Only in the aftermath does Zoe learn just how much they were outplayed. Squads B, C, and D had all been swiftly overrun by their enemies. And not just because they outnumbered them either thanks to Percy Jackson's one-man defense. While that did mean there were a handful more Campers than there were Hunters of Artemis, the ultimate disparity came down to strength of arms and sheer coordination.
Zoe and her fellow Hunters had all been blessed by Lady Artemis with eternal youth. So long as they stayed true to their oaths and did not fall in battle, they suffered from no illnesses and did not age. On top of that, they gained an additional physical enhancement, making them stronger and faster than any mortal or demigod.
However, they weren't soldiers. Lady Artemis wasn't a Goddess of War, but of the Hunt. Her blessings upon her followers were likewise intended to make them better at hunting down their prey, not at fighting equally intelligent opponents on a battlefield. Oh sure, Zoe would still bet on her fellow Hunters against most mortals nine times out of ten, but when it came to combat against humans, they focused mostly on self-defense, not on outright battle.
And that was a problem when you were up against an entire team of demigods who were apparently all under the effects of a Blessing of Athena. With the help of a Goddess of Strategy and Warfare, there was simply no contest. Not only were they just as fast and strong as the Hunters, but they were just plain better equipped for an actual fight as well.
They steamrolled them, taking down Squads B and C with almost double their numbers and then going right over Squad D as well before retrieving their flag and making it back to their side of the map with it. All while Zoe and Squad A had been stymied by Percy Jackson while thinking they still had plenty of time to come up with a solution.
In hindsight, it made a lot more sense why they were so confident now. And Zoe had walked right into it. She was over two thousand years old! And she'd gotten her ass handed to her by a group of demigods a mere fraction of her age.
Humbling didn't even begin to cover it, to be honest. But at the same time, it wouldn't have been quite so bad if not for what Percy did at the end. Sure, they'd made a wager that said Zoe and the Hunters had to accept Percy Jackson's innocence if they lost. But it wasn't like that was an oath made on the Styx or anything like that.
For the sake of Lady Artemis, Zoe would have been fully prepared to ignore that bet and find a way to extract the information she sought from Percy after all. But then he'd had to go and swear an ACTUAL Oath on the Styx that he had no idea where Artemis was and also had nothing to do with her disappearance in the first place. And considering nothing bad had happened to him so far, it seemed very much that he was telling the truth.
Zoe was up shit's creek without a paddle. She'd brought the Hunters here to Camp Half-Blood because Lord Apollo had made it clear they would find answers here, but now it seemed that she'd managed to block off every possible route to getting more information. What was she supposed to do now, exactly? The Hunters were despondent. The Campers were celebrating. And Zoe… Zoe was completely and utterly lost.
"I would probably have more pity for you if you hadn't brought this all upon yourself."
Blinking, Zoe looks up and flushes, immediately averting her eyes in shame. Lady Hestia stands before her, the Goddess of the Hearth letting out a sigh at her reaction.
"Honestly dear… I don't know what you were thinking. I already told you that Percy had nothing to do with Artemis' disappearance. But you focused on him anyways. If only you'd waited…"
Zoe bristles at that. On the one hand, she has the utmost respect for Lady Hestia, even among all of the Olympians. But on the other hand…
"Lady Artemis is missing! I couldn't afford to wait. And besides, I know you were dealing with a crisis until recently Lady Hestia. You can't deny that it might have been possible for Jackson to sneak out from under your nose at some point in recent times!"
She immediately feels embarrassed by her outburst. Not least of which because Hestia doesn't even get mad at her for it. She just looks at her… with disappointment in her eyes.
"And do you still think Percy had anything to do with Artemis' disappearance?"
Flushing, Zoe clenches her jaw for a moment before hissing out her response.
"… no. He swore an Oath on the River Styx telling me he didn't. I cannot deny his innocence in in this specific matter any longer."
Lady Hestia stares at her for a moment longer, causing Zoe to squirm. In that moment she doesn't feel two thousand years old… she feels like she's being scolded for making a fool of herself. Which to be fair, she is.
"I suppose that's the best I can expect, all things considered. Come with me, dear."
Confused, Zoe nevertheless rises to her feet to follow Hestia.
"Wha… where are we going, Goddess?"
Looking back over her shoulder, the Goddess of the Hearth pins Zoe with a simple look.
"To see the Oracle, of course."
What? Oh. Oh no…
-x-X-x-
Percy was feeling good. Really good. And not just because they won, though that was definitely a large part of it. The look on Zoe's face when she heard the horns signaling the end of Capture the Flag would live rent free inside of Percy's head for years to be honest. Right alongside the equally amazing look on her face immediately after when he swore on the River Styx that he had nothing to do with whatever the fuck had happened to Artemis.
And of course, celebrating with the rest of the demigods of Camp Half-Blood afterwards had been an exceptional experience as well. They'd feasted and made merry while boasting about their specific takedowns of this or that Hunter of Artemis. Percy wishes he could have seen it, but he's honestly happy to live vicariously through the rest, especially given he got his own awesome story out of the whole thing.
From the sound of things, it'd been a bit of a one-sided slaughter. The Hunters of Artemis weren't ready to be outnumbered or outgunned. They weren't ready to face people with a Godly Blessing of their own on an even playing field for once. And they'd paid for it. Honestly though, they should have been happy to learn this lesson through something as inconsequential as a game of Capture the Flag, rather than a situation that might have been life or death.
But that was the problem, wasn't it? For the Hunters of Artemis, it wasn't just Capture the Flag. In their eyes, it was their one chance to pin him down and force him to come clean to them. Because of course they didn't believe him. Of course they didn't trust him.
Ultimately though, Percy was over it. He was over all of it. The Hunters could keep hunting for their Goddess however they liked, but he was done with all of that now. He was focused on more important things… like having a celebratory orgy in the Poseidon Cabin with Annabeth, Clarisse, Bianca, and Thalia.
Clarisse, of course, received a light punishment still for being too gung ho in the first place, but success tended to pave over such things, and ultimately it was just a fun night where Percy found himself somehow outlasting all four women until he was the only one still awake as the Moon shone through the nearby window and the female demigods all slept off the night's festivities.
They're all so tired, in fact, that none of them wake up when there's a sudden knock at the door of the cabin. Raising an eyebrow, Percy extracts himself from the cuddle pile that had ensued, watching as they wind up collapsing inward and hugging each other in his absence. Then, he finds his pants, slipping them on so he's halfway decent before finally making his way over to the door.
Imagine his surprise when he opens the door to see Zoe Nightshade of all people standing on the cabin's step, looking… well, looking a certain sort of way. She blushes hard at his shirtless state and her eyes linger briefly on his chest before she tears them away, but Percy doesn't bother apologizing. If she wanted him fully clothed, she should have come in the morning. But also… he really didn't know more she wanted from him anyways at this point.
"What is it?"
His clipped tone causes Zoe to jolt and she bites her lower lip for a moment in thought. Seriously, this chick was supposed to be two thousand years old. Why was she hesitating so damn much?
"… I have come to apologize, Percy Jackson."
Ah yeah, that would do it. Apologizing? Percy can't help but make a quip.
"Man, I hope Lord Hades is alright."
When Zoe gives him a confused look, he grins.
"Because I think the Underworld just froze over."
His audience of one blinks for a moment before scowling and flushing. But then, the joke wasn't for her… it was for himself. Crossing his arms over his bared chest, Percy grunts.
"And what exactly are you apologizing for?"
Zoe flinches and hesitates again for a long moment before answering.
"I… am sorry for distrusting you. For accusing you of things you had no part in and then denying your words when you professed your innocence. I am sorry for making you feel that you needed to swear an oath on the Styx in order to prove yourself blameless."
Well damn. That was definitely more than Percy expected from the Lieutenant that seemingly hated his guts just because her Goddess did. He honestly didn't know how to feel. Zoe didn't sound like she was being forced to apologize. She sounded genuine and heartfelt. It was… difficult to stay mad in the face of that. Especially when he and Camp Half-Blood had unequivocally won today. Victory also made it difficult to hold onto his anger, no matter how righteous it was.
Didn't mean he had to like her though. Giving Zoe a sharp nod, Percy begins to step back.
"Apology accepted. If that's all…"
"Ah, actually… there was one other thing I wished to discuss with you. May I come in?"
Percy pauses and for a long moment considers inviting her inside despite what's waiting within. The look on Zoe's face when she realized he wasn't alone but instead sharing his bed with four women would no doubt be priceless. If she hadn't apologized so sincerely, he might have been willing to subject her to that view… but then again, probably not. After all, it wasn't just Zoe who would be impacted, it was also his four sleeping lovers who trusted him not to invite strangers in to watch them sleep naked.
Smiling thinly, Percy shakes his head.
"You don't want that."
Zoe's face scrunches up in confusion for a moment as Percy steps out onto the cabin's deck and closes the door behind him. Then, her eyes widen in realization and she blushes harder than before. Recrossing his arms over his chest, Percy raises an eyebrow.
"Well? What is it?"
Letting out an explosive breath, Artemis' Lieutenant grimaces.
"… I have received a Quest from the Oracle. One that seems to involve Artemis and will hopefully allow us to track her down and save her."
Well now, that was big news. Percy even smiles.
"That's excellent. I'm happy for you."
And he means it too. Even if his only knowledge of Artemis was that she'd wanted him dead at one point, it was still probably bad news for the Goddess to be missing. He truly hoped Zoe and the Hunters would find her soon. Of course, Zoe is still taken aback by his genuine response. She looks baffled for a moment before swallowing thickly and nodding.
"Y-Yes, well… ahem. Thank you. I see now why Lord Apollo sent us here. It wasn't because you knew where Lady Artemis was, but rather because we would get a Quest from the Oracle to retrieve her. I feel most foolish now for… jumping the gun. Am I using that correctly?"
Percy chuckles and nods.
"You are."
Looking a little pleased with that, Zoe hesitates for a moment… before finally letting the other shoe drop.
"I require your assistance Percy Jackson. I need you to come on the Quest, or it is sure to fail."
Wait, what? Percy's smile drops and his brow furrows.
"… Just what exactly did the Oracle tell you?"
Zoe immediately looks rather shifty and seems unwilling to look him in the eye.
"I… I cannot tell you that. I'm sorry. B-But I fully understand that I have no right to ask for your help after everything that has happened so far. That's why… I would like to make you an offer. Come with me on my Quest, help me find and rescue Lady Artemis… and once she is safe, I will set aside my oath to the goddess to serve you instead."
What? That was… just what?!
(Author Cambrian. Find him on Scribblehub!)