The lights were blinding when Artemis emerged from the Earth, but the laughter grew louder. Artemis had heard this laughter before; the most recent time was 60-some years ago, during the giant war. Always with taunting, and this time was no different, his voice was always what she hated most in men; arrogant, demeaning and generally egotistic.

"Just as beautiful as ever Artemis." Gration chuckled, "A little dirty but that is not going to matter."

Artemis' sight began to come back seeing Gration above her, a very common smirk on his face. He stood tall above her, 25 feet tall, muscular chest and lean arms, his only clothes, a pair of camo shorts, and his face was handsome, his skin clear and a clean jaw but an ugly emotion always visible. To Artemis he was one of the ugliest beings she had ever seen.

Artemis was not able to move arms; actually she couldn't move anything besides her head. There wasn't anything holding her down besides force, a light white aura holding her to the ground as Gration towered over her.

"Struggle all you want, you can't break through of what you are held by. Oh... and what is this?" Gration's voice began to get angry, "A ring? Artemis, you are promised to me, no one else can have you!" He was yelling now.

But then Gration smiled, "He probably hasn't touched you yet has he? That is my honor, you will be mine now and I will kill your boyfriend." He shrunk down slightly, "And now that that Jackson bastard is dead, I can finally claim what is mine."

Artemis couldn't move, she saw Gration coming at her and fear burned through her. Gration was two feet away before the deadly silence was broken by a deafening cry of pain. But to Artemis' surprise it came from her attacker, Gration was bellowing in pain before he fell over.

Then Artemis heard the voice that she missed so much, the one that answered all of her dreams. "No Gration, nobody touches my love."

Artemis suddenly felt the force holding her down vanish but before she could move she was swept up off the ground into a pair of strong arms, and looking up she saw the face of Percy Jackson looking down at her with affection in his eyes, but there was something different.

Artemis reached her hand up, brushing his cheek, "Percy... What happened to you?"

Percy chuckled, "The energy drain may have changed my appearance."

"Percy! You're 40!"Artemis exclaimed, running her hand through his now lightly salt and peppered hair.

"Well my energy is a little low, I am sorry if you are displeased by it. I thought it was good to appear older than my son, he said it was weird to be trained by someone who looked the same age as him and still call him dad." Percy explained to her.

Artemis sighed, her fingers now playing with his pure grey streak, a habit she had picked up. "Fine, it's just that my fiancé is an old man." She said with a smirk knowing that it would tease him.

"I take offence to that!" he joked back before turning serious and shooting a look at the moaning form of Gration, "Now if you will excuse me, I believe that I have a punishment that needs delivered."

Percy walked over to a fallen log, Artemis finally realized that she was in some forest, not like the evergreen forests she loved in the northwest but rather a scattered one found in Italy. After setting Artemis down and giving her a quick kiss Percy stepped over Gration's body, a face of rage very present.

Artemis looked at Percy, finally seeing what he looked like now. He was the same height he always was when he came to her in her dreams, and the same muscle build. But his hair was different; along with his grey streak he had a salt and pepper mix on top of a tired face. He looked aged, but also the same, the same Percy she fell in love with. And he was wearing a suit, not like her father's business suits, but an elegant black suit with a shiny silver silk shirt. He was just as handsome as she remembered.

"Get up you worthless sack of lard." Percy's voice was liquid venom, even making Artemis shiver. With Percy simply raising his hand Gration's body lifted off the ground, emitting a blood-curdling scream. "So you feel that Gration? That is your blood boiling in your skin. This is what you get for trying to touch my love." Artemis didn't know what to feel about what he was doing, she was glad he was here, and that he protected her but what he was doing scared her. She didn't know where he learned to do this.

Percy lowered his hand but Gration stayed in his floating position. He reached into his pocket and produced his trusty blade, riptide. Gration saw this; even through his painful screams his eyes widened remembering the acts of that blade in his last attempt on Artemis' virtue. "This will be worse than last time Gration."

And with four faster than light movements all four of Gration's arms and legs had deep cuts down their lengths. The blood began to pour out of Gration, his skin going pale.

"Gration, for your vile attempts to harm Artemis, you will receive eternal damnation and punishment, I will see to it myself that you are properly punished before I allow you to fade!" Percy then proceeded to slowly butcher him, cutting off his extremities inch by inch. It wasn't until Percy cut into his head that Gration's body fully disappeared, leaving what appeared to be a lake of ichor, blood of immortals.

"Percy?" Percy heard Artemis' weak voice, he felt something between shame and guilt; he must have scared her with his display. He swiftly moved to her, encasing her in a warm loving embrace.

"I am sorry you had to see that. My love I only wanted to protect you." Percy held her close as he heard her tears falling down her cheeks.

Artemis sucked in a breath, "I am just so happy that you are back. I was so afraid, I couldn't move..." Her grip on Percy only tightened, "I love you."

Percy smiled, stroking her hair, "I love you too."

The two stood intertwined for what felt like only a minute but Artemis was drawn out of her paradise when Percy broke apart. "My love, we have to go. Rome is only a few miles from here and right now your hunters have engaged in a battle that they may need help in. But either way, you will want to see how well they do against their foes. You will be proud."

Artemis' eyes widened before narrowing, "You knew my hunters are in danger and you let me stay here! Let's go!" and Artemis took off running, but she never did let go of Percy.

Zoë had a plan, a last ditch plan, but it was their only hope and the hunters were the only ones that could pull it off. She saw the hordes of monsters enclosing them to the Colosseum, her father further encroaching on them. And then her sisters were afraid or disheartened.

Zoë turned to Phoebe, "Do you remember hunting in the redwoods?"

Phoebe was confused at first but when she realized what Zoë meant, a smirk growing on her face matching Zoë. All of the girls heard Zoë's remark and knew what she meant; all faces went from realization to determination. This only infuriated Atlas more; he wanted them to cower at his feet before he dispatches them.

It all happened so fast that the monsters became confused, Zoë, Thalia and Phoebe pulled out their bows and opened fire, peppering the army with arrows, not many of the monsters fell but all along the front line ended up with new quills sticking up out of them. But Atlas got the brunt of Zoë's attack, she found every chink in his armor but it wasn't doing much to the large titan. But this was only a distracting to the monster army, because while arrows were raining down on them the rest of the hunters ran into the Colosseum, led by Diane and Bianca through the arches.

Once all the hunters were through the gates the three that that were holding off the advancing army began to slowly step backwards. Only a few monsters had fallen from this attack, most held small amounts of arrows in their skin but kept advancing. But the girls kept up their firing, even without killing them the monsters were not fond of having an arrow in their chest or face.

Atlas was still being pelted by the arrows fired by mainly Zoë, but he was able to hold up his arm to block his face, a key target for her, "Do you really think you three will give them enough time to escape, you will all fall today. Maybe I will take some of you with me, Gration was bragging about what he would do with Artemis and said I could have some later, but with you all being miniature versions of her, I could just have all of you!" he was laughing now, but the three girls just got angry, Thalia electrified her arrows, now taking more monsters out and keeping the Manticore and Chimera at bay, Phoebe joined Zoë now peppering Atlas but also Krios, both girls increasing their release rate.

"ENOUGH!" Atlas bellowed, but the arrows kept hitting him increasing his already face-reddening anger "ATTACK!" at this the monster army jumped at them, but the girls had bought enough time, they were able to sprint into Colosseum before the army could catch them.

When the army did emerge into the Colosseum it was in a stream, the gateway was funneling them, that is when the redwood hunting came in, the hunters were hanging on the walls or on top of the columns, all now releasing a barrage of arrows, effectively killing the first 40 or so monsters that came through. Dust obscured the entrance that the hunters were guarding, making them unable to see what was coming but then a roar came through, a deafening fear-inducing roar followed by the Chimera running in fire sprayed everywhere and arrows layering its back.

The monster's attention was grabbed when a lucky shot by a hunter pierced the top of its nostril. In response the Chimera spun around and bounded at the wall, but before he ran into it he bounded up, landing to the right of the hunter who had shot him, the scattered many of the hunters, all running away from him to get shots in while the three heads all gave their roars and fire.

The hunter that did shoot him continued to fire at him despite her fear, because she knew attempting to run would only give it the chance to kill her. Some others joined her before more chaos ensued on top of the walls, the Manticore jumped over the walls, throwing its spikes everywhere, some were intercepted by arrows, other missed barely but the ones that hit were piercing the hunters in their arms and shoulders, some unable to fire their bows. It was Bianca that stopped the Manticore; using the same move she witnessed on the day she learned that she was a demigod.

Bianca tackled the Manticore, her Stygian iron dagger in hand as she tumbled down to the floor of the Colosseum, wrestling with the 'man-eater'.

The next disturbance on the wall was then a section exploded with Krios jumping out with his spear brandished. The horned titan began staling on the hunters, all of whom taking up defensive positions. But then he spotted Diane, "Well aren't you beautiful," Krios smirked as he stalked up to her, even the arrows now sprouting out of him not effecting the manner in which he walked.

"You vile male pig!" Diane screamed while continuing her rain of arrows on the man.

"Tsk, tsk my little hunter. You should watch you language to your new master. I will pick you out of all of these hunters for myself." As Krios finished he backhanded her, none of her arrows were able to slow his advance.

Diane let out a shriek that she was unable to hold in when she was thrown to the floor, with Krios jumping down following the form of the girl.

But that wasn't the last disadvantage that the hunters encountered, through the golden curtain of dust strutted Atlas, a smirk on his royal face. "Is this is all you have daughter?" He called to the three girls all in the middle still luring the monsters to be shot from above but now looking at all the new disturbances in the lines of the hunters they were all searching for where they were needed, Zoë nodded to the other two, Thalia arming herself with her electrified spear and Phoebe with a set of duel hunting knives. The two ran off to help Bianca and Diane, both in need of it, leaving Zoë facing her father alone.

"You have lost most of your force father. And now we will beat you!" Spitting out the word father, Zoë pulled out her own duel hunting knives, running at her father who is now carrying his broadsword at the ready.

"You have too much pride my daughter! And for that I will kill you!" Atlas brought down his sword in a deadly arc, but Zoë was able to deflect it off of her blades as she rolled to the side. Zoë began her assault of Atlas then, her anger and rage fueling her knives.

Among the hunters there were about 20 still fighting the last 100 or so monsters that were squeezing through the arch most were firing from above but those that were knocked down, either by Krios, the Manticore or to avoid the Chimera were forced to wield their hunting knives. These hunters were successfully going against the funneled mass of the army, most falling before reaching them but those that got past were the stronger and larger ones that fought with more ferocity at the loss of their brethren.

10 hunters were fighting the Chimera from afar, one or two brandished long spears to keep it at bay, most firing at it, but this only seemed to enrage it more, the Chimera's tail flailing around snapping at all the hunters in range.

Diane had managed to get up and attack Krios, her silver sword slashing at him with the assist of Phoebe who would claw at his legs whenever Diane distracted him. Diane and Phoebe were both fairly clean of wounds, although Diane was littered with small cuts and scrapes from her fall.

Bianca and Thalia were also having a big fight, the Manticore firing at both of them with his spikes, one visible imbedded in Bianca's shoulder. Aegis was shining against the sun but it no longer had an effect on its target, Thalia also had her spear ready to skewer him if she could get close enough. Bianca was using her speed to outrun the sharp missiles while a she had her dagger out blocking any that came to close and delivering small cuts all over his body when she could.

The remainder of the hunters were the wounded, mainly those hit my the Manticore by his spikes or Krios before he focused on Diane but one girl had it the worst, she had been bitten by the Chimera's tail, it had been a graze but it was still poisoned, she had on of the girls who was shot in both legs by the Manticore treating her, trying to purge her wound of the poison and feeding her all the nectar she felt was safe.

It was the Manticore that fell first of the most dangerous of the four, but only when Bianca was grabbed by its tail and thrown at the wall, but what the Manticore neglected to realize was that the wall was in the shadow of the Colosseum. Bianca had never been one to use her powers from her father, she didn't get them as strong as Nico but she could shadow travel but much like Nico when he was first starting, she couldn't go to far without tiring. But luckily for her the Manticore was facing the sun, so when Bianca fell through the shadow she emerged behind the Manticore and using her huntress speed cut its tail clean off, leaving the Manticore defenseless when Thalia ran and jumped, calling down a bolt of lightning to merge with her spear right as she stabbed it through his heart, effectively killing the Manticore bursting him into a pile of shiny gold dust.

The Chimera fell at a similar time, when one of the hunters used to spear she was carrying to prod the Chimera to look right at her with all three heads. This prodding angered the Chimera who then decided it was a good idea to roar and breath fire at the girl, all three heads roared at her and just before the fire reached her she dived to the ground avoiding the shower of flames. But the Chimera didn't avoid the arrows flying at it, while it roared three hunters were behind the girl with the spear but out of the range of its fire. And when the maws of the Chimera were open the girls took their chance and fired, a single arrow went through the mouths of each head, blood began to pour out of its wounds extinguishing the flames around the solid silver arrow. To finish off the beast the first girl with the spear stood and jammed the spear farther down the lion's throat, creating a new pile of golden dust.

The hunters began to dispatch the remaining monsters, surprising themselves that they were able to kill over 200 monsters while only having forty some girls. Many of the wounded began to be cared for but the fighting was not over.

Krios was still swinging his spear at the two assaulting girls, although Diane had switched her sword to her left hand as her right was broken, and Phoebe was slowing slightly as he leg now sported a puncture wound the same size as the head of Krios' spear.

But they weren't the only ones injured, Krios had Ichor leaking out of almost every corner of his body, small cuts everywhere. It was then that Phoebe noticed he was slowing to and sheathed her knives and pulled out her bow. Phoebe was closer to Krios at the moment though, Diane circling around her looking for a weak point. Phoebe turned around quick confusing Krios and startling Diane but Diane quickly realized what she wanted, being a daughter of Athena she was always the smartest and quick to understand plans. Phoebe had her bow horizontal as Diane ran towards her, and when Diane reached her she planted her feet on the bow only for Phoebe to launch her up, sending Diane soaring towards Krios.

Krios was caught off guard by this, but raised his spear to intercept the hunter, but as her raised his spear three arrows sprouted from his body, two in his armpits and one that hit the top of his, this combination caused him to nearly drop his spear and drop his guard towards more arrows. That is when Diane fell onto his head, planting one foot on his face and her sword in his temple. She then pushed off and over Krios not letting go of her sword or taking it out of his temple, subsequently drawing his head back and causing him to release a bellow of pain. But he was quickly silenced when three more arrows pierced his now open neck.

Krios fell, only to scatter into golden dust, his essence dissipating quickly.

Now all the hunters are finishing off the last monster trying to escape or tending their sisters. Only one battle continued and it was the most dangerous to be in. Zoë was furiously fighting her father, Atlas, broadsword to hunting knives. Thalia got a flash back to the second titan war, the night that Zoë died. Thalia didn't like this, the only way they won this fight last time was because Artemis fought Atlas under the sky, but now Zoë took the place of Artemis and Thalia didn't know if it would be enough.

Zoë's body was fairly uninjured, only fashioning a bruised side where she got slammed by the flat of Atlas' blade. Atlas on the other side had small leaks of ichor running down his armor from every chink, and some arrow heads still embedded as their shafts had been broken off by Atlas but he hadn't slowed or shown any sign of pain.

Both of the pair are being fueled by anger in this fight, this family feud is the last they would have and both knew it.