Max woke up to pounding on the door.
Not polite knocking.
Not hesitant knocking.
The kind of knocking that implied authority, irritation, and a willingness to break the door if ignored.
He groaned, eyes barely opening.
"Ugh… Max," Hana mumbled, voice thick with sleep as she clutched onto him tighter. "Can you get it please…"
"I should be the one saying that," Max muttered. "Let go of me first."
She did not.
In fact, her grip tightened.
Max stared at the ceiling."…You boosted that, didn't you?"
No answer.
Just the faintest smug smile pressed against his shoulder.
It took a full minute of careful maneuvering before he managed to pry himself free without waking her. Luna shifted slightly but didn't wake, curled into the blanket like a cat who refused to acknowledge reality.
Max stumbled to the door and opened it.
Chiron stood there.
Arms crossed.
Expression flat.
"I thought," Chiron began slowly, "I told you the daughters of Aphrodite sleep in their own cabin."
Max blinked."I have no idea what you're talking about."
He tried to close the door.
A hoof stopped it instantly.
"You cannot lie to me," Chiron said calmly. "I am older than your great-grandparents and then some."
He leaned slightly and glanced inside.
"I can see them in your bed. And one of them is… barely dressed."
Max sighed."…Okay, fair."
"But it's not my fault," he added quickly. "They're stronger than they look. They refused to leave."
He gestured vaguely inside."And Hana sleeps like that for… airflow reasons. Probably."
Chiron pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I will speak with them later," he said. "Right now, I need to speak with you."
Before Max could respond, Chiron grabbed him and lifted him with absurd ease.
The door shut behind them.
Max could swear he heard giggling from inside before the sound cut off completely.
Chiron set him down outside and dusted off his clothes like nothing unusual had happened.
"Now," he said calmly, "we must discuss what to do with you."
They began walking.
"I know you are not a demigod," Chiron continued. "At least not in the traditional sense. Yet you passed the barrier."
He glanced sideways at Max."I assume one of the girls granted you permission."
That thought clicked instantly in Max's mind.
That's it. If Luna or Hana authorizes me, the barrier recognizes it.
Useful.
"So what happens now?" Max asked. "You've got Percy here. He's going to draw way more attention than me."
"Perhaps," Chiron admitted. "But you pose a different risk."
He stopped walking.
"If you remain unclaimed, the camp will view you as a threat. A variable. Something undefined."
He looked Max directly in the eyes.
"It is safer for everyone if you are claimed."
Max frowned."I don't think the gods will claim a false child."
"I can ask a favor," Chiron said simply. "I have served them for centuries. I am owed a few."
Max blinked.
"…You want to know what I can do," he realized.
"Yes," Chiron replied. "But not here. My office."
They entered the Big House.
Max sat down across from him and thought carefully.
"Most of my abilities mimic the Big Three," Max said slowly. "So that's out."
"Absolutely out," Chiron said instantly. "And I refuse to involve them unnecessarily."
"Fair," Max nodded.
"I'm strong," he continued. "Good with weapons. But I'm not hot-headed enough to pass as an Ares child."
He grimaced."And he'd never let me forget I wasn't actually his."
Chiron didn't argue.
That left very few options.
Max exhaled slowly.
"I could pass as a child of Apollo."
Chiron raised an eyebrow."That is a bold claim."
"I'm good with a bow," Max said calmly. "And I can produce fire magic shaped as arrows."
"Fire is not Apollo's domain," Chiron noted.
"But archery is," Max countered.
Chiron studied him.
"You would need to be exceptional."
Max smiled faintly."Oh, you have no idea."
Silence stretched.
Finally, Chiron nodded.
"Very well. I will allow it."
He leaned back slightly.
"Your girls may remain with you. Temporarily."
He held up a finger.
"But you will return the favor someday."
Max nodded immediately."Deal."
"And I will still speak to them," Chiron added.
"Fair."
Max left the office and headed toward the training fields.
Campers were already active—sparring, running drills, testing weapons. The energy was alive with anticipation. Percy's arrival had everyone on edge, even if they didn't consciously know why.
Max thought of the perfect bow, a familiar bow.
Tauropolos.
Atalanta's bow.
Even sealed, it felt perfect.
Balanced. Responsive. Alive.
He stepped onto the range.
Several campers glanced over, curious.
Max nocked an arrow.
Breathed.
Released.
The arrow screamed through the air.
It punched clean through an armored target, continued through the reinforced dummy behind it, and embedded itself deep into the stone wall.
Silence fell over the range.
Max didn't react.
He fired again.
And again.
Each shot was flawless.
Precision. Power. Control.
By the fifth arrow, campers had stopped training entirely and were staring.
Chiron watched from the edge of the field.
He said nothing.
But his expression had changed.
[A.N: What do you think? And i do want an opinion. Should i make Artemis a mix if Dxd, Fate, and Percy Jackson versions and add them to the harem? Anyways Enjoy]