Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or any of its characters, places, ideas, or anything else related. Any resemblances to actual places or people are completely coincidental or being used fictitiously and should not be taken seriously.

Labors of Perseus - Chapter 1: The Challenge - By RangerMK01

The Hunters Camp...

She couldn't believe she was about to do this.

It just seemed impossible, unreal. Hades, what was happening to her, what was she thinking?

She just couldn't comprehend that, after millennia of serving Lady Artemis, of fighting with her sisters, of despising men, she was about to give it all up.

For a male.

Zoë attempted to steady her breathing and rapidly beating heart as she stood outside her mistresses tent, hands curled into fists as she stared at the silver canvas that shimmered as the last rays of sun drifted below the horizon.

The sound of laughter drifted from the campfire, where the other Hunters were enjoying themselves, telling stories and roasting marshmallows, a treat that Zoë had never quite grown fond of, but had loved to make for her sisters.

It all just reminded her more of what she was about to give up.

Taking in a finale deep breath, she unclenched her hands, and knocked on the frame of the tent.

"Enter." Came the simple reply, but it made Zoë shiver nonetheless.

She pulled open the tent flap and stepped inside, ducking her head then standing straight again.

Lady Artemis sat on a wood chair in front of a small desk, examining a map under the light of a simple lamp Her silver daggers hung from her waist, and her bow was laid carefully on a shelf above her cot.

The familiar scent of animal furs, pine trees, and cinnamon lingered in the air as Zoë kneeled, bowing her head.

Artemis looked up from her map, surprise flickering across her face before a smile settled on it. "Ah, Zoë. I was not expecting you, I thought you would be with the new Hunters. Come now, sit. Friends do not bow to friends."

Zoë stood as Artemis snapped her fingers and another wood chair appeared. She gingerly sat down on the chair, finding herself unable to look her mistress in the eye.

Artemis seemed to notice this, and her smile faded slightly. "Is everything alright Zoë? What is the problem?"

Zoë remained silent and still for a moment, collecting herself. "It's...Something has come up milady...something I should have taken care of sooner."

The goddess face morphed into an expression of concern and she leaned forward, map forgotten. "Zoë, what is it?"

The Hunter took in a shaky breath, prepared to speak, hesitated. Then, she reached up and removed the small silver circlet that sat atop her raven hair, and held it out with both hands to Artemis.

For a second, Artemis stared at the circlet, shocked.

Confusion shone in her bright silver eyes as she moved her eyes up to Zoë's face. The silence was suffocating.

"Zoë..." She said finally, uncertainty flickering over her face. "Are...Does this mean what I think it means?"

Closing her eyes, Zoë nodded and spoke. "I am sorry milady, but it does. I resign from my position as Lieutenant of the Hunt, and request permission to leave the Hunt entirely."

After a few seconds of silence, Zoë opened her eyes again,

Shock, surprise, confusion, betrayal, anger, and a little bit of amazement flashed in rapid succession across the goddess' face. But behind that, Zoë could almost see the wheels turning, suspicion forming.

"B-but, why?" Artemis asked, voice slightly shaky. "Why, after millennia, would you leave your sisters? Why would you leave the Hunt? Why?"

Zoë braced herself for what was coming, then spoke. "Because milady, I have failed thee, our sisters, and the Hunt entirely. I have lost sight of what makes me a Hunter. I have fallen...for a male."

If it was even possible, Artemis looked even more shocked then before. Then it was fury. Then, to Zoë's utter bewilderment, it turned to understanding, something she never would have imagined on the face of her mistress well discussing this subject.

But then it was Zoë's turn to be truly shocked.

"It's Perseus, isn't it?"

The Hunter's head snapped up, and for the first time since she had walked in the tent, met the silver eyes of her mistress. "Y-yes. How...how did thee know?"

Artemis' face and tone were surprisingly gentle as she spoke. "It was quite clear that both you and Perseus cared for one another, though I had hoped that this was a more sibling love, and did very little to prevent it." She sighed. "But it seems that young Perseus has found a way into your heart, and you have found a way into his."

Zoë's face heated and she spluttered. "W-what? No, I-I a-assure thee, Percy is with that spawn of Athena. I know this, I merely-"

"Have no idea what is happening to you and are hopelessly in love with the one decent male on this planet?" Artemis finished helpfully, smiling. "I am not angry with you Zoë, if anything I am angry at Perseus for stealing you from the Hunt, but I know that he cares more deeply for you then you think."

Zoë thought she might burst into flames if her face became in warmer. "Th-thou do?"

"Indeed." Artemis' smile grew. "You were quite the archery teacher for him when we were last in camp, and I seem to recall you being frustrated with him because he wouldn't focus. Would you like to know what, or should I say who he was focusing on?"

The former Lieutenant once again found herself shocked. "Mildly, thee are taking this a lot better then I thought thou would."

The goddess chuckled. "Trust me, I am quite furious and will be talking with Perseus-excuse me, Percy, about this shortly." The goddess face became serious, all traces of humor gone. "Zoë, you have been my best Hunter and friend for many years now, and though it pains me to say it, I am glad you found someone who you might possibly love. "But before you leave the Hunt for Percy, I request that you let me test him, to make sure he truly loves you."

Zoë felt slightly nervous. She was about to throw Percy under the bus, and if he failed this test, or tests, there was a good chance Artemis might kill him. Zoë knew how ruthless he mistress could be to males.

"Understood milady. How will thou test him?"

Artemis thought for a second, then smiled a devilish smile. "Let's see..."

Camp Half-blood - Poseidon Cabin...

Percy knew something was wrong as soon as he woke up.

For starters, he almost never woke up in the middle of the night, unless he was forced too or because of nightmares, he had been told he could sleep through a hurricane if one happened to drop by camp, however unlikely that was.

Second, the most obvious thing, the young 12 year old and strangely beautiful girl with startling silver eyes standing in the doorway of his cabin.

She held an elegant wood bow with silver markings in her right hand, a wickedly sharp arrow notched as glared down at Percy with anger in her eyes, and he felt about two inches tall as his mouth opened in a large "o".

"L-lady Artemis..." He finally managed to gasp out, unsure what to do. He sat up in his bed, still fully dressed, and almost fell to the floor as he attempted to perform an awkward bow.

He stayed in that position for about thirty seconds in silence, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't he hesitantly looked up, to find her still glaring at him, but also struggling to keep a smirk from appearing on her face.

"Rise boy." She said simply, a Percy quickly moved to his feet, taking a second to straighten his clothes and run a hand through his unruly hair, waiting patiently for her to explain why she was here, or tell him to do something.

She looked him up and down. "Do you have your sword?" She asked.

Percy subconsciously reached into his pocket and gripped his sword in disguise, Riptide. "Yes Lady Artemis, I do."

"Put on your shoes and meet me at the beach in five minutes. Or else."

Artemis disappeared in a flash of light, and not wanting to find out what, "or else" meant, Percy hastened to quickly put on his shoes and sprint out of his cabin, quietly closing the door behind him, before dashing toward the beach, making his way with the light of the moon.

When he arrived, Artemis was waiting near the water, gazing across the rippling waves as the moonlight broke across them in a million fractals.

"Four minutes and fifty-three seconds. You do like to cut it close, don't you Perseus?" Artemis spoke without looking at him, her eyes fixated on something far out at sea, something no mortal could ever see from that distance

"Uh...yeah." Was probably the worst answer he could come up with, but Artemis almost seemed to not have heard him.

After nearly a minute of silence, with tension so thick you could have cut it with a knife, Artemis spoke.

"I bet you are wondering why I came here for you tonight, yes?" She finally turned to him, one thin eyebrow arched as she held eye contact with him.

He shuffled uncomfortably under her, but forced him self to look her in the eye. "Yes, Lady Artemis."

"Tell me Perseus, what is your relationship with the daughter of Athena, Annabeth Chase?"

Percy was taken completely aback by this question. "I...I...don't...she's a good friend?" He finished lamely, not quite sure what was going on. At of all the reasons for Artemis, the biggest man hater in the world, to visit him, this was not one he had expected.

"But you do not love her?"

If Percy hadn't been shocked before, he sure was now. Why was Artemis concerned with his love life?

"Well...yes...as a friend, or like a sister, but not in a..." He trailed off, not sure how to explain this to someone who was known to despise this sort of thing.

"Sexual way?" She finished for him.

"I wouldn't, well, put it like that...more of a..." He once again failed to find something to describe, but the goddess again also had an answer.

"A romantic way?"

"Well...yes...I guess...?"

She nodded and turned back to the ocean. "Is there someone you love, Perseus?"

Percy almost said no, instinctively, but stopped. Something told him that she already knew the answer, and even if she didn't, she was a goddess and sister to the god of truth, she was bound to find out if he lied to her.

So instead, he hesitantly nodded. "Y-yes, Lady Artemis, there...there is someone I love."

Had he been looking at her face, he would've seen the devilish smile that found its way across he lips.

"You seem nervous, why?" She inquired, keeping her voice neutral. "Is there something you do not wish me to know?"

"N-no, no, of course not, I...I was just not expecting the discussion Lady Artemis. Why are you asking this?"

Ignoring his question entirely, she spoke again. "I wonder, who it is you have fallen for. A fellow camper? Perhaps a naid or nymph, or some other spirit? Maybe a goddess? A mortal you met somewhere? I would never think monsters to be in your interest, but who am I to know? But no, I feel it is none of those, so who? Perhaps, dare I even say, one of my own Hunters?"

She saw Percy visibly pale from the corner of her eye and grinned.

"Maybe not just any one of my Hunters, but a certain Lieutenant of my Hunt?"

Bingo. Her grin grew as a sharp intake of breath from behind her completely gave Percy away, not that she hadn't already known.

Artemis turned to the boy, who was now as pale as a sheet of paper. "Come now Perseus, you did not think you could hide your affection for Zoë from me did you?" She feigned anger, but on the inside she was having a hard time keeping herself from laughing at Percy's panicked expression.

"L-lady Artemis, I-I didn't-we haven't-I'm-" Percy found himself unable to come up with a coherent sentence and hardly able to gasp out the half-thoughts that did manage to make it too his now lead heavy tongue.

He continued to make unintelligible sentences until Artemis grew board of watching him panic and raised her hand. "Enough." She spoke simply, but with force behind her words, and Percy shut his mouth immediately. "Look at me."

He hesitantly looked at her face, and after a few more seconds, his fearful sea green eyes met with her intense silver. She was a few inches shorter than him in this form, but held an aura of power that made him feel insignificant behind compare.

"Do you love her?"

The question seemed to surprise him, he had expected to a jackalope about two minutes ago because he had been caught harboring romantic feelings towards one of her best Hunters, but now with so much seriousness they might as well have been discussing someone's funeral. Maybe they were.

Percy choose his next words carefully, knowing they could mean life or death. "Yes," he breathed out, holding Artemis' gaze. "I do love her, w-with all my heart."

"Do you?" Artemis asked, her expression morphing into one of such intense anger, Percy almost bolted. "Tell me Perseus, would you do anything for her?"

He started to say yes, terrified over her wrath, but stopped. "No."

Now it was Artemis' turn to be surprised. "No?"

Percy shook his head, looking at the ground. "No. I wouldn't do anything for her. I would not hurt my friends for or family, I would not betray Olympus, or commit other vile acts for her unless I absolutely had to. There are limits to what I will do, even for the people closest to me."

Artemis stared at him for a moment. She was beginning to see why Zoë had fallen for this man-boy, this boy. "I see...but were it not against your morals and values, would you do anything for her?"

"Yes." Percy didn't miss a beat. "I would do anything."

"Think carefully about what you say, boy, and swear it on the River Styx. Would you do anything for her?"

Without even stopping to think, despite her warning, Percy nodded. "Yes, I swear it on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed overhead and the moon seemed to shine brighter.

Artemis smirked. "Then lets get started, shell we?"

And before Percy could ask what she meant, she had grabbed him by the shoulder and the world disappeared beneath his feet.

The goddess of the Hunt and Perseus Jackson vanished from the beach in a flash of silver light.

Hey everyone!

It's been a long time since I've worked on this site, and I figured I might as well get back into it, so here we are.

This is not only my first fanfic for the PJO series, but also this first I've worked on in almost two years, so apologies if the work is slightly substandard.

Updates will likely be slow do to school, work, and other dedications in life, but I will try to work on it as often as possible, and will likely update this chapter with corrections if need be.

Keep being awesome and be sure to review what you think!

-RangerMK01