ARTEMIS STARED AT her father, disbelief and pure shock etched on her face. She wasn't used to getting caught off guard, but on that day, Zeus seemed to be an exception.

Silence filled the vast throne room, and the atmosphere suddenly turned hostile just as the god of the skies finished his proposal. His sky-blue eyes glistened with something that Artemis couldn't interpret—but for a split second, his eyes hardened and specks of sickly-green colour spread in his irises, but it was gone as soon as it had happened. The goddess of the moon merely dismissed this as a trick of the light.

"Zeus," Athena said, looking quite as startled as all the other gods and goddesses. "Do you really think that banishing the only beings in existence that would continuously put themselves in harm's way just to defend us, and the whole world, is wise?"

Artemis, for one, had to agree. Just the mere thought of the bravest demigods of the era being exiled was ridiculous; even more so than Zeus' normal dimwitted ideas.

The goddess of the hunt risked a discreet glance at Hades and Poseidon. They both looked offended and quite obviously enraged, their faces contorted with controlled anger. She couldn't blame them; their children were, after all, the saviors of Olympus. Nothing in history could change that fact.

"I cannot risk these children thinking they can threaten me all they want just because they have defeated primordial deities!" Zeus roared, and lightning flashed from outside the window. Artemis held back an irritated sigh.

"Father," she spoke as softly as she could manage without accidentally calling him rude names; she picked her words carefully, daring not to annoy her father even more so than he already was. "They have done great deeds of honour, and therefore do not deserve to be punished—"

A harsh, barking laugh came from the war god. Aside from his rough, slightly scarred face, fiery brown eyes, and biker-style clothes, he looked just like his father; and was usually quite as rash, too. His black boots were propped up against the polished marble slab in front of his throne, with a smug look was plastered on his face. It irritated Artemis so much, she had to restrain herself from slapping him upside the head. In times like these, she absolutely hated having him for a brother.

"If you ask me, that punk Percy surely does. Caused enough problems for us and the world, that little runt has."

"Ares," Poseidon said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Do not speak ill of my son before me."

But the other god merely shrugged, twirling a small bronze blade between his fingers with familiarity.

"This is a foolish idea, father." Artemis continued. "If they happen to turn against us, with or without their powers, then we are doomed. You know that as much as I; we have witnessed what they can and will do. We musn't bring such fate upon ourselves. By merely considering this suggestion of yours will mean that we have paved way to our destruction. They will think of us no more than hypocrites. Leave the heroes be, and order will reign."

Several immortals murmured in agreement, but the maiden goddess could tell that she only managed to have angered Zeus even more.

"Did you call me foolish, child?"

"Di immortales," Athena said under her breath. Artemis had made many valid points in her argument, yet the only thing that caught the attention of the thick-headed god of the skies was the part where she said the idea was foolish? How typical of him. This is how all the fights start, the goddess of wisdom thought to herself. All because of Zeus being an insufferable, arrogant, stupid immortal prick.

"Now, who wishes for the death of the heroes? Or rather, their banishment?"

"I veto," Artemis snarled at once, giving up on her diplomatic façade.

"As do I," Athena said, her eyes briefly darting towards the sea god.

"I'm all in for that Jackson kid to die," Ares laughed in maniacal manner, flaming red fire dancing in his eyes.

"My sister makes a fair point. I veto," Apollo shrugged, leaning back into his throne casually.

Poseidon, Hades, and Hermes too rejected the idea, but that was about it. Everyone else fell silent.

"Well?" Zeus' annoyingly impatient voice rang in the throne room.

Aphrodite uncharacteristically remained silent, Hephaestus seemed to be more interested in his sandals than the conversation, Dionysus blew a raspberry but otherwise didn't say anything, Hera nodded vaguely, and Demeter was fiddling with an ear of wheat.

So naturally, Zeus took all of this as them agreeing to the given proposition.

How stupid of him, yes?

"I want them out of camp in no more than two hours, and by that time their powers will be gone. Artemis, you have more hunters in line ready to be the new lieutenant, I assume?"

Everyone could tell that Hades was trying his best to stay in control, but the temperature dropped so low that frost started to creep onto the marble floors. Thick mist came out of the mouths of the immortal deities whenever they exhaled.

"Hades—" Poseidon said, looking genuinely concerned, but the shadows wrapped around the eldest god and he merely vanished.

"You are a fool, Zeus. You will regret this," Athena said, her tone stone cold. "Do not go begging for their mercy when the time comes. The destruction that awaits us will all be your fault,"

"So be it, Athena, for that will never happen." Zeus snapped, thunder crackling from below him.

Everyone quickly left the throne room after Hades, and soon it was empty except for the immortal god of the sky.

Athena and Artemis had teamed up, shockingly, to aid the exiled heroes.

They waited in a small wooden cottage that had been built near the area of the safe haven for half-bloods, dressed in what teenagers in the generation would call appropriate. The small place they were residing in was around two and a half or so miles away from the said camp. It was considerably far, but it seemed to be close enough that two figures stumbled into the place seeking for refuge.

Thankfully, the area was shielded against Zeus. Athena had foreseen that much.

Thalia looked startled as her gaze fell upon Artemis, who took the form of a sixteen year old with auburn hair that was in a single plait, a plain white halter top, high-waisted dark denim jeans, a navy green bomber jacket, and Nikes—it was quite a new style for the goddess, Thalia had to admit it suited her quite well. Then it morphed into one of confusion and amusement when she spotted Athena; she looked regal, regardless her taking the form of a teenager. Her features reminded Jason that of a queen's: harsh yet sympathetic, beautifully terrifying, and seemingly sculpted like an ancient Roman statue. Her waist length princess-curled blonde hair tumbled past her shoulders, and she wore a simple grey tank top along with ripped denim jeans and a pair of white mid-cut Converse. She was sitting on the wooden table, engrossed in a book, when the demigod siblings had arrived, whilst Artemis stood leaning against the wall beside the small refrigerator. With her bow and quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder, she was sharpening two eighteen-inched pure silver daggers. Tiny sparks flew whenever the blades scraped against each other, making a horrible, ear-splitting noise that annoyed Athena greatly as she couldn't concentrate on the novel that lay forgotten in her hands.

"Stop that, will you?" the goddess of wisdom said, glaring daggers at the younger figure of the goddess that only gave her a smug smirk in response.

"About time you two showed up," Artemis said nonchalantly, completely ignoring Athena whilst arching a brow at the siblings. "I was deliberately deciding on whether or not to come after you,"

"What in Hades—" the demigod began, but was cut off abruptly.

"You look terrible," was all the goddess of warfare could say once she had seen the state of the two demigods. They were battered, bloodied, and drenched from head to toe.

A humorless laugh came from the girl. Thalia Grace, was it?

"That's what worries you? What about my supposed loving father who just tried to blast me with a damn lightning bolt?"

"We're here to help, Thalia." Artemis said softly, her expression a mix between sadness, pure loathing, and disgust. "Zeus will never stop being such an ignorant fool, it seems."

The female demigod pondered on this for a few seconds before lugging her backpack onto the open cabinet right beside her.

"We're only staying the night. I don't suppose that you've got someplace safe for us to go to?"

Artemis stiffened slightly, glancing briefly at Athena for reassurance. The other goddess gave a stiff nod in response.

"We might have a place in mind. It is, aside from Alaska, one of the places wherein us Greek and Roman gods do not have any control over."

"In America?" Thalia asked, her eyebrows raised. "That's new,"

"Child, there are many things that you do not wish to know." Athena said, frowning. Like Boston, she almost let slip, but decided against it. These two have enough burdens to carry; she shouldn't add any load on their shoulders.

Jason pondered on this for a few seconds, his eyes narrowed slightly. "What—do you mean Brooklyn?"

"Yes, sadly. I take it that Percy and Annabeth had told the story of their encounter with the Kanes?"

"The canes? You mean like those weird rods that old people and those with injuries and disabilities use?" Thalia asked, confused. "Why would Percy and Annabeth ever want to talk about their experience with sticks from Brooklyn?"

"No, no." Athena said with a heartily laugh, a smile tugging at her lips. "You misunderstand—" she abruptly paused, tilting her head to one side, as if she were listening to something.

"But, it seems like our final guests for the afternoon have finally arrived. Perseus can retell the story, if he wishes to, and I suspect Nico di Angelo will arrive shortly after."

"What about Hazel?" Jason asked immediately, suddenly worried. Hazel had been something like a younger sister to him ever since the war ended—even if she was technically supposed to be way older than him - since all he ever had was Thalia, who was his older immortal sister for the time being. "Will she be okay?"

"She's already being guided to the Twenty First Nome," Artemis said, her eyebrows knit together in slight confusion. "Why is the jackal taking her there? We haven't even spoken to the heads of that house,"

"The gnome?" Jason demanded, looking terrified. "Gnomes exist? Why in Jupiter is Hazel being brought to a gnome? And what are you saying about a jackal leading her there? That could be dangerous - it could attack her, for all we know!"

"Nome, Jason. N-o-m-e. Nome," Athena said, looking disgruntled. "Even if those tiny ugly little garden gnomes do exist, we wouldn't dare send a demigod anywhere near it,"

"The jackal is a god," Artemis snorted. "He won't attack her,"

"What—?" the demigod daughter of Zeus asked, but quickly caught herself before she could continue the question. Thalia decided to give up on trying to understand what they were talking about and headed for the small sofa placed right in front of the blazing fireplace. She shrugged off her drenched parka and place it on the chair to dry.

"Well," Thalia said, feigning enthusiasm as she clapped her hands together. "Why don't we get to the part where you two lovely goddesses from Olympus explain everything to me—I mean, us. What in Hades do gnomes and canes and jackals have to do with all of this?"

"I'm afraid that it has everything to do with this, Thalia." the goddess of hunting said simply with a small glint in her eyes. "I guess we should just start from the beginning, shall we?"