryad left the recreation room and headed to their sisters.

Artemis' Cabin

Thalia and Alexis opened the door to the normally vacant cabin, and it instantly became evident that no boy had ever entered this forbidden sanctuary. A floral aroma partially masked the woodsy smells the cabin secreted, the odour of dewy grass and ozone dominant above all others. The entire cabin looked like it had grown from the forest, tree trunks with intricate intertwining branches lined the walls and stretched upwards to form part of the ceiling. A window built into the ceiling filtered moonlight into the cabin, giving an almost ethereal glow to the otherwise dark interior. Quivers and animal furs of creatures long extinct hung from the walls. Bunks were dispersed between the trees, their silver covers emblazoned with a drawn bow and arrow.

The hunters were kneeled around the bunk at the farthest end of the cabin, and at Thalia's approach divided to create a path to the slumbering goddess. The helpless expressions on their faces were an echo of Thalia's, they were like sheep without a shepherd- they simply couldn't function without their lady. They had no purpose, no reason.

Thalia knelt by Artemis's head, as the others started to pray to both Zeus and their respected parents for a cure to whatever had caused this event to pass. Numerous prayers to Apollo were being said, the god of healing and twin to their lady would surely answer their call.

To all appearances Artemis was serene, but little did they know that a raging battle was taking place in her divine head. A battle she was losing, as the forces which had overwhelmed her were doing irrevocable damage to her mind and there was nothing she could do but hold on as they wiped clean the millennia of sensations and experiences she had lived through. The face of Apollo was the last to go, the goddess clutched at it like a lifeline- but even that too slipped away from her grasp and her mind was engulfed completely in darkness.

Her breath was even and her body motionless-a deception to the horror that Artemis was suffering. Yet the hunters sat and prayed, oblivious to their mistress' affliction.

The time was 1:45am when Artemis finally awoke.

First things first, I'm not a major 'Percabeth' fan, so this is the one and only time Annabeth refers to Percy as 'Seaweed Brain'.

Any questions feel free to message me or even send it in review form.

Opinions are appreciated.

RedFluffyBanana

P.s Percy and Annabeth will be minor characters in this, with the focus on Thalia, Artemis and the hunters themselves.