The hunter's camp was gigantic.
Over Percy's ten years of questing inside of the immortal world, he had experienced many types of camps, ranging from the forest's floor to an abandoned house commandeered by monsters. So when he pictured an encampment for dozens upon dozens of hunters, he imagined a few tents arrayed around a campfire.
This wasn't the case. The full camp took the space of a clearing the size of a football field, and it was packed. There were archery ranges and gardens and other things Percy didn't know how they transported. In addition, multiple campfires were lit, while the delicious smell of cooked meat permeated through the air, no doubt attracting more animals for the hunters to kill. Huntresses were bustling around the place—more than he ever thought Artemis had. The whole system was neatly arranged around a slightly bigger silver tent—Artemis'— which meant if one wanted to get to the center, half of the camp would already know one was there, since one would have to go through patrols of scouts, guards, and, of course, tents.
"This is more of a temporary setup," Artemis said upon setting Percy down in front of her tent and finally freeing him from his binds, pride apparent in her tone.
Percy massaged his arms and feet, trying to get his circulation running smoothly after an hour of laying still. "Temporary? This is more than what Camp Half-Blood has to offer."
"There're no males here to slow down our work." Artemis waved Percy into her tent.
From the outside, the tent looked no bigger than the size of a medium bedroom, and Percy was expecting to see simple sleeping quarters. When he stepped inside, he was greeted with the site of a full-fledged, open layout house. He had appeared inside of the bedroom. The floor was covered with pelts of different kinds of animals, and paired with the dim, yellow lighting of lamps gave the whole place a homey feel. There was a gigantic, fluffy bed in the center, and the walls were made of pure silver, unlike the moonlight-colored fabric that made up the tent.
Artemis dropped her bow on the bed. "Once you walk through my tent's doorway, it leads to a section of my palace. I prefer this instead of having an enchanted tent like my hunters, since only people I permit can enter my palace without crumbling to ash. Plus, it's completely private, a great place to hold a confidential discussion."
Percy took the hint. "Void's rising, isn't she?"
She sighed, the natural steely resolve in her eyes fading into something more vulnerable. "She's beginning to. I can feel it . . . but this is different."
"How so?"
"The first time, I had a power surge. My power quadrupled in a day, and it stayed that way. It felt revitalizing and intense. But now . . ." She massaged her forehead, as though she had a headache. "My power is slowly being sucked out of me. My arrows can't down cyclops with one hit anymore and it's been only a few weeks. What will happen in a few months? I don't even know what will happen when Void fully resurrects! Will I just . . . fade?"
Percy enveloped her in a reassuring hug. "Everything will be fine. In the worst case scenario, you'll just be a part of Void again. You got her body and memories. You're practically her!"
What he didn't add was that she was the good part of Void. He didn't know if she would be changed by her negative side, but he had faith.
And sometimes, that was all that mattered.
Artemis sniffed, and it took a moment for Percy to realize she was tearing up. "And my precious hunters . . . at this rate, I won't be able to protect them. I'm thinking of moving them to Camp Half-Blood. At least they'll be safe there."
"What? No! You can't do that to them." Percy lowered his voice to a reassuring whisper. "Look, I've fought battles with your hunters many times. They're not the most powerful warriors in the Greek world just because you help them. They're the most powerful warriors int he Greek world because of their skill. And if you're this worried, why not substitute their power with yours? Most of them are demigods, and if you unlock their true potential, they'll become even fiercer."
Artemis stopped to think about it. "That's actually not a bad idea."
"That's what I'm here for." He flashed her a sweet smile, and wiped at her tears. "Don't cry. It ruins your cutthroat reputation."
Artemis glared at him. "If you ever so hint at my breakdown . . ."
"There's the Artemis we all know and love."
She cracked a slight smile, and pressed her soft lips to his cheek for a second. "Thanks, Percy. I'm glad you're here to support me."
He blushed, still not used to the tender affection he got from the gorgeous goddess. "Erm . . . uh . . . you're welcome."
Artemis stood up straighter, as if she remembered something. "We got to get you back to Camp Half-Blood to meet Lord Chaos."
Percy was disappointed; he wanted to spend some time with his beloved, but accepted his fate. "Alright."
"Oh, and Percy?" She waited for him to look up before continuing, "If you need someone to talk to, I'll always be here."
~~~
It took the bigger portion of an hour to break camp.
Considering the encampment was the size of a village, it was quite impressive—and if Percy had helped instead of standing on the sidelines, it probably would've taken even less time. He couldn't help it, though, since the sight of dozens upon dozens of tents and other non-portable gear magically shrinking into containers the size of his hand was a sight to behold.
Despite his pep talk, Artemis still wanted to relocate the hunters to Camp Half-Blood temporarily. It wasn't the choice he was hoping for, but it was better than nothing.
"I need to recruit as many girls as possible," Artemis explained as everybody got ready to teleport. "There'll probably be a war, and it doesn't hurt to prepare."
Just the thought of another battle made Percy's heart lurch and stomach queasy. Only experienced warriors knew the impact of wars in the long term—and Percy was unfortunately experienced. He would love to live in a perfect world where matters were discussed peacefully—but then again, it was the natural tendency of almost every living organism to fight.
"Kelp Head!" Thalia called out from behind him.
He turned, his thoughts forgotten as his attention focused on his cousin and the beautiful Cherokee woman next to her, Piper.
"What's wrong?" Piper asked, her melodious voice washing over Percy and urging him to spill everything he was in turmoil about.
Percy playfully glared at her while mentally slapping himself to get back on track. "How many times have I told you not to use charmspeak on me?"
Piper raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have to use it if this dumb idiot in front of me knew how to take care of himself and ask for help."
Percy looked jokingly, as though looking for the "dumb idiot" she was speaking to. But when Artemis—the only other person in his proximity—raised an eyebrow as if to say, I dare you, he gulped and took ownership.
"So?" Thalia urged.
"It's nothing," Percy insisted.
"You sure?" Piper pushed, layering her voice with more charmspeak. "It seems that Lady Artemis doesn't believe you either, given her pursed lips."
Percy blinked, and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood—but that still wasn't enough to prevent the uncomfortable sensation of his mouth being controlled by an unknown force, forcing him to speak his mind: "Void's rising and I don't know what to do because Chaos is probably waiting for me at Camp but I don't want to go because I'll probably have to help him with something and go onto another mission and generally feel horrible because—" he fought hard against the force, drawing strength from his mental reserves to pounce and take control before he spilled everything.
"Who's Void?" Piper asked, confused enough not to use her power again.
Percy pasted a forced smile onto his face. "Nobody important. Arty and I got it." He tried to change the subject. "If you're this worried about me, why didn't you help me when I was stuck inside of the net?"
"What net?" Thalia asked innocently. "We weren't with that group of hunters."
"Cut the excuses. I can see the guilt in Piper's eyes."
Thalia gave up. "Lady Artemis was there. She wanted to teach you a lesson for what happened inside of the throne room. She also saved you from my wrath."
"Saved me from your wrath?" Percy repeated incredulously. "Is there something I'm missing? I saved a kid from being incinerated and you wanted me to just sit and watch?"
He looked back and forth from Thalia and Piper to Artemis. Then again.
"All right," he grumbled. "Next time, I'll just sit there and watch a poor kid get incinerated by Thunderpants."
The sky thundered.
Percy glared at the clouds. "Stick it! I know you like the name!"
A huge lightning bold struck him, burning every single one of the molecules in his body with agonizing pain.
Then the world went black.