Thalia's POV (thirty years later)

We were stalking the Manticore as it crashed through the underbrush in a hurry. I really didn't understand how monsters keep on getting out of the pit. It's been thirty years and nothing has even given us a clue as to why or how.

Anyways I looked around at my sisters and they all looked tense. The manticore was slowing down now. It skid to a stop smelling the air and then turned around quicker than lightning. I barely got a chance to make out it's horrified face before it's entire figure was blocked by a giant wolf looking like it came from the Depths of Hell.

We all circled around to get a good look at what was happening: Artemis went to the North position with a frown, Phoebe and I went to the west able to see both of the monsters, Atlanta and some of the younger ones went to the East and the rest stayed where they were.

"Why is the manticore afraid of it" Phoebe whispered and my silence was her only answer, telling her that I didn't know the reason myself.

"Do you know why I am here manticore?" The wolf said circling the monster who was shivering in fear before it.

"I-I ran," it said and we all shifted uncomfortably. What could it possibly be running from other than us?

"And why did you run?" The wolf started to shrink and a man no older than eighteen continued circling it. He had all sorts of weapons on his person. I could only see the knives on his belt, the pair of swords on his back, and the claws of his hands. I guessed that there were probably more weapons hidden somewhere we couldn't see. He had silver hair with red and black highlights in it, but the thing that confused me the most, other than that seemingly familiar voice, was the chains rattling like a ghost I couldn't see. 

"Because-because I was scared," that caused all of us to flinch, I even saw Artemis grit her teeth and pull out an arrow in anger. It wasn't scared of us when we hunted it? What's scarier than us?

"Scared of what he might do when he found me." The sound of metal sliding against a sheathe reverberated through he forest, and the Manticore shivered, now whimpering in fear.

"Normally I would have to chain you up and drag you back there myself, but father said that I get to kill the first few hundred monsters that I was given to hunt." He said, and I shook my head. Why was his voice so familiar? It stirred something in me that seemed so familiar, something only Perseus, the former savior of Olympus could do before—.

"I need to see his face," I said looking over to my mistress, and Artemis looked at me nodding and moving to change places with me. I quietly made my way down and around trees before climbing up her tree and I finally saw his face. It looked so much like Percy's, but that was impossible, surely he was sent to the Underworld and then led to the Fields of Asphodel by now due to their mistake, right?

There was a sound like chains and suddenly , as he reached up to grab his blades, a pair of identical chains slithered out of his sleeves and wrapped around his now visible arms. He started to get covered in a sort of black battle-suit, glowing red with streaks of silver in it.

He crossed his blades before the Manticore's neck and it did nothing to try and fight back. It just stood there shivering in fear, and I watched in shock as it closed its eyes and waited for its fate. He started to radiate a power that rivaled Artemis' and he spoke again.

"By order of Tartarus, and as his champion, I sentence you to a quick and painless death. Should you not fight back or misbehave you are to be en-prisoned in the Arena for ten Tartarus Years and then freed. How do you plead?"

"Just get it over with," the Manticore said and there was a flash before his swords were in their sheathes once again. He had shifted just as quickly and was now turning to walk off. I looked at Artemis to see she was as confused as I was. There was a dull thump and I looked back and saw the Manticore's head on the ground, the monsters body quickly turning to dust.

Artemis was holding Phoebe back by her arms as she hissed a bunch of curses at the Wolf for taking their kill. It stopped and looked in their direction and something seemed to snap in Phoebe. She broke out of a shocked Goddess' grip and pulled out an arrow. Not a second later, there was an arrow in the air heading towards the wolf's head.

He shifted faster than we could see and stepped to the side. The arrow hit a tree behind him and he looked around for a moment before spotting Phoebe and grinning. Artemis gasped as she saw something in it and after a moment I saw it too. His eyes, those sea green orbs were embedded into our memories, that grin, lopsided and teasing. Though now it has turned deadly with a hit of malicious intent.

"Percy," Artemis breathed and he shifted again still grinning.

"I told you I'd be back," He said before disappearing in a flash of red light. I dropped my bow in shock, as had Artemis and then a blood-lustful Aura surrounded her and she ordered us all to grab one another's hands. Artemis flashed us to Olympus and took everyone attention immediately.

I saw the others already in their seats and as Artemis' aura got their attention I marched up to my father pointing a finger at him accusingly.

"What did you do to him?!" I yelled and he looked above me confused.

"On our hunt for the Manticore we saw Percy, but he was a werewolf," I heard Artemis said plainly behind me and Zeus made an 'oh' look.

"I-we might've cursed him and turned him into a werewolf to spend eternity in Tartarus as a monster," My father said and I punched his leg in anger, my fist sparking with electricity. He grunted but otherwise didn't show any pain, even though I knew that I had hurt him, and probably pretty badly too.

"But he's not just some monster. He can come and go as he pleases. I don't know what happened to him down there but he's at the top of their caste now, and with Annabeth down there looking for him. She woke up nearly ten  years ago now and none of us have heard from her!" I roared and Athena looked away, ashamed.

"I never thought she would actually go back down for him," she said and I saw a tear drop from her eye.

"Oh yeah, Percy's Tartarus' freaking champion. He's blessed by him, father, and now he hated all of us. Because of you." I said and punched his leg twice more before Artemis dragged me away. Her aura turning into a calming one and trying to change my mind about trying to kill every god and goddess sitting in those chairs.

"What should we do about this Mistress?" Phoebe said and Artemis couldn't speak up. She was in too much shock to speak.

"When you find him again bring him here—" Zeus started.

"What so you can kill me again?" I heard a low chuckle coming from the dark corner of the throne room, as Percy stepped out from the shadows, "No thanks."

Thanks for reading

Revised: 2-28-22