[Third Person Pov]
Percy kept glancing over his shoulder, eyes narrowed with growing concern as he scanned the darkened treeline behind them. He half-expected to see flashes of power or hear the distant clash of a fight breaking out.
He turned toward Annabeth. "Are you sure Nico and Bianca will try to follow?"
Annabeth met his gaze with a perfectly straight face. "Would Lucian's words be enough to stop *you* if he told you not to come?"
Percy opened his mouth, then closed it again. He really had no retort. "Touché. But Lucian would've used more than just words if that was the case."
"Fair," Annabeth admitted. "Also, I would've been more disappointed in them if they actually listened and didn't at least try. I'm sure Lucian shares the sentiment."
From behind her, Thalia spoke up. "Do you really think Nox would be enough to hold them off? Nico *and* Bianca?"
Annabeth considered the question for a moment, her mind already running quiet calculations based on everything she knew about the Di Angelo siblings and Nox's power, strength, and weaknesses. "That's a fair point. As much as I believe in Nox and know he can hold his own… Nico and Bianca aren't to be underestimated."
"Especially when they're together," Thalia added. She had seen firsthand what the siblings could do when they fought in perfect tandem.
Annabeth lifted a hand. "Nebula."
A swirl of purple mist condensed beside her, and the little magical sprite materialized at once, hovering expectantly.
Annabeth gently rubbed the spirit's cheek with one finger. "Go assist Nox. He may need the backup."
"Aye!" Nebula chirped, then vanished in another flash of purple light, already streaking toward her brother's location.
Markus, flying level with the group, broke the brief silence. His question was directed squarely at Artemis. "You know, speaking of Lucian… what exactly happened? We still don't know how he got himself kidnapped."
The question pulled everyone's attention. Percy nodded in agreement, a flicker of unease crossing his face. "Yeah. If we're going after whoever took him, we need to know what we're up against. Especially if they're able to casually kidnap someone as strong as Lucian"
Artemis did not answer right away. Her expression had gone hard the moment Lucian's name was mentioned in that context. The silence stretched long enough that it almost felt like she was hoping they would drop the subject.
Then Phoebe's voice cut through the quiet, soft but insistent. "My Lady?"
Artemis closed her eyes and let out a long, defeated exhale. "Alright… alright. Lucian and I were on our way to rescue Zoe when we were ambushed."
No one interrupted. They simply waited for her to continue.
…
[Flashback]
The full moon hung heavy and bright overhead, bathing the river in silver light. Lucian and Artemis stood in the middle of the cold, rushing water, the roar of the cascading waterfall behind them loud enough to swallow the sound of their heavy breathing.
They were both completely bare. Water droplets clung to their skin, catching the moonlight and turning every curve and plane of their bodies into something almost luminous. Their hair was matted and wet, strands plastered against their faces as they stood nose to nose, chests rising and falling in the same uneven rhythm.
Artemis felt an involuntary shiver run through her the moment Lucian's hands began to move. His palms glided slowly over the sharp curves of her body, mapping places no man had ever been allowed to touch before—tracing the line of her waist, the soft give of her hips, the sensitive skin just beneath her ribs. The cold water did nothing to cool the heat that followed every place his fingers lingered.
Artemis's hands rested against the hard panels of his abs. She looked down at them for a long moment, then slowly let her palms crawl upward until they settled deliberately over the firm planes of his chest.
Lucian took one of her hands from his skin and brought it to his mouth, pressing a soft, lingering kiss into her open palm. Artemis couldn't help the small gulp that escaped her. Heat flooded her face; she looked down, flustered, her heart hammering wildly inside her chest.
Lucian reached up and gently tilted her chin, guiding her gaze back to his. Their noses brushed. Crimson met silver-gold. For a heartbeat they simply stared into each other's eyes, each of them catching their own reflection staring back from the depths of the other's soul.
Artemis's hands rose to frame his face. She traced the unblemished lines of his features with quiet reverence, then slowly drew him closer until the ghost of their breaths mingled in the cold night air. She closed her eyes, unable to wait any longer, and closed the final distance.
Her eyes snapped open a second later in confusion. She had kissed his cheek instead of his lips. Lucian had turned his head at the last possible instant.
"What—?" she began, already reading the sudden concern and sharp focus on his face.
"We have company," he interrupted in a low, soft voice. His intuition was screaming now—sharp electric signals sparking at the base of his skull.
…
Miles away, the Three Fates sat before a glowing projection, watching the scene unfold. The moment the kiss was interrupted, all three erupted into loud, theatrical groans. Popcorn and snacks went flying through the air.
"No!!" Clotho wailed in pure despair, clutching her head. "I hate this trope! It was *just* getting to the good part!"
"Who the hell wrote this?" Atropos grumbled, slumping against her armrest in deep dissatisfaction. "This is bullshit. I want my money back."
Lachesis was already punching her pillow with every word, tears of pure frustration in her eyes. "I wanted to see them kiss! I wanted to see how far they were going to go!"
…
Back in the river, a look of pure dread washed over Artemis's face. She spun in a frantic circle, scanning the trees. If anyone found them like this—completely bare and pressed against each other—it would be worse than game over.
"We're being hunted," Lucian said, his expression turning stern and focused. "Someone's after us. They're close. Let's go." He seized her hand and pulled her toward the bank at a run.
In the same breath he activated *Shadow Equip*. Darkness surged over both of them in a single fluid motion, clothing them instantly—Lucian in his usual combat attire, Artemis in her silver hunting gear.
"Who's after us?" Artemis asked as she kept pace, already drawing her bow and sweeping the surroundings with sharp, vigilant eyes. Her heart was still racing from the almost-kiss, a stubborn tinge of disappointment and reluctance lingering in her chest.
"That's what I'm trying to find—" Lucian began, scanning the forest as he decided to find his special abilities to detect who it was exactly that was after them.
"Above us!" Artemis shouted a second later, head snapping toward the moon.
Lucian looked up just in time to see a massive figure leap through the air, silhouetted against the full moon for a single dramatic instant before plummeting straight down toward them with furious momentum.
He didn't hesitate. Lucian shoved Artemis hard out of the impact zone and met the incoming fist with his own.
The collision detonated outward in a violent shockwave. Trees in every direction were ripped from the ground and shredded into splinters; the once-dense forest became an open, smoking clearing in the space of a heartbeat.
Artemis was thrown backward by the sheer force. She grunted, stabbed a hunting knife into the earth, and used it as an anchor to keep from being blasted even farther.
A second, concentrated blast of distorted wind exploded between the two combatants, flinging them apart.
Lucian slid backward through the dirt but was already rising. His opponent flipped once through the air and landed in a low, predatory crouch.
Slowly the figure stood to his full height.
Lucian's eyes widened in recognition.
"Atlas…"
The Titan straightened the cuffs of his suit with deliberate calm, hatred burning in his gaze.
"Brat," Atlas hissed. "This meeting was a long time coming. Don't you agree?"
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