Altered Destinies

The Apollo Express

Zoe noticed her mistress' face and looked at her questioningly.

Artemis' smirk grew, "That is why I feel like I owe him a bit of a debt. He was trained by Orion but when Orion bragged about some of his vile acts, Perseus convinced his father to send him to punishment for a few centuries."

Zoe gaped before she grinned, "Right where the bastard deserves to be."

Artemis nodded her approval, "So as I was saying, Perseus managed to gain the favor of a number of the Olympians including all the goddesses. When the vote was cast for his fate, only that idiot Dionysus voted for his death. Poseidon abstained from the vote while everyone else including my father voted for him to live.

"Why did Poseidon abstain?" Zoe asked confused.

"Perseus had some very harsh words for him when Poseidon told him he was his son. Perseus already knew but blames Poseidon for the hardships his mother and he endured during his life. Poseidon looked ready to kill him until Hestia intervened. She is apparently the boy's patron as well." Artemis explained.

Zoe nodded, impressed he was the champion of a maiden goddess, "If Perseus hates his father then where will he be staying at camp?"

"He is staying in the Demeter cabin actually. He spent the majority of the meeting on her lap eating cereal. I don't think I've ever seen my aunt so fond of a demigod, her own children included. Since Persephone adopted him, Demeter considers him her grandson and said she would claim him at camp." Artemis explained.

Zoe shook her head, the boy was apparently full of more surprises than she could have imagined.

"Come Zoe, we must prepare the girls for your departure to Camp Half Blood." Artemis said standing up.

Zoe froze, "Milady, please don't tell me…" She began before Artemis looked at her sympathetically.

"I am sorry but I must leave as soon as Apollo arrives to drive you to camp." She said sadly.

Zoe scowled as she followed her mistress out of the tent. When they looked around the camp, Perseus was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Perseus?" Artemis asked confused.

"The coward probably ran off." Theseus sneered garnering a glare from Artemis.

Before she could snap at the boy, Perseus jumped down from one of the branches above, landing behind Theseus and drawing out a pen that immediately elongated into a celestial bronze blade that he held at the back of the demigod's neck.

"Still a bit sour about your broken arm I see. I can give you a matching one if you'd like." Percy said coldly.

Zoe stared at the blade in Percy's hand with wide eyes, never thinking she would see it again.

"Where did you get that sword?" She asked harshly.

Percy turned to look at her strangely, "It was a gift from my patron Hestia on my eleventh birthday, why?"

Zoe glared at Percy but before she could reply, the sound of an engine overhead broke everyone away from the scene in front of them.

A sleek Maserati Spyder slowly descended from the sky above. Percy pulled his blade away from Theseus' neck and backed up to the edge of the forest to wait for Apollo to land his sun chariot. As he waited, he eyed the huntress who had snapped at him curiously. He thought about his blade but had no idea why she would be so angry that he had it. He assumed it had been something Hestia had had made for him but now he was starting to think the blade had a much longer past than he thought. He made a note to ask Hestia about it as he had no wish to anger a huntress if he could help it.