Percy Jackson and The Sands Of Time

| Chapter 12 | Consequences |

Hello, Readers! This has been a long time coming, but chapter twelve is finally done, as is Time-jump #3!

~CSP2708~

*Dylan_Walts*

| Chapter 12 |

| Consequences |

Artemis rushed up and grabbed me by the chiton. "How are you here? It's been centuries!" Her teeth were bared viciously as she snarled.

I fumbled, stuttering. Her face was so close to mine that I could smell her lavender-breath; we were sharing the same air and I suddenly felt subconscious about how terrible my breath must have smelt - seeing as I hadn't been able to brush in several days and I probably had gingivitis.

"I...um... I don't know!" I ended up saying because that just seemed more believable than the truth.

"That's not an answer! Tell me the truth!" she demanded. Her hunters were gathering around us, some confused, some in shock, and some just emoting aggression because it seemed like the right thing to do.

"I'm not lying!" I said; I wasn't, really, because I didn't know why I travelled to the times that I did. I still did not know the purpose for my adventures or if I would ever be able to go home, but telling her about Kronos was definitely out of the question if I wanted to live.

She stared at me and it felt like the quicksilver of her eyes were reaching deep into my soul. "Your mind hides itself from me; that is unusual," she admitted, then leaned back, though her hold was as strong as ever on my arms. She looked to her hunters. "Keep him here. He is our prisoner until we return to Olympus for the solstice."

Oh, lucky me. I knew I had to escape soon, or something really bad would happen. I just hoped that Zoe found her place and did not hate men as much as I remembered from my mortal lifetime. If she found a home with the hunters then it would all be worth it. So, even as they tossed me to the ground, wrapped in heavy silver chains, I smiled. I watched as they led Zoe to Artemis' tent so that she could take her oath, and I knew she would be just fine.

"What provokes that jeering grin, boy?" one sneered, and I looked to see that the hunters guarding me were all glaring profusely. The wolves, young and athletic, and somehow both tame and wild at the same time, were snarling, their hackles raised and teeth gleaming with a cleanliness that wasn't natural. I briefly pondered whether they brushed their wolves' teeth, and possibly if they have an extra brush because I really needed a thorough cleaning. I didn't answer the hunters and left them to scoff and leave to attend to their duties, though the wolves remained around me, ready to strike if I so much as made a move.

Soon, Zoe returns from her talk with Artemis, looking better and more free than I'd ever seen. She was no longer the scared, young girl I found in the garden but was closer to the one I remembered from that cold night in Maine (though happier). That was good.

At the campfire that night, which wasn't long after because of the time, she tells them her story about Hercules, but then surprises them about how I saved her and brought her here, even at my own risk. She admits that she will never trust men the same way, because she doesn't know if any of them will be like Hercules, but she is adamant about me being the exception. I blushed under her praise, thankful that the darkness of the night and the red glow of the fire hiding the colour in my cheeks.

The hunters looked at me with confusion in their softened gazes, but Artemis held her reserve, levelling me with as harsh a glare as ever. "It does not matter what he did; it must be a ruse, and anyway, he must be brought before my father so that we may unravel this mystery."