Percy Jackson-Estranged

Chapter 23-Before It's Too Late

Without warning, Artemis bolted for the forest, an arrow appearing beside her bow. Before she could get too far though, Zoe grabbed her, restraining the goddess as best she could. When Artemis looked at Zoe with betrayal in her eyes, the daughter of Atlas glared back. "Explain what is happening, so I can help. You aren't killing him, and we aren't letting you go alone. Talk to us." She stated, forcefully. Artemis attempted to wiggle free halfheartedly, but gave up and sighed in annoyance. "Fine, Zoe. Percy right now has something I haven't encountered ever before, but I have heard of it. It is the curse of the wild, bestowing absurd power over nature, but also coming with a quite heavy price. In times of vulnerability, whoever is affected will become more and more animalistic, and they're supposed to be highly aggressive but also extra intelligent. Percy must have some form of control over himself, otherwise he would've killed someone already. I should've known Erebus and Nyx weren't attacking him from inside for nothing. Perseus is the sole reason we have any hope of winning this war. With the gods restricted by Ancient Law, we can only hope that Percy would stop the demigods from being wiped out. His power was comparable to ours, and the longer I see him, the more I believe he is well above any Olympian." Her voice softened, a change in her previous attitude. "Honestly, I think he is above the primordials. Even if he is unwilling to say exactly how and show us more." Zoe pondered those words. Percy truly was above Artemis in power and skill, a feat that none besides the big three gods can claim, and for that only in regards to power. In terms of talent, perhaps only Percy himself beat the goddess. To become so skilled in so little time... truly, that was such a Percy type of thing. No other could dream of that. 

Stopping herself from thinking, Zoe brought her mind back to the task at hand. "So, we need to get him and bring him back somehow. Any ideas?" She spoke out, hoping for suggestions. Only Annabeth seemed to have anything as the blonde girl looked around at everyone's expressions of defeat before saying what was on her mind. "Emotions. They caused Percy to be this way. I assume they are the best solution to bringing him back. Think of the prophecy. Remember the line about the inner demon, filled with lust? I think it means lust for blood. The inner demon is what we just saw come out of Percy. And if I'm tying this to the correct lines... I think that a hunter is required to save him. One of those that are with us currently. Surely, it isn't Artemis, she is not apart of any prophecies I think the best bet is to send Artemis and Thalia after Percy, and I believe Thalia is the way to bring him back. He viewed her as a sister in everything but blood, and their relationship has always been strong. The other option is of course Zoe, but I don't think they're as close. Nor does he have any real connections to her, besides being friends. Zoe is harsher towards males anyway." This proposition stood on its own for a long time, nobody answering. Zoe was extra silent, her face showing hurt and anger at what Annabeth had said. But then again, maybe she was right and her hopes of being with Percy were but a farfetched fantasy. Chiron though wanted to save his student as quickly as possible, and he agreed with Annabeth's assessment. 

"Alright, so we send Thalia and Artemis, definitely. Personally, I say send Zoe as well, Artemis will guide them to Percy as best she can, and Thalia will attempt to save him. If Thalia isn't the person to save my boy, then Zoe will be on hand and ready to step in as a fallback plan. If all goes well, Percy will be back to himself in no time. If he attacks, then we pray Lady Artemis will save her hunters before all is too late. Under no circumstances do we slay him though, Percy is the key to us winning this war. In the meantime, if you guys can't get him by tomorrow morning, I will rally the campers. This is the ideal time to strike, and I'm sure that if Erebus and Nyx had enough energy, we'd be under siege already. We must get our hero back." 

His speech had a strong effect on the ex Hesperide, but Annabeth seemed to subtly glare at him. She had been hoping to keep Percy away from outside influences, in hopes she could get closer with him before the other two girls he paid attention to really got a hold on him. He wasn't hers to control, obviously, but she wanted him. No way she'd give up someone like him without a fight. Somewhere, in her subconscious, she knew that she had been with him before, and had royally screwed up a perfect relationship. But that reality refused to settle into her mind, leading her to believe she had never done too badly. Giving her hope that no matter how close he seemed to be getting to Zoe, she had as much of a chance as that girl herself.