[A/N] Well, some of you may be asking yourselves just what is going on. Well I've been procrastinating in my duties of getting the beta out, having spent the past few months reading as opposed to writing, but it's finally that time again. As always credit for her awesome ability to polish things up goes to Shrrgnien, and a note of thanks to whomever thought this fic deserved it's own Wiki, which was touching. The entire fic will be reuploaded chapter by chapter within the next 24 hours or so. Enjoy…

The Lost Prince

Chapter 1: Conflict of Interest

The roof of one's cabin in Camp Half-Blood is not the place you would normally find a person. Some may find it disrespectful to their divine parent. I, on the other hand, was finding it to be the perfect place to sit out the way of the argument boiling over below me. I peeked over the top of the cabin and glanced idly down below as Clarisse and Thalia continued their shouting match.

Yup, I sighed. Still at it.

Campers and Hunters arguing isn't exactly what you would call a rarity; in fact, it would be more accurate to call it the status quo. What bothered me was the subject of the argument.

Me.

It had all started simply enough. With the whole 'me not being dead' thing to grasps, the Hunters' visit reverted to business as usual. This meant there was one more thing that tradition dictated needed to be dealt with prior to the Hunters' departure:

Capture the Flag.

A strange tradition, to be sure, but Chiron said that it was one that had gone on for centuries; even the incident involving my mother's capture by Atlas hadn't stopped it from occurring last time. Apparently a memorial game would've been held had I not turned up.

As I said, it was simple enough. Chiron had made the announcement during breakfast, drawing a disturbingly synchronized groan from the amassed Hunters.

The other campers obviously didn't share the Hunter's disdain; they seemed quite excited at the prospect, and had immediately begun chattering amongst themselves about plans they had all come up with since their last defeat at the Hunters' hands

Apparently the score sheet was stacked quite severely in the Hunters' favor, with the campers' score sitting at a big fat zero.

I had been indifferent over the issue and merely observed the campers with detachment, occasionally hearing the Hunters mutter a weak complaint about having to beat the 'stupid campers' before being allowed to return to their hunt.

After all that, we had been walking back to the cabin, Clarisse idly discussing the start times and team arrangements with Thalia in advance of the game later on tonight. The lieutenant of the Hunt seemed slightly more enthusiastic over the game than her counterparts. I had to assume she was excited at the prospect of winning her first game as the lieutenant of Artemis. She hid it well, joining in the initial groan, though the slight glint in her stormy eyes gave away her true emotions.

And so there we were, walking back to cabin eight, when I did something monumentally stupid:

I opened my mouth.

This was rarely a smart thing, as history had shown a nasty tendency to reward any words I spoke with immediate mortal peril. To be fair, though, my question was perfectly justified.

"So which side am I on?" asked yours truly, causing both Thalia and Clarisse to halt and look back at me together.

The daughter of Ares simply shrugged dismissively. "Ours, idiot. You're a camper. Anyways-"

And Thalia chose to add, equally dismissively, "Except he's a Hunter, and the child of Lady Artemis, which puts him with us. Now, I'm thinking that if the game begins at-"

Clarisse rolled her eyes, "-Seven, yes, though don't think cover of darkness will help you any. And, Armani, you're on our team, bottom line."

I shrugged, "Either is-"

Thalia butted in again, raising a hand to cut me off, and regarded Clarisse in silence. She stared right back. I could feel and, quite literally, smell the animosity building in the air about them. (It smelled like pine, but regardless).

Things descended quickly from there.

I would've been somewhat flattered in other circumstances; however, I sensed this had far less to do with trying to get me on their side, and far more to do with who wouldn't allow the other to usurp their authority.

It had gone from simply debating which side I should belong to, which both sides had presented valid arguments for, to somewhat childish name calling, which had finally descended down to where we were now: a large circle of campers and Hunters watching and arguing amongst themselves with Clarisse and Thalia in the center about ready to beat each other senseless.

I had tried to back up and leave, but Clarisse had kept grabbing me by the scruff of my neck without even looking and dragging me back, Thalia doing similar by simply shoving me back where I was with her elbow every time I tried to leave in the opposite direction.

I took the opportunity to scramble up the front of cabin eight when I had the chance, using the distraction caused by Thalia being shoved by Clarisse into the cabin's door.

-Ω-

And here we are...

This is getting ridiculous.

I heaved a sigh and swung my legs over the front of the roof so I could see them clearly. "May I offer a suggestion?" I asked, raising a hand.

"NO!" they snapped in unison. "And get off the roof!" added Thalia as an afterthought.

"I could just sit this one out..." I said with a sigh.

Clarisse glared at Thalia. "No, I'm not letting her be the cause of you missing out on our battle."

Thalia scoffed. "Me? I'm just keeping things as they should be! Hunters fight together."

I rolled my eyes. And here we go again.

It was then that Clarisse said something quite shocking. "Fine, you can have him…" Thalia inclined her head, smiling, when Clarisse continued,"...Since you're obviously scared that you're going to lose this time. I suppose you'll need every hand you can get." Thalia's smile melted as Clarisse smirked, "You are new to being a leader, after all. I can understand how scared you are of losing face." The daughter of Ares' tone was so patronizing that I could see Thalia holding on to the last thread of her temper.

This was a battle of egos as well as wits, and the first one to give in to their temper or yield to the other's argument would lose.

Thalia gritted her teeth. "That's got nothing to do with it!" she hissed venomously.

Clarisse's smirk widened and she swaggered slightly closer and leaned right into Thalia's face, her forehead barely an inch away. "Oh yeah?" she asked in a whisper. "Prove it."

"Armani?" asked Thalia simply, and I knew that by requesting my input at all that she'd already lost, but I wasn't taking sides.

I sighed and laid back on the roof. "Like I said, I don't mind. Either's good."

Thalia's eye twitched. I got the feeling that I may have been her last resort.

Saddening how little one's input is valued.

A tight smile crossed Thalia's face. "Fine. You can have him, but don't think that will change the outcome, it will always be the same."

I rolled my eyes again. My loyalty to my mother may have been paramount, but my friendship with the campers was also important. Thalia may have been a friend, but unlike the other Hunters, I didn't see her as my leader.

-Ω-

"What was that all about?" demanded Thalia, slamming the door behind her as I lay down on my bunk.

I got the feeling she was addressing me.

I didn't look up as from the map I was perusing. "I'm afraid I don't follow..." I mumbled distractedly.

Thalia shook her head. I could see the other Hunters watching out the corner of my eye, probably wanting an explanation too. "I asked you directly if you wanted to join our side. Why didn't you?"

I shrugged. "Because you didn't ask straight away. I dislike being used as a tool for boosting someone's ego. Had you replied to my initial inquiry of 'which side am I on' with 'whose side do you want to be on' as soon as you realized there was no way to agree, then I may have considered the request. You, however, allowed it to escalate into a petty bickering match that Clarisse was able to take advantage of. You lost your composure. Hopefully tonight's events will teach you to be wary of that in future."

I saw her blush and tug absently on her bracelet. I had been quite harsh, but as a leader she needed to know where she went wrong. I cared about her too much to go easy on her in such matters. It was my hope that Thalia Grace at least hold her position as long as her predecessor, and if there was anything I could to help that happen, then I would do it.

The thing is, Thalia wasn't the main reason I was being so borderline cold with her. I was being short because I was agitated. I had been for several days, and it was only getting worse.

Two factors were contributing to this. The first were some words Eris, Goddess of Discord, had said to me in the halls of Olympus a few days ago. She had strongly implied my father was in fact alive somewhere. She had not, however, stated how this was possible, nor did she yield any clues to his location or identity. In fact, all she did was vanish in a swirl of black smoke and leave me gaping like a moron in the palace of the gods.

So frustration was the first reason for my short temper and disinterest. The second however, was more disturbing.

I felt cold.

It wasn't a normal cold either, but a familiar swirling chill in my core that was disturbingly like the one that I felt after Eris had...kissed me. This cold should have been expelled by my mother, so its reappearance was as baffling as it was frightening.

Though I had a feeling it had something to do with the weight I could feel in my pocket at that very moment.

I rolled over onto my side so my back was facing the others, my hand covertly slipping into my pocket and retrieving the contents.

I uncurled my fingers and regarded the small item.

I had found it in my bag when I returned to camp. It appeared to be a small, jagged lump of obsidian, and it was strangely cold to the touch.

Upon finding it sitting on top of my possessions I had immediately turned to Thalia to show it to her, but before I could budge a muscle a cold feeling shot up my arm, and I tensed up rigidly as it spread out around my torso and up my spine. My mouth was open in an attempt to speak, but I found myself unable to move, rooted to the spot with the strange black stone gripped in my hand, and that was when I heard her voice, echoing and whispering like a cold breeze through my heart:

'If you want your answer, do not tell them until they know.'

I had immediately regained control of my limbs, and of course my first reaction was to try and tell Thalia, but each time, the whispering voice of Eris would send a chill up my spine.

'Not until they know...'

And so I kept silent. The stone felt so heavy in my pocket, and it always seemed to be just cold enough so I would be unable to forget it was there. And yes, that chill was back, the chill in my heart, and I knew that stone was the cause.

At times over the past few days I wanted to scream out, to tell Chiron, or to somehow communicate with my mother, but each rebellious thought was followed by that voice.

'If you want to know, then they must not...not until they know'

My teeth would grit at the nonsensical command, and so I had been walking about with a facade of indifference up, but it was wearing away. I had begun lashing out in frustration; in subtle ways, but I was lashing nonetheless.

What Eris was up to was as plain as day; she knew something about my father, and unless I played along with her game, then I'd never find out what she knew.

If this is her way of doing me a favor...

Not so much as a hint of help from my instinct, either. It was maddening, like I had the Sword of Damocles following me about wherever I went.

It was I lay in my bed that something happened. The voice spoke again.

'Soon... Just enjoy your game, little one.'

Eris!

I shouted this back as loud as I could inside my head, but only silence greeted for a long moment. Two final words whispered themselves across my mind, like a subtle, calming whisper.

'Trust me...'

My fist clenched around the stone both in shock and anger at those two simple words.

"Armani?"

"WHAT?" I barked angrily, rolling over. Standing there, looking very stunned and a little pale, was Ari. Her dark, wide eyes regarded me in shock. I took a deep, calming breath and did my best to smile apologetically. "Sorry, I'm sorry, Ari. What is it?"

I noticed a silence had descended over the cabin, the Hunters pretty much all looking at me with similar bewilderment.

Ari cocked her head to the side to regard me inquisitively. Despite her apparent immaturity (which, as a side note, was very apparent) her intuitive eyes betrayed just how far her years outstretched her tiny physical form.

She looked at me in silence, then flicked her eyes to the door and back. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

I opened my mouth to question this, frowning curiously, but she was already marching towards the door. She pulled it opened and stopped, looking back at me, the sunlight outside reflecting off the streak of red she had highlighted in her hair.

I sighed and pulled myself up, following the Huntress outside.

-Ω-

Ari walked in silence a few paces ahead of me, stopping by the lake. I paused a few meters away, just staring at her back as she looked out at the water in silence.

After a moment, she spoke. "Are you alright?"

I frowned at her again. "What do you mean?"

She didn't turn around. "I don't know, but I think you do. You just snapped at me in there-"

"-For which I apologized."

"Apology accepted. But there's something...Something's up," said the girl uncertainly as she turned about, eyes narrowed as if trying to work out some big puzzle.

I inclined my head. "What do you mean, 'up'?"

Her eyes didn't leave me as she shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I can feel it, I can feel it in my blood when I look at you. Something's..." she paused to search for the word, then just shook her head again. "...up."

I felt the weight of the stone in my pocket, cold against my leg, and I could feel that sensation curling up from that point of contact, through my blood and up my spine.

My hand moved to my pocket, then froze.

'Not yet...'

My teeth gritted in mouth, and I noticed Ari now looking at me with widened eyes. "There it was again!"

I backed up a step and Ari took one closer. "Armani, what's going on with you?"

The daughter of Eris was dangerously perceptive, and so I asked her a question, both to distract her and because I desperately needed to know the answer. "Ari, will you tell me something?"

She blinked. "Sure, what is it?"

I swallowed. "Was Eris lying to me?"

Her mouth opened, and then she glanced away, once again deep in thought. "My mother can't be predicted. She pays her dues and her debts, but normally only if she can have fun in the process." Her eyes, black as the lump of rock in my pocket, softened slightly. "I don't think she was lying about your father. My mother's games always have to come to an end. Chaos always has to change its rules and targets, but not before upheaval has ran its course and gone full circle."

"Full circle..." I echoed numbly.

Ari gripped her wrist with her other hand, and suddenly she looked quite sad. For a moment I could see the child in her again. "She's...She's really not that bad, you know..."

My own mouth dropped open slightly as something else hit me. I had been complaining and cursing Eris for quite some time now, and I had never bothered to take Ari's feelings into account. Goddess of Discord or not, Eris was still her mother.

I exhaled a breath. "I'm sorry, Ari."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't worry; I'm used to it now. My mom isn't exactly one with the easiest intentions to read."

Her intentions?

I dwelled on this for a second. I never really knew what Eris was up to. My first instinct was simply 'enemy' and 'person I thought responsible for all my problems', though I never did stop to think on the final outcome of her upheaval. I shook my head; it really wasn't good to think on it, I had no doubt I would find out in good time.

Whether I liked it or not.

"Can I tell you something?" I found myself asking.

Ari inclined her small head in acknowledgement.

"All my life, I've thought of myself as without a father, and I've been good with that, content. I always thought that if it turned out I did have a father I still wouldn't really care."

"And did you?"

I looked out over the lake, flipping up a flat stone and skimming it across the water. A slim hand shot up from beneath the surface and grabbed it on the fourth bounce. "I don't know..." I sidestepped as the water nymph flicked the stone back at me. "But when I saw him, well, almost saw him, I...I..." I trailed off, absently retrieving the stone again.

"You what?"

I shook my head and tossed the stone out into the water. "I felt this surge, this need to know, to see his face. And fear. There was fear, a fear so deep it almost paralyzed me to the spot. I was terrified of what could happen to my life if this person were to suddenly enter it."

Silence descended as I watched the ripples in the water. "But?" Ari suddenly said, leaning into my field of vision. "I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere on the end there."

I smiled weakly. "But... I realized I still wanted to know. Who was this man who had his life taken for me? Why him? If I'd had another second I probably would've rushed to help him." I shook my head again. "But how can he possibly be alive?"

Ari shrugged as an irritated naiad stuck her head out of the water and threw the stone back at me. Ari caught it effortlessly. "Well, that part's obvious."

I nodded, and then frowned, glancing at her. "It is?"

She turned to look at me. "That blond girl..."

"Which one?"

"The one from the other world."

"Oh, Juliet."

Ari nodded. "That's her. You said that she shouted out at the shade."

I inclined my head. "So? What's your point?"

She turned to face me. "Well, she probably startled him, and then he fled, taking enough life force to make you, but not to-"

I cut in as it dawned. "-But not to off my old man."

Ari picked the stone up this time and skimmed it over the lake. I didn't have the reactions to count how many bounces it made.

I blinked. "Impressive..."

She shrugged. "I've had time to practice."

"Hang on," I said, frowning as something else occurred to me. "So, you're saying my father is only alive because I went back in time and changed the past so he'd be alive now, right?".

Ari nodded. "Pretty much, what's your point?"

I frowned "So does that mean he was dead my whole life, or only alive after I came back to the future?"

"It depends..."

"It depends?" I echoed dryly.

Ari nodded. "It depends. In one way, you were destined to go back in time to change the past and make sure he survived."

"And if I didn't do that?"

She shrugged. "Then it wouldn't have happened, but it did, because it already had, and was going to."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times. "Congratulations. That was officially the most confusing sentence I've ever heard."

She smiled slightly. "Ari, daughter of Eris, I thought we'd met. And its not working, you know."

"What isn't?"

"Trying to distract me from my question. I'm very good at distracting, but I think you'll find I'm very hard to actually distract. Comes with being a child of Eris."

"And what question was that?" I asked innocently.

She scowled. "What is going on with you?"

I opened my mouth to reply, then just turned back to look out at the water. I had no intention of replying, but strangely found myself speaking the words, "Ask me again tomorrow evening."

A chill went through me and my fist clenched in my pocket. Ari looked at me with concern, as if somehow knowing I wasn't sure about my own words, but she seemed to accept the request for now. She nodded, turned about, and headed back for the cabin.

I stood alone on the water's edge until she went out of sight. My teeth ground together in my mouth as I squeezed my fist about the rock in my pocket. I felt a snarl spread across my face as I leaned back and hurled the rock out over the water as far as possible.

I glared at the black dot as it descended towards the water. And, as it struck the surface, it vanished without a splash, as if a void resting on the surface of the water had swallowed it before it could make an impact. At the same time, I felt a cold weight drop into my pocket.

I glanced down at my trouser leg with exasperation.

No, didn't think that would work.

I heaved a sigh of resignation and left the water's edge.

-Ω-

"You're late, Armani," Clarisse snapped as I entered the game room the campers had decided to use for their strategy meeting ahead of the game tonight.

I sighed and closed the door behind me. "Sorry, overslept."

William frowned as he leaned back in one of the chairs pulled up around the ping-pong table. "It's four in the afternoon."

I shrugged and leaned back against one of the walls. "Was having a catnap. What'd I miss?"

Clarisse shrugged. "We were just planning our method of attack for tonight." I glanced at the others in the room. It was a mix of about twelve other campers, each a counselor. I had been invited primarily because I had decent knowledge of the Hunters and also because I technically classed as a counselor too, considering I was the only actual camper in my cabin.

I did a quick scan of the room. "Where's Annabeth? I thought she was getting here today."

Clarisse shook her head as she scribbled on the map. "She's stopping off to pick up the Oracle, she won't be here until late tonight. Why do you ask? Do you doubt my tactical skill or something?" she asked, glancing at me out the corner of her eye.

I sighed. "No, was just curious."

Her eyes went back to the map, "What's up with you anyway? You've been acting... weird recently."

I rolled my eyes. "Really wish people would stop saying that."

"If you say so," she muttered. "A basic all-out assault should do the trick..." mused the daughter of Ares as her eyes traced the layout of the forest.

I observed as William nodded in agreement. "With all the new campers in play, we shouldn't have too much trouble. We might actually win this for once."

There were murmurs of excitable agreement from the other councilors as I glanced idly out the window. "No, you won't. You're still going to lose," said yours truly in a distant tone.

It took me a moment to consciously realize silence had blanketed the room. I arched my head about to meet the frowning glares of my fellow campers. Clarisse was scowling right at me.

"W-what?"

"I thought you were on our side," said the girl through gritted teeth.

I frowned. "I am!" I said emphatically.

She cocked her head. "Oh? Then care to explain the reason for your glaring dispassion?"

I heaved a sigh and rolled my eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

William glanced about himself at the other campers and back. He cocked an eyebrow. "Apparently not..."

I groaned and pushed off from the window. "This is why I wished Annabeth was here, I thought she might have been able to see it..."

"See what?" barked Clarisse, angrily stabbing the dagger she had been using as a paperweight into the surface of the table, impaling it clean through.

I took a calming breath. "Let's start by asking this: What is the Hunters' greatest strength?"

Everyone went silent. William replied uncertainly after a moment. "They're...immortal?"

I rolled my eyes. "Which would hardly help them, unless of course they wanted to wait the fight out for a few decades. No, the answer is their experience. The Hunters of Artemis are, by and large, much smarter than you." I raised my hands calmly to halt the wave of angry curses about to be hurled my way. "No, accept it. Most of them are hundreds of years old, have decades of combat experience, and have played this game dozens of times before. They are also as attuned to the forest as a fish in water. That also makes most of them both stronger and faster than you, regardless of their apparent stature."

William sighed. "He's right; the power of Artemis grants them a serious advantage."

Pollux grunted angrily. "So, what? All you have to tell us is that we have no chance? Thanks a pantload..."

I didn't respond. I simply continued, "Now, let me ask you this: What is their greatest weakness?"

Silence blanketed the room again as the campers glanced at one another, seriously thinking it through. I saw Clarisse glance up from her map and meet my eyes. There was comprehension in her gaze. "Numbers."

I inclined my head. "Precisely. The Hunters of Artemis nearly always hold a significant numerical disadvantage, which is only accentuated with the addition of the new half-bloods to the camp."

Pollux frowned. "But you just said that numbers won't help us against the Hunters."

I cocked my head. "That's because you don't know how to correctly exploit that weakness."

William's eyes narrowed. "And you can?"

I looked back out of the window. "Tell me, do you know how it is the Hunters always beat you? What strategy they use?"

It was a hypothetical question, since I knew how they would win, but Clarisse answered anyway. "They use the strengths they do have to work around their weakness?"

I nodded. "And how do they do that?"

She didn't reply.

I turned around. "They win before they lose."

I got a multitude of blank stares in response. "That's... wait, what?" gaped William.

I rubbed my sinuses tiredly. "Think about it. The Hunters never play a defensive game, simply because they can't. They lack the man...or girlpower... to make a stand against the campers for any reasonable length of time. My guess is their defense would be little more than a few of Thalia's most trusted Hunters, just enough to hold off the campers whilst they get the job done."

William nodded. "Then they do the same thing you did during the last game of Capture the Flag."

I nodded. "Hunters very rarely play an all-out assault involving one side against another. They are far more likely to adopt a surgical strike. The Hunters themselves very rarely operate in large groups and tend to work mostly in scouting parties. They will set out with that flag as their prey. And taking that prey, as you can realize, is something they have become extremely adept at. They will slip through your lines, avoiding a large confrontation beyond distracting your main force, whilst the main assault group will slip in and snatch that flag before you even realize what's happened, and by the time you do, it will be far too late. It is extremely difficult to catch a Hunter retreating through the woods. Ergo, their stealth and speed turn their lack of numbers to their advantage. They will stay hidden and attack from the shadows."

William nodded glumly. "And in a forest that size, finding them will consume a lot of time as it is."

I inclined my head back. "And as I said, time is something you do not have against the Hunters. They will play a swift and brutal game: In, out, and win. Simple as that."

Pollux shrugged. "Well, you've made it sound pretty hopeless so far. Even their weakness is apparently their strength."

A small smile played over my face. "Not necessarily... All we need to do is take that advantage back from them again. We take away the advantage that has let the Hunters win this game for the past Zeus-knows-how-many years."

Clarisse frowned at me and glanced at her map. She extended her hand to the diagram, which was covered in colored plastic triangles representing the different Camper's cabins.

"Then be my guest..."

I approached and looked down. "Looks like you've got most of the Apollo campers and your own poised for the main attack, with the other cabins acting as support and defense."

She shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea: tighten our lines using the additional numbers and make it hard for them to break our defense while we grab the flag. Seemed like an even better idea after what you mentioned...but..."

I nodded. "But?"

"It's not enough... There are probably a dozen places they could rush though or cause a distraction, and short of pulling everyone back into a massive defensive cordon, then I don't see how we can stop them sneaking in and snatching our flag."

I felt a smirk play across my face as I reached down and picked up three pieces: A red one, the only gray one and another at random, which I scribbled over in green marker. I glanced up at Clarisse. "We don't have to do much of anything...just shift a couple of our pieces about and bring one more onto the field. I take it this one's me..." I mumbled, musing at the gray triangle which had been set ahead of the main attack force.

She nodded. "I figured you could pull off what you did last time. Thought it might give us a better chance."

I cocked my head. "Indeed it might, except Thalia's no doubt expecting me to do just that..."

She rolled her eyes. "Then what do you suggest?"

I smiled again, and moved my piece right back, setting it back against the flag marker. Clarisse frowned. "Defense? Why would you want to play defense?"

"That's not all..." I said, setting the red chip down near my own, revealing it to be one of the colored chips that had a golden trim about it.

Clarisse's eyes widened and gaped up at me. "Me? Oh, you've got to be kidding, nature boy! I do not play defense."

I smirked right back. "Why, don't you see? In this game, defense is where all the fun's at."

She seemed to do a double-take at the almost predatory glint in my eyes. "And why should I agree to this?"

I settled the third chip down nearby and glanced up at her. "Because, Ms. LaRue... this time we're going to win."

-Ω-

The pre-fight psych-out was a lot different than how I remembered it to be. The atmosphere between campers and Hunters was very different from your usual inter-cabin rivalries. There was an almost solid wall of bitter resentment aimed at my mother's followers, this being returned by an almost smug indifference, like adults trying to ignore a group of loud children.

Clarisse approached Thalia and the pair shook hands, eyes locked, their smiles reminiscent of a pair of cheetahs about to pounce on their prey. Their grip seemed tight enough to imply they were trying to crush the hand of the other. William approached Phoebe with a sportsmanlike smile and offered his own hand; the Huntress merely stood with her own hands behind her back and regarded the limb as if it were something offensive. The son of Apollo gingerly retrieved his hand and backed away to our group with Clarisse returning a moment later.

I myself walked down in front of their line, inclining my head as I went. I got the occasional curt nod in response, accompanied by cold stares of fierce determination. I was doing this for two reasons: One was to show I held no resentment toward my mother's followers, and the other...well... let's just say I had a far more tactical reason as well...

-Ω-

Clarisse appeared edgy. The clearing around Zeus' Fist was virtually deserted and painfully exposed. It was also obviously too quiet for her taste, as the sounds of distant skirmishes were already audible only a few minutes into the game. Two messengers from the front had already been here and back to request further details and orders.

The daughter of Ares paced for a moment longer before rounding on me. "See!" She groaned sarcastically, beckoning to the clearing about us. "Look how fun this is!"

I looked up from my position in the very center of the area, as I sat cross-legged, Indian-style. "Patience...It's almost time."

I observed Lya approach nervously out the corner of my eye. "Umm... Is there anything you want me to do yet?"

I closed my eyes again and focused on my senses. A small smile spread over my face. "Actually, yes, we need a breeze... Can you see to it for me please, Lya?"

I heard her nod an affirmative. A moment later there was a rustling of trees all about as she took control of them, using their large branches like giant fans. I felt an unnatural breeze begin blowing in from all directions.

I smiled wider. "Perfect...Thank you, Lya." I felt a tug in my gut and I opened my eyes to look out to the side. "Heads up, Clarisse. Here comes the fun..."

-Ω-

Thalia had a bad feeling. If things had all gone to plan then the match should have been over by now.

She mulled this over as she slunk as silently as a shadow through the undergrowth, Phoebe shadowing her from close behind.

There was something else, too. They had been forced to alter course on two separate occasions while closing in on the enemy flag's location.

She'd glanced upwards once, just to make sure that the campers didn't have anyone monitoring them from above to track the Hunter's positions. She had immediately dismissed this, however. While the campers had the Pegasi to do this, the canopy of trees was thick enough to obscure vision. She also doubted they were smart enough to think something like that up.

The Hunters had been heavily relying on the Campers' overconfidence in their numbers to ensure a swift win to get this over with. But as she had guessed, something was wrong. The campers' scouting parties were far too organized to be random. Some had passed by them, missing them by a matter of yards. Others, she and Phoebe had been forced to incapacitate before continuing on their way.

She knew at least half a dozen of her Hunters would have made an attempt on the flag by now. The fact that this had not been enough to secure an easy victory was starting to nag at the Lieutenant. She knew they had to win this one fast; their defenses were not nearly enough to put up a sustained defense for any prolonged amount of time.

They had to hurry.

She glanced back at Phoebe and nodded. The Huntress inclined her head and split away from her path to circle around as the daughter of Zeus slowed down.

Slowly and carefully, she edged up to the border of the clearing surrounding Zeus' Fist.

-Ω-

Thalia's brow clenched into a frown as she looked into the grassy expanse. What she saw did not make sense.

It was bare. With the exception of a single half-blood she'd thought she'd encounter at some point or another.

Armani Dove sat alone in the center of the clearing, his eyes closed with a look of content focus on his face, fingers clasped together in his lap.

Alone, unarmed, and totally exposed. If this wasn't a trap she'd eat her own circlet.

And that would hurt.

She heard the rustling of leaves around her as the breeze picked up. She clenched her teeth in anger as an unnatural tailwind blew past her and into the clearing.

The lieutenant clenched a fist as she watched the breeze blow the auburn locks out of the lone half-blood's face.

A second later his eyes flicked open and looked right in her direction.

She felt a slight chill as his glistening silver eyes looked at her. His eyes hadn't met hers yet, primarily because she was too concealed to be seen from his position, but it didn't matter...

He knew she was there.

A pleasant smile spread across his face. "Hello, Thalia."

She glowered at him and slid out of her concealment, emerging from the undergrowth.

He didn't make a move to defend himself. Her eyes flicked about the area. There were no signs of any upturned or disturbed earth to indicate any traps, and no one had burst out of hiding to jump her. He merely followed her with his eyes, not even bothering to get up yet.

Thalia stopped, reached around, and drew a dagger. She inclined her head. "I was wondering when I'd run into you. Though I didn't think it would be here..."

He appeared amused. "Oh? Expecting me right in with the charge, were you?"

She shook her head, "No, I expected you to be the one to try and take the flag. We had even prepared some special surprises just for you."

He chuckled slightly. "I'm flattered, but I assure you, I'm far better off here."

"Funny, I'd never peg you for someone to hide from the action."

He cocked his head. "Trying to taunt me into action?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Something like that."

"Or are you trying to distract me from the Hunter sneaking up on me from 7 o'clock?"

Thalia couldn't stop the surprise flash over her eyes for a second, and didn't have time to question it as an extremely well-camouflaged Clarisse exploded from the tree line and skidded to a halt beside the rock formation. She wasn't wearing her usual armor, instead decked out in military-style combats, the black camo paint on her face giving her an even more dangerous look than normal.

Thalia drew her other dagger, glancing quickly between the two.

She watched as Armani inclined his head and inhaled the breeze. "Hmmm…Strawberries? Clarisse, be careful." The daughter of Ares paused and glanced back at the demigod. "It's Phoebe."

A vicious smirk spread across her face as a rustling in the undergrowth became audible. Clarisse leaned over and grabbed her spear by the base, swinging it round into a huge arc and into a seemingly empty spot in the air.

A split second later, as the Hunter made a dash from the trees to grab the flag and be gone, this point in space found itself being occupied by both the shaft of Clarisse's spear and the side of Phoebe's face. The universe chose to resolve this little irregularity by shattering a good number of the teeth in Phoebe's mouth, splitting her lip clean open, and dropping her to the earth like a sack of stones.

Clarisse humphed as Armani and Thalia's eyes watched the Hunter fall to the ground.

A playful smile spread across the daughter of Ares' as she twirled her spear once. "Fail."

"Phoebe!" Thalia shouted and lunged forward. She skidded to a halt as Armani finally slid to his feet in front of her, Clarisse also turning to face her. Her eyes flicked from one to the other, her blades raised defensively.

She finally settled on glaring at Armani, who stood in her path.

"How?" she demanded.

The son of Artemis smiled cordially. "How what, Thalia?"

"Even if you did catch my scent on the downwind, there's no way that you could've known Phoebe had been coming that far in advance."

His smile twitched wider as his eyes narrowed slightly. He began walking slowly around her in a wide semi-circle. "Why don't you tell me, Thalia? Show me how clever you are; work it out..."

She ground her teeth and prepared to strike. "I don't have time to play any games!"

Armani sighed, temporarily halting his pacing. "I'll give you a big clue, then. Tell me; can you sense when there are thunderstorms approaching?"

Thalia paused and regarded the half-blood suspiciously, "Of course I can, but what does that-" She froze mid-sentence. "You sensed us coming."

The smaller demigod bowed his head acceptingly. "Works better when I'm in the cabin, but it's almost as good in the forest. Thanks to the power of Artemis in you, I can feel you coming from miles away. Didn't work when I was just a damaged little demigod, but when my Mother claimed me and made me a Hunter, it sharpened that sense severalfold."

Thalia gaped at him for a second and her stare turned almost accusing. "The others! You were telling the other campers where we were!"

He shrugged. "It was a little inaccurate, but it was enough to tip the scales a little bit. And since you were kind enough to stand in a nice straight line before the match and let me identify each of your scents, you may as well have been screaming your names out at me from the top of your lungs as you approached."

Thalia's grip tightened angrily on the hilt of her dagger, her eyes scanning the common again. "And the others, where are the other Hunters?"

Clarisse answered for him. "Your little friends are just taking a little nap in the trees. Lya!" she shouted, and there was a sound of slithering roots as the wood nymph in question descended into view from where Clarisse had been hiding.

Surrounding the Nymph, unconscious and wrapped up in vines, were the forms of half a dozen prone Hunters hanging from the trees.

Thalia rounded back on Armani. "That's cheating! You can't use a nymph!"

Armani raised a finger, "Not true. The rules state we can use any weapon and all of our surroundings as we see fit. And in case you didn't know, Lya happens to be a tree, and what are we surrounded by?"

"That's a technicality at best," growled the lieutenant.

"Possibly, though considering what I've heard of Hunter sportsmanship in this game, you have no right to speak about bending the rules."

Thalia tried to come up with a retort, but she knew she'd be hypocritical if she said anything, considering that by all accounts the last time she played this game she herself had complained about the dirty tactics used by some of the Hunters.

"So how's the game going?" asked Clarisse.

Armani looked past Thalia into the forest, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Quite well. The Hunters are being pushed back towards their own camp, there are only a few remaining scouts left on this side."

She sighed in response, "What, so now all the fun's over at the other side of the field?"

Thalia looked past the two demigods to the flag hanging from Zeus' Fist. She knew time was against her. Armani was her first problem, but not her biggest. Clarisse was by far the biggest threat if it came to close combat, but Armani was tricky enough to fight one-on-one as it was. His actions today had proven him even more of a wild card than she had first thought. Even if she made a dash for the flag, she was sure Armani might be able to catch her on foot, and if Clarisse caught up after that then she would be done for.

She was about to make a most likely futile move when Armani spoke again, and gave her a ray of hope in the process. "Don't lose faith just yet, Clarisse. It's not quite over. We have company..." Armani glanced to a spot in the forest to Thalia's left. He looked to Lya and indicated that direction with a finger.

She watched as the little Nymph closed her eyes and suddenly a strong breeze began blowing inwards from the direction indicated.

Clarisse smirked and took a position in the center of the area, twirling her spear in readiness, waiting to take the oncoming foes head-on.

"No," Armani suddenly said in a level tone, looking out at the forest with an unreadable expression on his face. "I'll take care of this one. Will you switch with me, please?"

Clarisse's smirk turned as vicious as it was excited as she turned about to face the daughter of Zeus, "Oh, I thought you'd never ask..." She passed by Armani, who took up position in the center of the clearing and regarded the darkness in front of him, his hands by his sides and that same unreadable expression on his face.

-Ω-

Two of them... Apple, lavender and nightshade. It would be, wouldn't it?

A second later, an arrow shot out of the darkness towards me. I had been expecting this attack at some point during the game. So, with a snarl, I drew my sword straight into a wide slashing arc as the arrowhead exploded into a net about to wrap itself about my limbs. The blade sliced through the threads and most passed harmlessly over me.

I kicked away the few stray threads that had tangled about my ankle and glared out into the forest. "That trick won't work twice!"

A moment later the small forms of Aren McNamara and Ari McMurphy shot out of the darkness and stopped before me, poised and ready to fight.

Ari looked at me with cold, dark eyes. "Funny, I don't even remember trying it once."

"Aren!" snapped Thalia upon sighting the girl. "I thought I told you to remain on defense!"

Aren blinked. "I'm sorry, Thalia, but the way things were going, we thought it best we make for the flag and come help."

I arched my head around to Thalia as a thought occurred to me. "You thought I would be on the offensive, didn't you?"

Thalia scowled. "What of it?"

"Nothing, but I see what you meant when you said you were preparing a defense just for me."

Thalia seemed to blush. "Th-that's got nothing to do with it! Aren's seen you fight before, so I thought her best to be there waiting for you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" I inquired dryly.

Thalia just scoffed and turned to Clarisse, raising her dagger defensively.

I turned to the two Huntresses. "And you, Ms McMurphy?"

She had that same inquisitive look in her eye. "Let's just say I felt I had to come, too."

She's been watching you closely; she knows something's up.

You don't say...You've been quiet lately.

Quiet? I've been screaming at you to tell everyone what's going on with that stone, and you've been ignoring me!

I've been trying to tell them!

You could've done it if you really tried!

I suppose...

Your curiosity may be the death of you.

Perhaps, but now is not the time.

Ari and Aren spread out slightly, each drawing a dagger.

Aren looked at me with those piercing green eyes of hers. "Don't think I'll be holding back..."

I saw the burning intensity in her glare, and I couldn't help but smile. "I don't doubt it. Time's a-wasting, ladies, so if you'll forgive the vernacular... bring it."

Ari lunged to the side as Aren leaped forward, swinging her dagger overhead and forcing me to block with my sword. I looked into her eyes as we grappled. "You're a lot stronger than I thought... not bad," I said with gritted teeth. Twisting, I slid my blade away, letting Aren stagger forwards. I kicked at the small of her back and sent her down into the ground, allowing me to swing about and block Ari from the side. I caught her small wrist in my hand, her dagger clenched in her fist.

I held her tight and leaned back, raising my foot up. I lunged forwards, booting the Huntress in the chest and sending her flying onto her back.

I pounced forwards, raising a fist up. As I prepared to bring it down and strike the fallen dark-haired Huntress, what I can only describe as the world's biggest ice-cream headache came out of nowhere and pierced through my skull, my hand halting rigidly before I could throw a punch.

Don't you DARE.

The moment of hesitation was all Aren needed to tackle me from the side and land with me pinned underneath her, and I was only dimly aware of losing grip on my sword as it skidded into the earth nearby.

She was deceptively strong for her size, and she put all her strength into keeping me down. Her cheeks were flushed with effort, and probably something else too.

There was a strong possibility I was blushing, though I ignored it. Having her pressing down on me, face to face, was bringing back memories. Once again I found her lips just hovering less than an inch from my own. I also never noticed that little mole on her right cheek before, it was very-

Will you PLEASE focus!

Right...Sorry...

I shoved the thoughts violently aside. Thankfully, using her weight to reinforce her pinning maneuver didn't turn out to be much of a problem.

Primarily because she weighed next to nothing.

I braced my knees up under her chest and, with gritted teeth, began leaning upwards, lifting her off the ground with me.

"YAAH!" I shouted as, with a thrust, I sprang to my feet and shoved Aren off me.

That was when Ari hopped up on to my back and began leaning back in an attempt to drag me down.

This is NOT my day!

A second later, as I was about to fall back, the small girl was hit in the side by a very large flying object. The force had the twin effect of spinning me about (to the point I almost fell over myself) and also of slackening Ari's grip on my back and allowing me to shake her off.

It was only then that I saw what the large object was.

It was Thalia.

Clarisse stood still with an outstretched foot, a look of feral rage on her face. There was also a burning red aura coursing over her skin.

She spared me a second's glance. "Sorry 'bout that."

Thalia was already back on her feet and charging at the daughter of Ares. She leaped up into a swing kick and caught Clarisse square in the chest, causing her to stagger back a step but not managing to knock her down.

The lieutenant landed and immediately parried around on one hand to leg-swipe her opponent.

Clarisse growled and stopped the attack by stomping down on Thalia's lower leg, pressing it into the earth as the daughter of Ares swung her spear about in the air like a club and brought it down over her enemy's head.

With blinding speed, Thalia's hands shot up and cupped themselves around the flat of the spear's tip.

One hand shifted and grabbed the top of the shaft as she tugged, pulling Clarisse closer.

I could see the crackles of the spear's electricity playing over Thalia's hand as she glared up at the other girl. "Daughter of Zeus, remember?" As if to emphasize the point, I saw a surge of electricity pass clean up Thalia's arm from where it held the spear, cross her shoulder blades and crackle down the other arm.

She released the spear and punched the crackling fist into Clarisse's chest. The resultant surge of power sent the daughter of Ares flying clear off of the Hunter and skidding back a few feet through the dirt.

Thalia didn't stop. She grabbed the spear off the ground, and I couldn't help but notice that the tip seemed to sizzle twice as menacingly as before, now that it was in the hands of the daughter of Zeus.

Clarisse, twitching slightly, pushed herself up and dodged her own spear before it could hit her in the chest.

She rolled past Thalia and immediately snatched up my own discarded sword, swinging it about just in time to block the shaft of the spear.

Thalia pushed down, forcing Clarisse almost onto her knees. Sparks flew as Clarisse's blade slid off the spear and the girl jumped clear before the tip could hit her.

Thalia raised the spear up again as Clarisse raised her sword. The silver Hunter's aura seemed to flow clearly over her. Clarisse's own charm was like a burning inferno about her body.

Both lunged forward with a deafening battle cry. Thalia stabbed downwards as Clarisse swung my sword in a brutal overhead arc at the weapon. The blade struck the shaft and sliced clean through it.

There was a spectacular release of contained energy from within the enchanted weapon that manifested in a huge explosion between them.

Daughter of Zeus or not, the shock wave was enough to send both Thalia and Clarisse flying off in opposite directions. Thalia struck the trunk of a tree with what sounded like a very painful crack.Clarisse, in a slight reversal of fortunes, was send flying into the still recovering Ari McMurphy. The sound of two heads hitting each other at that speed was equally wince-inducing.

I would've retrieved my weapon, had the blade not been blasted into pieces by the explosion.

Clarisse killed my sword.

"Umm, Armani?" said Lya, who had been hiding behind a nearby tree.

"What is it, Lya?" I asked, dusting myself down.

She pointed off into the forest behind me. "Aren ran away..."

I frowned. "Don't be silly, why would she..." It hit me suddenly, and I whirled to look at the vacant spot where the flag had been.

I turned back around, just in time to see Aren disappear into the woods, our flag gripped in her small hand.

That sneaky little...

Not now!

I at least gave myself enough time for an emphatic "Oh, no you don't!" before bolting off into the woods in pursuit of the Hunter.

"Have fun!" called Lya in her usual cheery tone as I shot off after my target.

-Ω-

I was locked in on Aren with every sense I had available.

She was fast; most likely one of the fastest Hunters there was, but there was no way to escape me in our current situation.

I could see her.

I could smell her.

I could feel her.

Now if only I could catch her...

That'd be nice.

I calmed my mind and focused on myself, summoning every last drop of strength and stamina I had.

The trees became a blur as I dashed ahead with my target in front, the single-minded purpose of catching my prey surging though me.

The Hunter really has become the hunted.

Bad puns aside, I could feel the distance closing. Aren was sprinting for all she was worth. I could smell her perspiration; I was close enough to hear her even breathing on the air.

I could see her lithe form bolt between trees, hopping across boulders as if they weren't there. The fight must've been all down at the Hunter's camp by now, so there wasn't much in the way of interruption. It was a straight-up footrace.

"You can't get away from me, Aren!" I shouted, leaning forwards to streamline myself.

She didn't respond; she must've known I was there before I called out, though. She must've also known she couldn't slow long enough to so much as toss something into my path; the split-second interruption in her pace would be all I needed to reach her. Even responding to my words would've interrupted her rhythm.

A horn echoed somewhere ahead in the distance.

So it's a race from both directions now, is it?

What are you doing?

I frowned at the sudden intrusion in my thoughts.

You're faster than this! You've outrun all the Hunters before, and you didn't even have the Hunter's power then yourself.

I hate it when you're right...

You can stop her, you know how. Set aside your preposterous emotions and issues of conflicting loyalty and deal with your prey!

I sent a silent apology to my mother as I called out to the world around me with my mind.

Forgive the irony of this statement, but...

"For Artemis!"

A cold wind swept behind me, the sounds of animal cries worshiping the name of their goddess echoed through my head and my heart from all around me.

And then there was the moonlight, bathing me in silver light, warmer to me than the rays of the dawning sun.

I felt one last burst of strength as I touched my absolute limit.

Take her down!

Everything seemed to be moving so slowly now, each breath was echoing in my ears. I could see each of my prey's footfalls and each speck of dirt that was thrown up in her wake as she moved onwards. It got more and more intense, until I was there, trapped in the instant of the kill.

The distance closed, and I was only dimly aware of crouching down and leaping up at a branch ahead, the rough wood grazed my hands as I swung forwards and landed with a skid directly into the path of my prey, swinging about to face her.

Got you...

And let this be a lesson. The laws of physics dictate that the force an object puts out increases in direct proportion to its speed. It's like what they say about a blade of grass being capable of piercing through an oak tree in a hurricane. Ergo, I can only describe landing square in the path of Aren McNamara running at her top speed as being akin to stepping in front of a small truck going at thirty miles per hour.

Painful...and not very bright either.

My teeth were jarred by the impact and I felt every bone in my body rattle as both of us went flying.

I looked back and realized I probably could've picked a better spot to land. There was a good ten-foot drop on the other side of the rock I had landed on.

I instinctively wrapped my arms and legs around the girl falling with me as the ground rushed up to meet us.

I get the feeling this is going to hurt.

My supposition proved to be entirely well founded, and more than a little understated.

The process of absorbing the impact for the both of us resulted first in every breath of wind being knocked out of my body, and I also felt something pop in my left side.

And there goes the shoulder...

"Oooowwww. Well that was stupid of me..." I groaned, and was only partially aware of my tugging the flag free of Aren's grip, just in case she took advantage of the situation.

She was still in a better way, but was also disorientated as she lay on me in the gully we had fallen into.

The fact that I half expected her to easily snatch back the flag and do her best to carry on running made me feel slightly ashamed of myself when she spoke her next words.

"Are you alright?"

I found a pair of concerned green eyes hovering above me. I laughed painfully. "...Spiffing."

She smiled, and tried to push herself up. She let out a gasp of pain and collapsed onto me again. Despite how much it hurt, I was amazed how light she was.

I did my best to smile. "What's wrong?"

Her brow was clenched slightly. "Sprained..."

I nodded at my shoulder. "Dislocated. I win."

She groaned and lay down on my chest, her small hand resting on my shoulder.

I knew I should have recommended that she roll off me, but there she was again, and here we were once more, isolated from the world and just the two of us.

I reached up and brushed a smudge of mud from her cheek with my thumb. I felt the sudden gasp through her chest and her capillaries burned hot under my finger.

She was so close now...

If her face were just another inch closer...

Oh, gods, not this again...

I felt my hand move across her cheek and to the back of her head, my fingers brushing through her short blond hair. Her breath was growing heavy now, her eyes glazed over. I shared her feelings: desperation and fear. It would be so easy... Just close the distance, pull her to me.

"Aren, I..." I began, and then a sound in the distance suddenly brought us both back to reality with a crash, as we both remembered at the same time why we were there, in that position.

And I've never seen the blood in someone's face drain away so quickly. From bright red to absolutely ashen went Aren's cheeks.

The sound was cheering.

Her eyes went even wider, if that were possible, as she spoke two words in a single disbelieving breath:

"We lost..."

-Ω-

You could imagine the campers would be very gracious in victory. That they wouldn't make a big deal of it or rub it in in any way. That they would be silent in their victory and not add to the Hunter's discomfort by singing songs about it.

Like I said: Imagine.

Aren had managed to assist me out of the ditch we had fallen into before anyone found us. I made it to the border, where William was already being hailed as the hero, the flag he held triumphantly aloft glistening gold with his father's emblem. The son of Apollo's body, even from here, looked battered and bruised. I could see some pretty nasty cuts on his arms, too. A lot of the other campers seemed in a similar way. I'm not sure exactly what happened in that battle, but the Hunters must have put up one heck of a fight despite their lack of numbers.

They are not living this one down in a hurry.

I heaved a sigh as Aren peeled away from me and crossed the border numbly to join the other Hunters, many looking very battle scarred and seemingly quite irritated. I knew it wouldn't be long before the initial euphoria of victory died and the victors turned to rubbing the loser's faces in it.

Teenagers are like that.

-Ω-

The camper's consolations to their foes were somewhat patronizing, to say the least. Each 'Buck up, can't win 'em all' usually being accompanied by some not-so-subtle snickering from that person's supporters. Clarisse, Thalia and the other Hunters were eventually retrieved from where they fell.

The daughter of Ares, who was revived by one of the Apollo children when everyone had returned to the dining pavilion, immediately reverted to her first instinct to be angry that she missed out on the end of the fight. However, her ego was as good as healed when word spread that she was responsible for defending the flag pretty much by herself, including ambushing Phoebe, taking down Thalia (the fact it was essentially a double knockout being immediately downplayed by the other Ares campers) and every other Hunter that went her way, using what her cabin mates could only describe as 'epic guerrilla tactics'. Coming out of a battle bloodstained, coated in war paint and surrounded by your fallen enemies obviously didn't seem to be anything short of a best result for the Ares kids.

This all worked fine for me, since I had little qualms about downplaying my involvement in the whole thing. For some reason, I didn't feel like getting too swept up in the celebrations, which did end up going quite far into the night.

The Hunters, to their credit, took the campers' gloating with little more than sighs and rolls of their eyes, even though I could see the building indignation in the eyes of most of them. It seemed like a battle of wills, one side seeing who would crumble and turn in for the night first.

It was not a good night for the Hunters, as they lost this battle too, although I suppose this could be understandable, considering the Aphrodite campers' "random and spontaneous" decision to burst into a rendition of Like a Virgin by Madonna.

Steff stood up first, fists pressed into the table and glaring across at the singing campers. It looked like there was going to be another fight, but instead the Hunter chose to retire for the night, the others following immediately behind.

The song had been in very bad taste, after all, and I watched them go, all the while feeling like that football player who was sold to another team, only to face his old team in the cup final in his first match.

I sat by myself for the remainder of the festivities, leaning back against the hearth for warmth to keep away the chill that was now surging through me.

It was a chill that had very little to do with the ambient temperature.

I nearly jumped out my skin when a large hand patted me harshly on my still-throbbing shoulder, "There's my anti-Hunter Hunter," said Clarisse with a grin, her face still stained with camouflage paint (in fact, it looked as if someone had reapplied it for some odd reason).

I groaned and turned back to the flames. "Please don't call me that."

"Hey, why so glum? You kicked some serious Hunter tail out there, too." She frowned. "Is this 'cause I broke your sword? Seriously, that's like the fifteenth enchanted spear I've broken."

I smiled weakly. "It's nothing, really."

She was silent for a moment, and then I heard her give a resigned sigh. "It was only a game."

I blinked and turned to her. "What?"

She leaned back against the rails around the fire. "I know why you're bummed. Trust me, they'll get over it too, but they won't hold it against you or resent you."

"I wouldn't be so sure...I know I'd hold it against me. It just didn't feel right... At one point I just totally lost myself in the moment, in the obsession of hunting my prey. I also feel bad about using my mother's power against her own Hunters like that..."

"Armani...I'm going to tell you something. If you repeat it, I will ensure they never find your body, okay?"

Despite paling about how blasé she was with that death threat, I nodded. "Go ahead."

"I respect the Hunters." I frowned slightly in confusion as she continued, "It's true. They've got guts, I've gotta hand it to them. That's why I smashed Phoebe's teeth in like that, why I didn't hold out when I ambushed those other Hunters. It's because I'd be stupid not too. Everyone else 'round here underestimates them because of how they look; I don't. And if you didn't go all out against Aren, then you'd have been a fool, and you probably couldn't really call yourself her friend either. I know I'd never forgive anyone who held back against me out of pity, though Ares help them if they did..." She pushed off from the hearth and stopped. "They won't hold it against you." I saw a smile spread across her face as Chris Rodriguez waved her over from nearby. "Because real friends will accept you for just who you are. So chill." She began walking off, then paused to smile cheekily back. "But let me know if anyone doesn't...I'll go smash their heads in for you." She let out a quick laugh and walked off with her arm entwined around her boyfriend's.

She's right...what was I even worried about?

You're simply hiding one worry over with another. For the gods' sake, TELL THEM.

You cannot tell them until-

Quiet, you!

Great, now the voices in my head are arguing.

When that starts happening, you really know it's time to turn in, and so, with a tired sigh, I turned and headed back to cabin eight.

-Ω-

This is going to be uncomfortable...

I stood outside the cabin, which shone silver and silent in the dark of night.

Best just bite the bullet on this one.

I exhaled a breath and marched up to the door. My hand hesitated on the handle for only a second before carefully and quietly opening the door and slipping inside.

I closed the door behind me with equal silence and turned to regard the darkness. The cabin was mercifully quiet, each of the Hunters lying silent in their slumber. I hung my head in slight relief and slid quietly into my bed by the window.

I let out a quiet breath and lay back, closing my eyes.

"Armani..." Thalia's voice cut through the silence like a cold, calm blade.

I was silent for a moment as I stared up at the ceiling. "Yes?"

"...Next time you're on our side."

A grateful smile played across my face as I closed my eyes. "Understood..."

-Ω-

I awoke both suddenly and quite unnaturally. I registered how dark it was, and could tell by the moon's position through the window that I'd only been asleep an hour or so at most.

It was then that I realized how cold I felt, and I meant cold. That shivering feeling was pulsing from its origin in the stone resting in my pocket, through my heart and throughout my body more powerfully than ever before.

I wanted to panic, to cry out, to do something, but I couldn't, I was frozen, tensed up almost rigid. That was when her voice spoke again, only this time they were different words, but somehow a hundred times more chilling.

It's time.

I opened my mouth to cry out, but couldn't. It almost felt like I'd suddenly detached from myself, like I was falling away from my own perspective, from my seat of control in my own body. Falling into darkness...

What made it more disorientating was what I saw through my eyes as I descended into darkness:

My body was standing up...

-Ω-

"I'm glad you could make it, Percy," Annabeth said with a smile as they reached the top of the hill overlooking the camp. She leaned sideways, her blond curls spilling over her boyfriend's shoulder.

Percy's hand gripped tighter around Annabeth's as he looked on. His first sight of Camp was one of the things he always most looked forward to. The hearth was still burning a welcoming orange in the distance, the night air was so perfectly warm, and his mom had even gotten him out of school a day early so he could come with Annabeth and Rachel to camp. He smiled as he leaned his head down against Annabeth's. "Yeah, me too. So would you like to take a nice moonlit-"

"Okay, okay. Enough of the lovey-dovey, I had enough of it on the ride over," interrupted Rachel as she pried her way between the pair. "Come on, I wanna go see it," said the redhead excitedly as she marched on ahead.

"Are you sure about this, Rachel?" asked Percy with a raised eyebrow as he followed after the girl. "I mean, sure, the Big House isn't the Plaza, but you'll be living in a cave."

She swung about, beaming. "I know! Isn't it awesome?"

Percy just sighed and followed, with Annabeth at his side. He glanced up at the dragon guarding the pine as he passed. "'Sup, Peleus?"

The dragon in question opened a single eye and grunted once in acknowledgement before returning to its slumber about the pine.

Annabeth walked ahead as they approached the Big House, "I'm going to check in with Chiron, be right back." She kissed Percy quickly on the cheek, ran up the stairs to the door and let herself in.

Rachel rocked on her heels impatiently. "Come on... I wanna go check out my new digs."

Percy glanced idly at the door, and then slowly around him. "Just give Annabeth a minute; I'm sure she- Sweet Zeus!" Percy suddenly gasped, hand on chest. "How do you spring up like that?"

Rachel frowned and followed Percy's stare, then blinked herself. Standing not five feet away, dressed as black as the night, was Armani Dove. His silver eyes glistened curiously.

There was a tiny, unreadable smile on his face as he silently regarded the two. He inclined his head and replied in an amused voice. "Oh, you know me." Those eyes narrowed analytically at the other half-blood. "Mister Jackson."

Percy's eyebrows rose at the phrasing of his name. "Why yes, Mister Dove, it is I. So what's up, man? You're up late."

That odd, strangely amused smile didn't budge, and although Percy didn't admit it, it was sort of creeping him out, and this was a guy who counted a son of Hades among his friends.

Armani surveyed the area about him. "Oh, just out for a night stroll."

With a start, Percy suddenly realized his fingers had been drumming away on the spot in his jeans pocket where Riptide lay. He regarded the half-blood before him. It was definitely the same Armani, the same demigod he had fought against hordes of the undead with, the same demigod who had sparred with him and spent three hours loosing arrows at the son of Poseidon just to test how invulnerable he really was.

They'd both slept well that night.

But there was something... It was subtle, not like one of the situations where he knew the kindly old lady they had just met would turn out to be a fire-breathing dragon or some such, but still just a little off in some way. Although to be honest, those silver eyes had always creeped him out a little. He reminded Percy just a little too much of his mother to be entirely relaxed around him.

"If it isn't little Armani," chimed Rachel, as she looked slyly at him. "So how's Lya doing?"

"Divorced, in a manner of speaking." He cocked his head and took a step closer. "So, the priestess of Delphi..."

Rachel blinked in surprise this time. She glanced at Percy and back, before chuckling slightly. "Why yes.Mister Jackson and the priestess are here at your service." Rachel glanced back at the doors. "Where's Annabeth at? I want to check out my cave."

Armani's brow clenched, as if recalling something. His smile returned almost immediately. "Ah, yes. If you'd like, I could show you the way, Rachel. It's just down the hill from here. Percy and Annabeth can catch up in a moment." He turned about and nodded to a spot concealed just behind a ridge further down the hill.

Percy glanced at the doors and back. "I…ahh, I really think we should wait for..." he trailed off with a groan, as Rachel had already began walking excitedly off in the direction indicated, with the son of Artemis walking slowly behind, his hands clasped calmly behind his back.

Percy looked after them and turned back to the Big House and let out an exasperated breath.

I suppose it could have just been me...

-Ω-

"Oh, I love it!"cried Rachel excitedly as she circled the cave entrance, which had already been decked out with its own lit hearth and a collection of miscellaneous and bizarre artifacts. Rachel stopped suddenly in her examinations and swung about to face the demigod who had stopped quite close to her and was now regarding her with a strange stare.

"So, what do you mean 'divorced'? And I thought you'd be very happy together."

That smile turned amused again for a second. "Such things are just not to be, Ms. Dare. It's very good to see you."

Rachel laughed quietly, "It's nice to see you too, Armani, I was- Oh!" she gasped as, without a word, he suddenly enveloped her in his arms. Despite the situation, Rachel just laughed it off and hugged him back a little unsurely. "Oookay, it's very nice to see you too. Though you'd best let me go, it'd be really bad if anyone saw us like this."

He glanced up, looking deep into her eyes, locking her gaze with his deep pools of silver. His hand slowly reached up and stroked the side of her cheek.

Rachel's eyes seemed to glaze over as she wavered on her feet and Armani cupped the back of her head, and then, with almost practiced grace, pressed his lips to hers...

-Ω-

"W-what?" Armani suddenly gaped, glancing about himself in utter bewilderment.

Rachel shook her head. "Wow, what was that? Almost dozed off there for a second. I'm sorry, Armani. What were we talking about again?" Getting no response, she turned about to find the half-blood in question looking at her with the most confused stare imaginable.

"Rachel Dare?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

She laughed in response. "Yeah.Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Priestess of Delphi. Boy, you really can't decide what to call me tonight."

He continued looking at her with stunned eyes, "W-what are you doing here?"

Rachel frowned at him in confusion. "What are you on about? I came down to check out my new residence."

Armani's eyes flicked left and right as he nodded. "Okay, question two: What am I doing here?"

Rachel's eyes widened as she finally realized the son of Artemis wasn't joking. There was genuine fear and confusion in his eyes. "Armani... You came out and met us; you just walked me down here."

His eyes were still wide and unblinking. "Rachel, I don't even remember leaving my cabin. I just found myself standing here a second ago."

Rachel looked at him as another scary thought occurred to her. "It's weird... I think I just blacked out for a moment back there too."

"So you found it alright, did you?" came a familiar voice, and both gave a start as Chiron trotted into view with Percy and Annabeth at his sides.

Armani did another double take and took a step back in surprise. "Percy? Annabeth? What...When?"

Percy cocked his head. "Oh,so remembered my first name at last, did you? Well, that's a start, I guess."

Armani glanced fearfully at Rachel and back. The girl caught his gaze and raised a hand. "Umm, Mister Chiron? I think something weird might be going on."

Percy rolled his eyes. "As opposed to all the normal stuff that's going on?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, it's just... ah..." she trailed off as she grasped her lower chest suddenly.

Percy glanced idly at her. "What's up, Rachel? Indigestion? Well, you did want that extra burrito..."

She laughed, still clutching her chest. "Y-yeah, it's probably just..." she suddenly let out a pained groan as both arms covered her chest and she doubled over onto her knees.

Annabeth rushed forwards. "Rachel!"

Suddenly her head snapped back up, teeth bared, as an eruption of dark jade light shone from behind her eyes. She opened her mouth and a stream of equally dark smoke steamed out.

"Get back!" Chiron snapped as the eerily dark smoke surrounded the teenager.

Rachel exhaled a ghostly sigh, and then spoke.

"I am the Priestess of Delphi...speaker of prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Know me and heed my words well..."

To be continued…

[A/N] Okay, so far, so good. Expect chapter 2 up soon.