Hello! This story is where Zoe comes back to life and goes to Camp Jupiter instead of Hazel (essentially taking her place in the Son of Neptune Plot).

This story will focus primarily on Zoe but I would eventually like to approach a relationship between her and Percy upon his arrival. I'm afraid this won't be especially fast though because I'd also like to write about how she becomes established into Camp Jupiter. That's the first part of this story. The Heroes of Olympus timeline necessitates a large gap in time between Zoe's arrival and Percy's.

Zoe won't be a hunter any more in this story. I plan to write up to the end of Son of Neptune in this story but I don't plan to touch Mark of Athena or later books at present.

She only has a brief role in canon and in that, it establishes her as being thousands of years old. That's a real challenge to deal with given that she also chose to be eternally a fourteen year old girl. In this story, she will at times seem like a teenager, because in many respects she still is. I'm not certain I can entirely do her character justice but I invite you to read this.

Please do feel free to leave feedback or even attempt a similar kind of story yourself - where instead of hazel being resurrected, someone else is. Not that I don't like Hazel, but she won't appear in this.

I sometimes enjoy looking at the world below, seeing the world green and vibrant. But more often I feel envy at the vitality that I do not possess. Most days I just want rest. Despite my restless life, I find the greatest solace in having nowhere to be and nothing to do.

I do not feel tired or ill here as those are only burdens of the living; nevertheless, as time inevitably passes I increasingly grow bored of this existence and I sometimes miss the excitement of life.

Perhaps I should welcome the end. So many others have been restless like I and have embraced the peace, yet I cannot. I lived for hundreds of years and experienced much pain and grief in that time. Others here tell me that in time I will be able to rest here and that I am fortunate.

But in my endless time to brood, I can't help but feel like I've missed out on life. For all I pretend that my life was an endless adventure, I shied away from the real risks, staying in a bubble of my own design. I pride myself on having a great understanding of nature, and being a good leader. Those are lovely but there's so much I don't know and that I never even tried to learn.

Have I grown wise in a thousand years? I think not. I am still in the body of a young girl, not a woman. Those people who had the privilege of short yet bright lives seem to possess wisdom that I do not. I never experienced life beyond the hunt and I never changed.

…

Wait? This environment I exist in now, is constant, unchanging. Yet before me, I see something that wasn't there before. There's steps leading down. Or are they leading up? There's an open door. I'm walking through. I'm breathing. This is life, even though that doesn't make any sense. There's so much noise, a cacophony that shouldn't exist. What happened to death?

I hummed to myself as I walked down the road, staring at every car that rushed past me and shivered in the chill winds. The weather was of little concern to me, it was just another sign of life. Everything felt so real and wild to my dulled senses. Harsh yet not unwelcome.

I closed my eyes and simply listened. I didn't think I'd miss something as inconsequential as the sound of wind whistling through the air and tangling my hair but I enjoyed hearing, feeling it again. It was natural and when I was alive I'd hardly ever paid it much attention, save for when I was actively hunting and tracking something. Even then I'm not sure I ever took a moment to just enjoy it. But here I was, walking down the street, enjoying just being alive again.

My wandering had no location in mind, yet I approached one anyway. I wondered if the fates had lead me down this path - I saw two kids dressed in armour guarding a tunnel where the road turned away. It was Roman. Examining the carefully constructed tunnel, I remembered having gone to this place before. I remembered attacking this place with the intent to kill the people and plunder the fortress.

I tried not to think about the death and destruction as I walked forward. The two kids tensed, readying golden spears, as I approached though I was unarmed, with naught but a simple grey dress on my person. I smiled because I could hardly be insulted at their sensible actions, they didn't have any reason to trust me.

"Greetings Romans," I began, continued walking towards them without slowing but I held out my empty hands. Hopefully they wouldn't try to stab me.

"Who are you? What is your purpose here?" The boy demanded, holding his spear in front of him. The girl did likewise and they both glared at me. Evidently, they were trained to be intimidating more than anything else.

I stopped in front of them, showing no fear of their weapons. If they did attack, I thought I had a fair chance of grabbing a spear from them, then easily subdue them. But appearances mattered a great deal and I wanted to be let in peacefully. Not that I had any plans at all. Perhaps I could join the legion though. It seemed the easiest answer for my presence here.

It was rather freeing to note that I had no agency anymore. No plans, no obligations and nothing currently to prove. I could do whatever I wished and there was no one to tell me otherwise. Yet one issue pressed upon my mind, and it was how I was alive now. There had to be something wrong in the underworld and working within a legion, which had access to many resources, seemed apt.

Truthfully, I'd prefer somewhere Greek but any place I went, I would inevitably be recognised. I had no interest in choosing a new name and hiding who I was would be annoying. Joining the legion was the obvious choice right now. I could always leave if I changed my mind.

Therefore, I dutifully answered. "My name is Zoe Nightshade and I'm looking to join the legion. I shouldn't have to say anything more if they were only guards.

"Are you alone?" The boy asked.

"Obviously," I couldn't resist replying.

He merely rolled his eyes. "So, you've come here alone and you're not carrying any weapons?"

The girl cut in to the interrogation, thankfully. "Let's just take her in with us, and let the Praetors interrogate her further. They'll be pleased we found her."

Found? I'd walked right up to them. I gently smiled though, pleased that they didn't seem to find anything odd about me. I was like any other living person now.

"Yeah, fine. Okay Zoe, you're coming with us."

They escorted me through the tunnel, still ready to skewer me if I tried anything. I briefly wondered if it was wise for the tunnel to be left unguarded while they both escorted me. But then again, I was probably the biggest threat for a mile.

I waded through a river which marked the true boundary of the Roman camp. But the water felt strange and harsh to me. It was so strong and fresh and it hurt, it was as if it was draining my spirit. I did not cry out though and allowed some of my old self to be washed away, even as it pained me. It was as if I was accepting change.

A boy and a girl sat in front of me while I stood. Their deep purple capes signified their high rank in this camp. This camp which was disciplined and military and likely dull. I would've preferred the Greek camp, with its games and atmosphere. But that was of little importance now.

"So, you're a half-blood seeking to join the legion?" The girl, Reyna, asked me.

I nodded, though that wasn't entirely true. I wasn't strictly a half-blood as I didn't have a mortal parent. Yet for so long I'd always been just a hunter for Artemis and I wasn't anymore. I wasn't sure who I was right now.

"Verbal response please," Reyna said pointedly.

"Yes, I'm seeking to join the legion," I replied, deftly evading the first part of the question. The gold and silver dog statues, who were lie detectors, growled at me anyway.

"And you came alone, without any weapons?"

"Yes." A one word answer was safer, it wouldn't do to volunteer more information about my situation. They'd think it strange but they'd have to accept it.

"And who is your godly parent?" She asked. The boy, Jason, seemed content to remain silent while his partner talked.

I felt annoyance at how personal the question was, I did not enjoy speaking about myself at all. "My mother though I am unsure of her identity." That was another lie unless one argued that knowing a name was not the same as knowing a person, and I did not know my mother very well.

The massive metallic dogs detected the lie regardless and both began barking and they advanced towards me. I immediately backed away though it was a small room - those claws looked very sharp. This was far from an ideal location and I was, as I'd said, unarmed. Disabling non-organic creatures would be difficult, to say the least.

Fortunately, as one lifted a claw to strike at me Jason ordered them to stop and they obeyed. They backed off and merely growled while Reyna and Jason appeared annoyed. Apparently if I died it would simply be an annoyance to them.

"Tell the truth," Reyna demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"It's a personal question and I don't wish to tell you," I replied defensively.

They watched me with suspicion, I sensed they were unused to people not replying to their questions. I did not care for their customs though and just stared back at them, keeping a neutral stance.

"You are refusing to answer?" Reyna asked to confirm, after a pause.

"Yes."

Reyna sighed and relaxed. "I'm not going to demand an answer from you, right now." That was a relief to hear, hopefully things would go smoothly from here.

"We will need further assurance of your loyalty however. Octavian will confirm your loyalty, I hope," she said. Reyna grabbed some jelly beans from a bowl on their desk, looking more like an ordinary person.

"I'll take her there, then," Jason said. He had not relaxed and I thought he disagreed with Reyna's choice. Still, he went along with it, as leaders shouldn't undermine each other's authority.

Reyna nodded once and Jason stood up to lead me out.

I hadn't walked with a boy for a long time. I'd always avoided them since that so-called hero left me and I joined Artemis. Any time I had been near boys I'd always felt uncomfortable and tended to dislike them intensely. Now I don't feel like that though.

Perhaps I could get to know a boy, that would be new. Now that I took the time to examine him, I could see how Jason looked a little haunted but strong as well. I imagined he'd experienced much to become the leader of the camp. He was very much at home at the camp, and passing campers were shooting him friendly greetings.

He led me forward silently and we passed temples for various gods. They were large and majestic, though they weren't dwellings for people to live and sleep in. They seemed a touch unapproachable. As we neared the temple for Jupiter though, I paused to stare in awe at the grand structure, trying to control my natural scepticism. Only the most precious materials had been used in the construction of this Roman temple. Jason stopped beside me, allowing me to take in the view.

It was an honour to be seeing it and I tried not to take its beauty for granted. Because one day I wouldn't see beauty like this again. In my last life, I had taken sights like this for granted but I resolved to try and enjoy the sights before me.

Jason seemed unimpressed by the temple, no doubt temples were an everyday occurrence for him and the awe had long since worn off. "The temple of Jupiter, where you'll have your fortune read," he announced.

"Let's go in," he continued. Inside, he pointed out a thin blond boy dressed in a traditional white toga. "Octavian; he's going to read your augury."

Octavian smirked as we walked over to him, bright intelligent eyes focused intently on me. "Greetings! You must be the lonely hunter," he said.

I carefully reined in any reaction but inwardly I frowned. Prophecy had always been a dangerous element in my life, and it was here once more. They were inescapable. What had he Seen, to give me a name that was so apt? I looked past him to the altar. He was cutting up animals to read who I was, it seemed. Crude, yet evidently effective.

Jason answered for me, "Right, she's new to the camp and we need to know her intentions, can you read her augury?" His politeness seemed a touch forced.

"Of, course! What's your name then, fearsome hunter?" He replied, turning to grab something.

"I'm Zoe Nightshade." I wasn't about to confirm or deny his allusions.

"Very well, Zoe." Octavian held a teddy bear in one hand and a sharp knife in the other. I frowned, he was cutting up stuffed toys? That was strange, though I wouldn't protest the lack of blood.

I watched him cut up the toy, patiently. I was almost certain the fates would allow me to join the legion. They had lead me here for a reason. Even so, I wondered precisely what he'd divine.

"Congrats. You may join the legion," he said a moment later. He didn't sound very enthusiastic about it. "Assuming one of the cohorts will take you in, of course," he added, his smile returning once more.

"That's true, do you know how Camp Jupiter works? At a quick shake of the head he continued. "You must have a full member of the legion vouch for you to join their Cohort, and from there you will live and work in that Cohort. There are five cohorts in total. You don't have any letters of reference do you?" Jason asked me.

I did not. It seemed a shame, given that I'd lived such a long life and yet had nothing to show for it now. There was no one here to recommend me. My skills would have to be enough to prove myself.

"I have nothing."

Hello, this is the rewritten version of the first chapter of Nightshade. Nothing meaningful has changed, I mostly just altered the writing so it should sound a little better. Please do review with any feedback you have, it's really appreciated.