5,089All Rights Belong to Rick Riordan
I Guess This Isn't So Bad
(Thalia)
Despite the fact that I was soaking wet kneeling on the muddy floor, I had never felt so good as I did right now. Sure, even before when I had first become a hunter, I had almost instantly noticed that her blessing somewhat gave us a level of protection from heat and cold. After all there was a reason the hunters of old were quite content to wear Chitons in all seasons. Even now we only generally wore the silver parka jackets because they were convenient and had storage options but that was getting off tangent.
I felt stronger, I could hear better, my vision was better...
Which meant I could look at the faces the two divines in front of me were making and know with greater fidelity that something about me must have clearly changed as well.
Was it bad to say that the first thing I did was cup my hands to my chest?
"You can relax on that front Pinecone Head; they are still definitely there." Percy said rolling his eyes as I lowered my hands back to the ground before pushing myself back to my feet. Using the Titan Lord as an impromptu measuring device and the fact I still had to tilt my head back, I could tell I was not any taller.
"Ok I know something is different what is it?" I asked deciding that it was easier and faster.
"I made a mistake, and you are a man now." Harmony said simply.
"Whattttt!"
"Your face then was hilarious." The goddess said laughing as I quickly realised that she was joking. Only after one hand was already halfway inside my skirt.
How did I fall for that when I had quite literally just checked my cleavage.
"Ok that was actually pretty funny." Percy added smirking even as I slowly removed said hand from my undies.
"Your eyes are different." Zoe answered seriously even as Harmony waved her hand and a veil of water appeared in front of me before becoming a mirror, reflecting my visage back to me. The new silver addition to my eyes being unmissable, now considering my appearance had already changed quite significantly once in the last week already. I actually found this to be much more of a striking difference despite it being so much more subdued than the last one.
People naturally age up but very rarely do your eyes change, especially to an unnatural colour. If anything, the only people I knew that did experience this were both in front of me.
"I guess it is lucky we appear the same age now or else someone might think you were my mom." I joked even as the goddess glared back at me with her own mixed metallic eyes.
"I wouldn't worry about that; she has already been called a MILF prematurely by some of the kids at camp." Percy teased earning a glare from his fiancée.
"So... What does this mean then?" I asked changing the subject before Harmony used this as an opportunity to do what she did best.
"Hades if I know. I am still working out my own issues let alone whatever has changed with you. Next time just use the normal oath, like a normal person." Harmony decried waving off the matter for the time being.
"Better idea, there won't be a next time. No more of these part time shenanigans." She said before sitting upright with the remaining diadem on her lap.
Taking a knee in front of her I bowed allowing her to place it upon my head. As soon as she touched me any sign of moisture on me instantly disappeared.
"This time try to keep it there for a bit longer. I want at least a good millennia before I hear any complaints from the pair of you." Harmony teased before rising to her feet. To my right Zoe walked back over so that she too was in front of the goddess.
"I thought you said we were allowed to complain if you were being an idiot." I asked causing the goddess to smile before suddenly the two of us were embraced by the taller woman.
"Stop ruining this." Harmony said playfully into my ear before slowly releasing us both.
To my side the demi-Titan was herself was frozen seemingly in a state of shock.
"Now then with that out of the way, I trust I can leave our small discipline trouble in your capable hands?" Harmony said returning to her seat and lifting her left leg over her right.
"You want this or me?" I asked Zoe. Afterall Delia was her friend.
"She is one of yours, feel free." Zoe responded almost jovially. Crap she was right, Tania was always going to be my problem. Technically speaking she only had herself, Reyna and Suzie to deal with currently.
Slowly I began to walk towards the still frozen figure of the daughter of War, it was only when I was a few feet away that I could see the panicked eye movements and knew that she had remained conscious of everything that had happened.
"Heeeeey Tania. You've been a real bitch recently." I told all the while grinning before Harmony released her control over the girl.
"Lady Harmony, I'm sorry, I-" Tania began getting to her knees and bowing her head almost to the floor.
"It is not that easy Tania!" Harmony cut in; her tone of voice serious.
"You insult and ridicule your fellow hunters; you offend our guests, and you besmirch the name of the goddess. Did you really think it would be that easy? This is hardly your first offense, is it?" I told her whilst looking down at her pathetic attempt at submission.
"Fortunately for you. We have come up with an appropriate punishment for you. One that will hopefully teach you some humility." I told her causing her to lift her head up and look into my face.
"Now unless you want to go with Harmony's option. I suggest you hurry off now to gather your gear because you are going to need it. You have two minutes, off you go." I told her before she silently scrambled off the floor and towards her tent. Looking across to the three onlookers I wordlessly shrugged before slowly walking after her. Might as well put the fear of the goddess in her as she hurriedly retrieved her belongings.
(Zoe)
As I watched my now 'fellow' Lieutenant stalk after the panicked Greek girl, I let out a deep sigh that things had to come to this.
The more relaxed nature of the present hunt had its own benefits and costs. We had some very conflicting personalities amongst the group after all and not all of those would willingly react in the same way to every situation. This was reflected in the extremely varied combat styles of the different members. Sure, when it came to ranged everyone was seemingly on the same page, the recent war game had shown that. There was the obvious differences in skill due to experience but that was to be expected and could be corrected with training. But in close quarters everyone was wildly different, I was certainly no different now.
From the last time I had been Lieutenant where anything, but the use of dual knives was an extreme rarity to now. Where swords, spears and even shields were actually not uncommon choices at all. Hades, Thalia had all of them on her at all times. I guess it could even be argued that I was more dangerous without a weapon than with one.
But all of that was still completely useless against the two nearby immortals.
Percy alone was the equivalent of multiple Titan Lords rolled into one. However, even he was nothing compared to the goddess that Artemis had become.
That was why I had previously refused to reaccept the diadem. This hunt was different to the one I had known in almost every way. Yet despite its newfound identity crisis, there was still an underlying premise that made us who we were back then. A sense of family that could not be easily replicated.
Sure, we had some problematic members that made us want to slap some sense into them. When they clearly seemed to have a drastic deficiency of brain power and logic to their actions. But even then, I didn't want anything drastic to happen to the girl any more than Thalia did.
She just needed to be reminded of the simple fact the group existed to serve the goddess.
We had all of the blessings given to us because of the goddess.
Otherwise, why would every divine not just go around blessing their kids with immortality?
It was actually surprising that Artemis or Harmony was still permitted to take additional hunters considering the fact that she was clearly capable of having children now. That had kind of been the point of our foundation in the first place, she had sworn not to have any and so we had acted as 'her own'.
Perhaps what we had discussed away from her was the truth that her daughter would become the new patron of the group going forward. Would that then result in a third distinct group of Hunters? Those that would be sworn to her.
"Are you ok?" Harmony asked seemingly concerned breaking me out of my thoughts as I looked at the goddess.
"Just thinking Milady, today has been so chaotic. Not like how it used to be in the past... Not that it doesn't have its charms now, of course." I swiftly added, much as I might have preferred the calm normality of those days. I was pretty certain the goddess did not, considering recent revelations of why it had been that way.
"Maybe so. Still probably a good time to remember that it is not even lunch time yet." Harmony commented with a slight smile even as Tania appeared back into view with Thalia right behind her.
"Right then. Tania as punishment for being so rude to our guests and for belittling their struggles. You are going to be living the next few weeks in their shoes." Harmony told her walking over to towards the almost terrified girl. To be fair I could not blame the daughter of Ares for panicking, there were not many gods who wouldn't be getting stared down by the 'pseudo' primordial goddess.
All this despite the fact that Percy elicited a small chuckle at the word shoes, likely because of the fact that neither Delia nor Aika had been or were capable of doing so.
"Now as much as I could be tempted to leave you there for two thousand years. Even I could acknowledge that would be a little harsh. However, you will be calling that island home for the next month. Fortunately, you seem very sure of your abilities and Aika has dealt with all the horrible things that live there. So, I shall not be expecting to many problems. Am I being clear?" She finished whilst folding her arms.
In front of her Tania seemed to sigh simultaneously in relief and grim acceptance.
"Yes Milady." She muttered looking up from the floor and into the goddess's face.
"Good... Percy if you would kindly." Harmony said before turning to look at her Fiancé who truth be told looked like he wanted to go nowhere near the demigod. Still a request from Harmony was not easily ignored no matter who you were. It was almost amusing to watch the slow trudge of his footsteps from her side to the hunters. Neither wanting to look at each other even as he gingerly put a hand on her shoulder causing her to flinch away from the touch.
"Tania. Grow up... It is not like he can get you pregnant by touch alone." Harmony added playfully as all eyes glared at her before letting out a collective sigh.
After a few uncomfortable seconds of the two divines looking at each. Percy would end up rolling his eyes as Harmony smiled mischievously clearly showing that the two were talking mentally between one another again.
"Have you got everything you need? You won't be coming back for a while." Percy sincerely asked the girl next to him. Her lip briefly quibbled as if to say something before instead she merely chose to nod her head in affirmation.
"I suggest you use this time to reflect upon your actions and attitude. I cannot afford to have one inflexible obstruction at such an important time of change in the Hunt. You may have your reasons for hating men and even sons of Poseidon in particular, you are free to continue to have such prejudices for all I care. But know this Percy is not going to be going away. Nothing you ever do or say will change that and the faster you understand that will be the time your luck begins to improve." Harmony admonished leaning forward, her expression suddenly stern. The frown looking out of place on her beautiful face as heterochromatic eyes narrowed.
"Ye-ye-yes milady." Tania stuttered before Percy silently gestured for us to look away as the pair disappeared from the island into shadows. For a very brief second the others appeared to move a little before freezing once again as Harmony's golden eye glowed again.
"I will let him give her the good news." Harmony said with a satisfied chuckle as Zoe and I both looked back at her.
"Milady?" Zoe asked almost worried for the other girl.
"Just a little test for her at the end, otherwise she may need to stay there for a while longer. She wants to claim that she is better than someone, then she needs to put that to the test and prove it." Harmony explained interlocking her fingers and stretching her arms toward the sky.
"A little cruel almost but somewhat logical. I take it that was what Percy reluctantly agreed to when you were talking between you a short while ago." Zoe asked.
"To be honest I thought it was something lewd like usual. But that makes more sense." I remarked playfully as the goddess simply smiled.
'Who knows MY Lieutenant. Which of us is more desperate to finish dealing with this shitshow and get back to our tent along with our lover?' Her voice asked sultrily inside my head as I struggled to maintain a straight face. The fact that she always knew everything Reyna and I did was so embarrassing to consider.
"Anyway. How are we going to explain all of what just happened to the others?" I asked rapidly changing the subject.
"Don't look at me, you two are the ones who came up with her punishment. Time to earn that silverware on your heads. Besides I must go deal with Delia herself." The goddess teased summoning a glass of wine before seemingly reconsidering as it disappeared just as quickly.
"Just try to keep them all calm and get them to take a break for the time being. Percy won't be long either not because he won't try to help her but because she won't allow it."
"You're timewasting Milady." Zoe said bluntly causing the goddess to begrudgingly nod before suddenly taking to her feet and running in the direction the nymph had left earlier. It was probably time further time wasting on her part. But to be honest I was more surprised to see the arguably most athletic goddess, doing some physical exercise for once.
I mean sure, she was clearly capable of superhuman feats, but when outside of combat or the few times she chose to contribute to a group hunt. She would just be incredibly lethargic and lazy and lie around all day... Well, that was unless a certain Titan Lord was involved.
"So then do you feel like taking the lead here?" I asked Zoe nervously before immediately realising that I too trying to avoid the responsibility that I literally had just accepted.
"Actually, leave it to me, a lot of this is my fault. Just keep an eye on Aika, there is no telling how she will react to any of this." I told her with a sigh.
"Will do, besides I think a lot of them will be distracted by your eyes once they notice." She told me before walking across to the side of the monster girl.
"Harmony we're ready." I said aloud trusting that the goddess was still paying attention to us and sure enough a few seconds later all hades broke loose.
(Percy)
My second trip to the mysterious island was significantly worse than the first. Now that the sun had risen the forest had become incredibly humid which probably happily suited the Lamia.
Worse by far however was my present company on this occasion. I had traded the love of my life for a massively annoying discounted version of Clarisse. worse than that, one who had never gotten past she hates my guts phase.
Yet even so, I did not just dump her off and get out of there, like a lot of people would have no doubt done in my situation.
Because as miserable as I was in this situation, the silver garbed girl had it so much worse. Afterall, at least I knew what I was going to be eating later. Both literally and in the metaphorical sense. Dearest gods, Harmony could deliver both have the raunchiest mental statements to me at the same time as having a somewhat flat conversation with the two newly re-promoted Lieutenants. All the while I had to stand there and try and keep a straight face.
Anyway, ignoring my evening plans for the time being and focusing on the far less attractive and much less likely to be enjoying her evening, silver garbed girl nearby. Already she was showing signs of the humidity bothering her and causing sweat to appear on her brow.
"Are you going to be, ok?" I asked simply only to be glared at by the girl.
"Like you give a fuck." She said bitterly before looking away.
"I think the fact that I am standing here still goes to show that I quite clearly do. Unlike perhaps my counterpart who would have probably thrown you from twenty feet in the air and left you to fend for yourself. Instead, I am once again willingly putting up with your abuse because I swore an oath to protect the Hunters and as begrudging as you find it. THAT. INCLUDES. YOU." I told her slowly and bluntly.
"Sure. Because exiling me off to who knows where is making me feel all safe and secure." She said sarcastically kicking a fallen branch into a nearby bush.
"First of all, no I did not. Zoe and Thalia came up with this idea and Harmony in turn agreed to it. Here is the thing that you have never understood clearly, I deliberately choose not to get involved in hunt politics unless someone drags me into it. Believe it or not, ironically that someone is normally you. I don't choose where we go, what training you do or even what time you go to bed. None of that is my concern, I am here for all your safeties and because of my relationship with the goddess. Which as a reminder only began because your actions in trying to KILL ME instigated it." I lambasted causing her to sneer in annoyance.
"Or tell me this then. Am I supposed to think that your hurt feelings about my presence are worth more than all the good that I have accomplished here. The family that I have been blessed to have gained. When I arrived at that camp for the first time, I had nothing but PTSD, severe mental trauma and power. I had tried unsuccessfully to kill myself a dozen or more times, but fate always said no to my attempts. Then sure enough I found myself have a connection to a now obviously and equally broken goddess and we became closer as we helped each other with our issues. Yet still the only thing that we were ever truly worried about was you, the hunters. For months we worried about your reactions upon finding out. The others have moved on with their lives and come to accept it, so why don't you do everyone a favour and get with the programme. I would give my life to protect any of you, all I ask is that you respect that life as I continue to live it." I told attempting to keep as calm as possible despite my frustration with the silently brooding girl.
"Tania I am sorry for what happened to your family, I really am."
"Don't you dare talk about them!" She screamed back at me.
"However, I am no more responsible for his actions than you are for Phobos and Deimos's. Do you know how many of my own siblings I have been forced to fight and kill, since I was only thirteen years old?"
"Well, it should have been one more." She said bitterly.
"I was a merely a talented child back then Tania. Stop trying to equate what I can do now with what was possible back then. I was only slightly older than you when I fought against the Titans."
"Then you joined them." She muttered.
"I didn't get much of a say in it to be honest. If I didn't everyone would have died. But that is not the point. I am one person or rather was I guess; I cannot carry an entire pantheon on my own. Especially not when half of it actively opposes me at every chance. However, I am doing what I can as fast as I can. Aside from the obvious wars, I have been busy stopping demigods from being abandoned and getting them claimed, reconciling the Greeks and Romans, peace between Olympus and Orthrys, brokering arrangements between the two Camps, Amazons and the Hunt. I have been a little preoccupied over the last two years." I told her bluntly before slouching against the tree beside me.
"All of that while being an unintentional high school dropout because some genius goddess decided that it would make perfect sense to kidnap me for several months until she thought now would be a good time to dump me off with a talking wolf and no memories. Oh right, that was your grandmother. It was during that period that you experienced your own tragedy. Even if I had been aware of what that long lost brother of mine was doing, there was literally nothing I could have done about it. So would you kindly Stop. Blaming. Me." I finished angrily as the two of us glared at each other.
"Fine." She said quickly and bluntly catching me off guard. I was sure that it was going to take at least two weeks of isolation before she got to this stage.
"Err. OK then, let's get you acquainted with the island." I said changing the subject for the time being as the girl leaned down and grabbed her pack.
"How about starting with somewhere not so damned hot." The girl complained and for probably the first time in both our lives we agreed on something.
(Harmony)
Sure, unlike the other girls Delia had deliberately not been frozen and the proceedings in the camp had not exactly been quick but even I was surprised to find how far the girl had managed to get. Fortunately, this being an island meant that eventually I found her on the western shoreline looking out solemnly to sea.
"I am grateful that you have come milady." Delia said before turning toward me, I had expected to find her angry or even upset but instead her expression was merely that of resignation.
"Listen about Tania it has been dealt with..."
"It matters little, she was correct was she not? I am no longer your Lieutenant and nor can I ever be again. I am not like Zoe or Thalia or even Britomartis. I am sure you have not forgotten that we were both born upon this island, it was upon this very shore that I first discovered your pregnant mother after all. However, unlike me from the day of your birth you were always free to leave this place and never look back." She said interrupting me mid-sentence for the first time since we had known one another catching me of guard almost as much as her casually naming her predecessor when no other Hunter could do so.
"That is not true, you too were able to leave. Those years we travelled together were proof of that."
"And I am grateful for those times, but to spend centuries isolated away from this way with no way to return was maddening. It was a sensation that would gnaw away at my mind urging me to return even though it was clearly impossible for me to do so. I am a part of this place as much as it defines who I am. An almost dead land narrowly holding onto what little life it can. Nothing will change that." The redhead said sombrely.
"I was able to fix your injuries, I can probably do the same with this place!"
"You mustn't! Who is to say that instead you will simply not activate Hera's curse again and kill everyone currently on the island?" Delia said panicked as I swiftly considered the feasibility of her words, some things were simply set in stone and fate as 'events'. Case in point that time when Percy had undone his own 'full divinity' to help with Marina. After a certain amount of time sure enough he had reverted to his new 'normal'. Sure, enough there was potential for me to instead of removing the curse instead doom all the hunters to suffer through it.
'See Percy, I can consider when using these powers.' I thought almost smugly to myself. Conveniently ignoring the fact that Delia had been the reason I chose to consider the repercussions in the first place.
"Finally, and most importantly Milady, I cannot accompany you to your new homeland. Olympus has moved beyond the great western ocean past the Pillars of Heracles. I was never able to travel further than Thrace without suffering greatly." She explained and whilst I knew it was painfully true, to hear it from her was much worse.
Still for a moment at least Delia had suddenly got distracted by the sight of a mortal jet plane high above. I could understand her fascination with the small white object soaring across the sky. Sure, you would never find me inside one under any circumstances not because I could now fly or because I had the Moon Chariot prior to that but instead because I did not trust my father under any circumstances.
However, if you somehow managed to get me on that British Airways plane up there and Zeus did behave. There was a good chance I would be able to get off at the other end of the journey, Delia would not be so lucky. At the speed of that jetliner, she would be dead within an hour.
"You are right, of course as much as it pains me to admit. I cannot remain here forever, and you could never leave. I learned that the hard way with the rest of your sisters when Olympus first moved to Rome. Some chose to remain with me to the bitter end, others I was forced to leave behind. Each one of them... I barely batted an eyelid at." I said bluntly, mentally cursing my own emotionless state back then.
Back then when we were the predominant religion of the region, I had no shortage of worshippers and aspirants willing to join our ranks. EVERY young girl in the Republic and later Empire prayed to me. I became both filthy rich and I could freely choose whoever I wanted, for a time at least. Until the eventual supplementation of Christianity over us gods forced me to revert back from Diana to Artemis and I returned to solely recruiting Greek Demigod girls.
"But you were different. You were special to me in a way the others could never be. From the day I was born I owed you a debt I could never repay. In our births. Apollo and I took everything from you, your sisters, your way of life, your autonomy to do as you wished. Yet you chose to stay at my side, no matter what I did. Even when my actions were outright stupid. You of all people consoled me after Hera defeated me, despite the fact my actions were to me at least were done in your name. From mere hours after my birth and for centuries to come I had to two constants that never changed once even mother was 'imprisoned'. An annoyance for a younger twin brother and you. Then one day you were suddenly gone, and I had no explanation for what had happened to you. After that I gave up on attachment to others, what was the point of doing so?" I admitted openly, genuinely feeling sorrowful for all the stupid shit I had done for the last two thousand years. What I had put those around me through even if it was not my intention to do so, Afterall I had apparently not even had intentions at all.
"My disappearance was not your fault my goddess. Never once did I blame you for what happened on that island. I lost my sisters and homeland to Hera's wrath, but your blessing kept me going and gave me what I needed to see my daughter grow up. I may have been your Lieutenant and history may only record that fact, but Aika is my true legacy, and I would not trade that girl for anything. So, you do not need be saddened, for very soon you too will realise what I mean." She said optimistically even as began to shed a few silver tears.
I had come out here to comfort her and yet I was the one on the brink of sobbing.
"Lady Leto your daughter may have grown up at last, but she is still a little girl at heart." Delia said almost playfully before I found the significantly shorter girls arms wrapped around my abdomen in an embrace.
"Th-ank... you." I stuttered out eventually looping my own arms over the head of the tiny older nymph, so they crossed by her shoulders.
"No problem, I have had plenty of practise. Take as much time as you need. I am not going anywhere anytime soon."
(Thalia)
Back at the camp, the initial commotion had settled down and things were finally back under control.
Or as under control as having a silently simmering twenty-foot-long half-naked snake girl nearby could be. However, even Aika could clearly tell that the even larger armour-plated golden lioness across from her was just waiting for her to do something foolish.
Besides the comparatively smaller next to her wearing her own diadem was doing her best to explain what was happening in her own native language.
Instead of a monster I got to explain to a dozen outright terrors why one of them was in temporary 'exile'.
Which lasted about a minute because everyone apparently saw the freight train of repercussions heading directly towards her and had long since given in to morbid curiosity about wondering what it would eventually look like.
No sooner had I finished explaining that she would be gone for the next month was I being petitioned by Jacqueline and Marina that could they now share a tent seeing as Jacqueline wouldn't be sharing with Tania anymore. Looking at two pairs of puppy eyes from the youngest hunters I found myself unable to turn down the idea.
All of that before I had even gotten to explain the obvious fact that there were now two of us wearing the diadem.
This took a little more time as certain people (Atlanta) futilely protested that she wanted Zoe to be her Lieutenant. While this was almost somewhat hurtful it was also understandable considering their long history together.
Reyna seemed to take the entire thing as quite an amusing turn of events, asking if that meant she could ignore everything I said. Causing the twins in turn to pipe up about them both being told to do different things.
"First of all, there are a grand total of two Huntresses at present, so don't get two worried there is going to be some massive rift in ideologies and orders going on. It is in mine and Zoe's and therefore your best interests that everyone gets along, for the first-time in... well ever. We can make the goddess listen to our opinion on an issue and maybe get what we want." I said optimistically tapping my fingers together making a cage as suddenly everyone started whispering amongst themselves.
"I want Heracles in a tutu dancing for me." Zoe shouted across interrupting everyone as they began to laugh. Even Nemea seemed to let out a quiet roar of approval.
"To be fair. Between Harmony and Percy that is not exactly a hard thing to force is it?" Erika commented in between laughing.
"I am pretty sure at this point, Zoe could strong arm him into doing it. I haven't seen him throw any elephants around recently." Reyna remarked looking across at 'her' Lieutenant.
"Flattery will not get you anywhere with me." The demi-Titan told her rolling her eyes.
"Oh, that's a shame, it works great with Thalia." Reyna said smiling as I stared back at my secret lover in horror. Thankfully the others just took it for a joke.
"I find it is always best to stroke the egos of Zeus and his children. Otherwise, they are prone to throwing a tantrum." Percy suddenly said from behind me even as thunder boomed from the west.
"Blah-blah get over yourself. What are you going to do about it?" Percy said defiantly and sure enough there was no follow up.
"So, she didn't kill you then?" I asked with amusement.
"Nah, not sure about what she is going to do to you two though when she gets back." He said laughing as I finally turned around to look at him and found myself silently staring.
I wasn't sure if the sweat was due to exertion or heat or what, but it was causing the Titans shirt to suction onto his body and not let go. The clearly defined muscles on his upper body visible for the first time as he was missing his usual obscuring coat. Combined with his rugged good looks and not for the first time I was very jealous of my sister.
Just in time for the goddess to suddenly appear in front of all of us, with my diminutive predecessor beside her. The sight of whom caused about eight feet of scaly tail to repeatedly slam off the arid camp floor.
"So anyway, I am going to go and clean up." Percy said while pulling the soaked garment away from his neck.
"And what would be the point of that? You are only going to end up the same as soon as I am done here." Harmony responded immediately in a sultry tone only to instantly realise she had said the quiet part out loud as everyone stared at her and the Titan Lord could be seen facepalming out of the corner of my eye.
"Anyway, who noticed that Thalia has silver eyes now?" The now crimson faced goddess suddenly announced before disappearing into shadows leaving everyone suddenly staring at me, looking for the reported change in appearance.
"Thanks sis." I muttered in annoyance pinching my nose before turning towards the Titan only to find he was already gone.
'Hey, I want to get laid too.' I mentally protested before turning back to the group in front of me.
"So, does anyone here think they are going to be back today?" Phoebe asked rhetorically.
"Screw that, when the hell did, he get so ripped. Damn." Suzie demanded not even trying to hide it.
"Think about it, how many chances has he had to work out recently. Then think about what Harmony just blurted out and do the math." Atlanta answered for her.
"What is going on?" A confused redhead asked in Greek from the middle of everyone as I let out a scream of frustration.
(Percy)
"So-so-how did it- go with Delia?" I asked between panting breaths as I looked down at the goddess who was currently laying on my chest.
For the first time since the pair of us had returned to her temple on Olympus, I had gotten a chance to use my mouth for one of its intended purposes. Not that it hadn't been unused.
"Better than expected, I guess. She already understands the reality of her situation." The goddess answered raising her head up and resting her chin on me. Her silver eye obscured by her hair but the golden one still gleamed mischievously. An expression further reinforced by the actions of her hidden arm.
"So do you still want to recruit Aika then?" I asked before biting my lip at Harmony's actions.
"I do, but I am not going to force anything. That is for the two of them to decide. The Hunt is a voluntary group after all, I expect that Zoe will do a more than good enough job of staking our sales pitch." She proclaimed before finally letting go of me, much to my relief. Short lived as it was before she simply pushed herself upright and instead was now straddling my waist. Instead of her hand, I now had to deal with her perfectly shaped derriere rubbing against me.
"You don't think there is going to be any issues with the two of them?" I asked curiously even as my own hands subconsciously slid up her smooth thighs, hips before finally stopping with my thumbs just slightly enveloped under her voluptuous bust.
"Of course, as different as the two of them are. They are the best for the role, why else would I pick them?" She asked her tone confident despite the almost whispered volume she said it as she leaned forward so her face was directly over mine.
"Well nepotism probably could have had something to do with it. But there is no precedent of that in your appointments is there?" I said playfully even as I leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips before suddenly, I was aggressively pushed down into the mattress.
Though the auburn cage cascading down around me did a decent job of blocking out my surroundings, my attention was solely focused on the glowing silver and gold orbs looking down at me.
"Hehe I'm in danger." I chuckled nervously.
To answer Phoebe's earlier question... No, we would not.
(Thalia)
Despite the complete lack of divine oversight from the absentee couple, over the course of a few hours we had finally gotten everything resolved and organised around the campsite.
Zoe was thankfully acting as Delia's personal guide/interpreter/friend. Everywhere the nymph went the Lamia slithered just behind.
Thankfully at least, we had managed to get the snake girl to put on a t-shirt despite her initial unwillingness to do so. But after Delia had offered to trade out her old chiton and instead try the new modern hunter's regalia, Aika had suddenly had a change of opinion and had finally covered up.
Which meant I could finally and thankfully stop staring at swinging snake girl boobs constantly. The old me would have been angry at the sight but now I could think to myself with smug superiority.
As adorable as the tiny figure of Delia was in our outfit, her hair contrasting sharply with the silver. She had still almost instantly decided that she disliked the sneakers and tights and instead returned to her previous sandals and bare legs.
Not that anyone could fault her or blame her for this. Most of us had shed various bits of our usual attire while we were on the island. With it over the last few hours becoming clear that the two lovers were not going to be back, half the girls had elected to go to the beach anyway.
As the voice of reason and authority and not because it offered an opportunity to mentally drool over Reyna in a tight one-piece swimsuit. I had naturally decided to accompany them.
Of course, with the sudden realisation that I had gained a physical mutation that everyone else did not have. I had played defence to a whole horde of questions about what did it mean? Questions that I certainly did not have definitive answers to.
I did however know that my vision was significantly better, I was able to read the clothes brands and logos from some of the other's attire from almost a hundred yards away with no difficulty whatsoever.
Or to admire the fine subtleties of Reyna's skin from about 8 feet away. The exquisite way her flesh bulged just a little where the swimsuit ended on her backside...
"If you keep staring, I am going to have to ask MY Lieutenant to get a restraining order." Reyna said playfully pulling her sunglasses down her nose to look at me directly.
"You knew what you were doing when you put that on."
"Just like you know that you have got those tan lines for all of eternity now right." Reyna countered as I suddenly looked down at myself only for her to laugh.
"Relax... besides it is only me who knows they are there." She said coyly.
"What I would give for the ability to teleport us somewhere private..." I complained sighing, my frustration not helped by the almost certainty that Harmony and Percy were abusing that very ability at this moment in time.
"Get up then." Reyna said pushing herself to her feet.
"Why- What are you doing." I asked suddenly opening my eyes wide as Reyna drew a golden gladius.
"Taking your mind off it." She said confidently.
"Not dressed like that you're not." I countered having trouble on whether to decide on the gleaming blade or the sexy Hispanic girl holding it.
"Stop complaining and fight me." She again challenged before launching herself off towards me, kicking up sand.
Whilst easily able to evade her now clearly half-assed strike by rolling to the side and towards my own discarded bag. Quickly reaching inside I grabbed whatever I could.
Rising to my feet and leaping backwards I found myself holding a silver sword in one hand and a hunting knife in the other...
...and half a beaches worth of coarse sand now wedged inside my bikini.
Oh right, I was so busy drooling over Reyna I had forgotten the impracticality of my own swimsuit in a fight.
The competition swimsuit she was wearing kept everything nice and tight whilst not preventing any movement. Meanwhile I had a few bits of string holding on for dear life to some barely larger fabric patches.
"Oh shit." I muttered realising that Reyna had every advantage in this fight and by the smile on her face, she knew it.
(Zoe)
Explaining more than two thousand years of societal and technological progression to my former mentor and her monstrous daughter, was child's play compared to whatever in hades was going down on the beach.
So, I didn't even try.
Instead, the three of us merely stood on the cliff looking down at my buxom counterpart who was only a few strips of fabric away from being naked being chased around by one of my two direct underlings. Eventually resulting in a short flurry of silver and golden blades before the two of them ended up in flailing pile of limbs and laughter.
"Humans are strange." Aika finally said summarising up all our thoughts. Sure, I was technically part human at least now, but I still truthfully thought of myself more as a nymph than a Titan and certainly more than I did any human ancestry.
"To think that is seen as acceptable attire, how shameless." Delia commented watching as the two extracted themselves from their tussle and Thalia was now clearly having to cover her chest up.
'Be glad you missed the nineteen-sixties and seventies then.' I thought thankfully, despite their whole embrace nature thing. Artemis for as emotionless as she was 'hated' the hippies.
They just kept almost magically turning up near where we were set up camp. One minute we were in the back end of Appalachia with no one for fifty miles and by the following morning there was half a dozen minivans and VW lovebugs all around us.
As it actually turns out Apollo and Hermes were just repeatedly pointing the drug addled fools in our direction to amuse themselves while they themselves smoked copious quantities of pot themselves from inside the Sun Chariot looking down on it all with amusement. To no-one's surprise the pair of them had a LOT of children during this time.
But that was all beside the point. Instead, I chose to wait for the pair of them to slowly walk the path which led up the cliffside where it eventually levelled off near where were.
Even when they reappeared within our site, they failed to notice the three of us watching whispering between themselves as Thalia held her bag of belongings against her chest.
"I see you two were having fun." I said with amusement causing them both to jump and look around.
"Z-Zoe, what are you doing here?" The Greek Lieutenant stuttered out almost trying not to panic.
"Walking."
"Oh right. How's it going with the three of you?" She said seemingly calming down a little.
"Fine just determining the combat efficiency of the swimsuit versus that of a bikini. Initial testing seems to show that the bikini is clearly deficient, but results may vary against the opposite sex." I told her flatly while trying desperately not to laugh myself at the expressions the pair of them were making.
"It is nothing like that!"
"I just wanted to spar."
"Besides it is not like we have to worry about men being around."
"You know I don't care right. Besides even if our resident male was around, you would have to try and get him to take his eyes off our goddess. Now go sort yourselves out before we have supper. A hunch tells me that the two of them will not be back by then." I told the pair of them before letting out a sigh as they silently nodded and began to nervously jog back towards their shared tent.
As a final thing though, I couldn't help but notice the full right handprint on Reyna's left butt cheek.
"They smell funny." Aika commented her serpentine tongue flickering.
"Do you remember Sappho; she was becoming popular when I disappeared?" Delia asked randomly.
"Of course, I even met her when we were searching for you at the time. Though it was obviously to no avail. Why?" I answered confused.
"No reason, it just randomly came back to me." Delia answered before starting to walk again. It was sobering to see that after standing still for the last few minutes, small patches of grass and flowers had sprung up around where she had been, but now that she had moved, they were already dying.
(Thalia)
"Oh gods, that was so embarrassing." I said jumping face first onto my bed after running the whole way back from the cliff.
"I don't know, you look cute when flustered." Reyna whispered before suddenly I felt additional movement on my bed.
Quickly turning over, I found myself with my chest exposed and my arms restrained under the other girl.
"Anyone would think this was some ploy on your part to get me alone and vulnerable. After the day I am having, I am A-Okay with that." I told her laughing before she finally silenced my lips with her own.
(Delia)
As the sun began to set, the various groups of hunters began to arrive back at their campsite.
However, despite my limited introductions to most of these girls there were some notable missing individuals. Not only were the goddess and her consort still absent which according to my former pupil Zoe Nightshade was not an uncommon occurrence.
Apparently even before she changed from Artemis to her present form of Harmony and her relationship with the Titan, she was rarely around at night due to her duties as goddess of the Moon.
Having met and even known Selene personally, I had been saddened to hear of her passing into the void along with that of Helios. Someone that regrettably a young Apollo had idealised, and I guess had fittingly bequeathed his duty to.
But the divines aside there was a more glaring missing individual or rather individuals.
The 'other' Lieutenant had not been seen in several hours, as was the case with the other girl she had been with earlier. The Roman girl Rara- no Reyna. With the fact neither of us could talk directly to each other our interactions had been limited, much like with the Roman daughter of Aphrodite.
Unlike my predecessor and my successors, I had no innate divine blessings or abilities. What I did however have was a keen eye for detail and a desire to observe everything around me. I could easily deduce the problem that my underlings had experienced and fittingly work to correct them or spot traces of a prey's trail that even the very best of tracker had missed.
So, when it was that the two of them did finally appear at the same time almost an hour after the rest of us had eaten. (Modern cooking was greatly improved from what I remembered and certainly had even over the interim). The pair claiming to have fallen asleep and yet somehow, they looked even worse and more tired (albeit fully clothed at least) than they had earlier.
Combined with what Aika mentioned earlier and the two smelling of one another. It told me an obvious truth that the rest of the group was either unaware of or was willingly ignoring.
The two of them were in a relationship.
I had seen what Artemis had done to girls that went astray from their oath. (Not the fake case as with Britomartis, Zoe had kept acting strange every time I mentioned her throughout the day. She was not even able to say her name apparently. It was good to know that she at least was still doing well as a goddess.)
Regardless, I had seen the goddess outright kill, exile or transform and then hunt down girls who had broken that oath whether it be with a man, woman, divine, animal (ZEUS!). There was never any way for the offending party to keep their betrayal hidden, the goddess always knew immediately. She told us that it was so, the fear warning any other who questioned themselves.
Which meant that either I was completely wrong on my deduction or that Harmony was more than aware of the fact and was allowing it to happen.
Either way apart from my 'random' question to Zoe earlier. I would hold my tongue and let events play out. I had already started one argument amongst this group today, I did not want to cause another.
For the time being I was more than content to sit here with my back against Aika's coiled mass, eat the delicious foods that Lady Hestia provided. Engage in small talk with friends both new and old alike. Gaze up at the stars and wait to see what the next sunrise would bring.
AN. Tania got played and everyone got laid.
Next chapter I can finally bring Morganna back into the fold and everything will finally match up chronologically.
So random question I thought of while finishing this chapter. I want suggestions for a sacred animal for Arianna.
Leave your suggestions and reviews below and I will happily get back to you.