Hunting Pythos

by Vitaliciouscreations

I leaned against a tree, breath coming out in short pants. The bark was smoother than normal, but I didn't have time to wonder why. I glanced over my shoulder, scanning the darkness in between the trees for any signs of the bright yellow eyes. There were none, and that was both staggeringly reassuring and horribly terrifying. Silver flashes.

I've been at this for a while, and it might seem a little rushed and badly edited...okay, a lot, but I went for the finish today. I hope you like it.

I don't own Danny Phantom, Percy Jackson, or anything associated with either of them.

I leaned against a tree, breath coming out in short pants. The bark was smoother than normal, but I didn't have time to wonder why. I glanced over my shoulder, scanning the darkness in between the trees for any signs of the bright yellow eyes. There was none, and that was both staggeringly reassuring and horribly terrifying.

Inhaling deeply, I could smell the dankness of the rotting leaves beneath my feet, coupled with the mustiness of the bear which had probably wandered by, maybe even used a nearby tree as a scratching post, or this tree, which might be the cause of it's smoothness. But the most defined scent wasn't from a wild animal or growing plant, but from me. The tangy smell of pure, unadulterated fear and desperation.

I wanted to see Danny, and be protected, like he protects everybody else. But I didn't deserve his attention, he was the great original, and I was just another clone, an attempt to copy his greatness.

That was where Vlad had gotten it wrong. The greatest part about Danny wasn't his status as a halfa, or being Maddie's son. Or maybe Vlad had wanted him because he was Jack's son, and he wanted the pleasure of hearing the fake Danny renounce Jack. But while he was trying so hard to copy Danny, he completely missed the point.

Danny wasn't great because of his high power level, or statuses. He was great because despite the fact he could crush Amity Park, and all the citizens who had hated and despised and shot at him, he didn't, and chose to protect it, even though all he got was hate, and the occasional tomato. Danny was a true hero, and I couldn't even be bothered to stay and try to help him. I wasn't fit to be called a clone of him if I couldn't live through this.

My breath caught in my throat as those thoughts passed through my head, and I sank to my knees. "Danny loves you, he wanted you to stay, you're a good person. If Danny wanted you to stay with him, than you are a good person." I whispered reassurances to myself, but nonetheless my body shook with quiet sobs. "I'm a good person!" I cried out, my voice suddenly resonating through the trees.

Immediately, I froze, glancing around. There was no doubt in my mind that that thing had heard me, loud and clear. Stumbling to my feet, another sob escaped from my mouth, but I forced the sounds down, scrambling away from the area. "Come on, come on," I whispered to myself. 'You can do this, Danielle. Focus!" As I hissed the last word, my feet jolted off the ground, and I was flying. "Keep it together," I instructed myself.

A hiss came from right behind me, and I fought the urge to scream in terror, pushing myself to fly faster, despite my fatigue. "Faster, faster," I chanted under my breath. "Faster!" My silver hair streaked out behind me, still caught up in a pony tail even with all the horrible things I'd been through. That was useful, because I didn't want my vision obscured.

in my peripheral vision, I saw a hint of blue-green, and I knew what was about to happen a moment before it happened, but I didn't have the strength to go intangible. The tail of the monstrous snake trying to have me for dinner whacked my entire left side and sent me flying.

Tree branches grabbed at my arms, leaving slim cuts across my arms, legs, back, face, and everywhere else I hadn't mentioned. My uniform was shredded in the process, barely hanging onto my body, and ectoplasm seemed to be seeping out of me everywhere. My back collided with a tree, but instead of stopping, The trunk shattered around me, wood chips flying everywhere and giving me even more cuts. I hit another tree, this time stopping, and a large crack signified I had broken something. I caught myself on my legs before I could fall to the floor, though.

Every part of my body was in pain, bruised, beaten, sliced, diced, sprained, and broken. Very, very, broken. I could tell just by standing that something in my thigh was badly hurt, and my right ankle was broken. My back screamed at me, probably from being harshly thrown against more than just one tree, and breaking the first one. But I knew I had to keep going, so with shaky, hurt legs, I limped away from the tree. There was no way I was going down like this.

Unfortunately, I'd only made it around thirty meters before a spine-chilling hiss reached my ears. "Oh god," I murmured. "Oh god." I somehow managed to muster the strength to walk just a little stagger blindly just a little faster, but that made no difference, and I knew that as I spotted a pair of terrible yellow eyes ahead of me.

Stumbling backwards, it took almost all my energy to not trip and fall and give up, so I started heading in the other direction, keeping my eyes on the yellow ones. Instead of what I expected, which was for the yellow eyes to come at me, mouth gaping, they remained there, and another hiss came from their direction, but this one paused every few seconds, like snake laughter.

I tripped over a tree root, but caught myself with my hands before I face planted in the ground. It took all my strength to push myself up, but I did, turning back to where the yellow eyes still were. That was when I realized why it wasn't coming after me. Because it didn't need to, because if I strained my eyes I could see a wall of bluish greenish scales all around, coming closer by the second. it was going to squeeze me to death, and eat me, and I couldn't do anything because my power level was drained. I was done.

I turned to face the yellow eyes fully and completely, glaring at them, resigned to the fact I was probably about to become an entree, but not quite ready to go down without a fight. The running part was done, but that didn't mean the battle was won. The dumb part of my mind noted that I had just rhymed, and the instinctive part told it to shut up and focus on staying alive. It did so.

The vision in my left eye went red, and my eyelid automatically shut. I wiped the back of my hand across my eye, successfully getting my vision back, and using that vision to investigate the red blood on the back of my hand, while still watching the serpent's eyes, and the ever advancing blue-green scales. Red blood, I'd changed back, and hadn't even noticed the flash of light. It made sense, seeing how I hardly had enough energy to stand, much less stay in my more powerful and resistant form.

Another hiss filled the forest as the coils finally reached me and wound around me, squeezing the air out of my lungs. Come on, Danielle, I thought, focusing on becoming intangible. Intangibility flashed for a brief second, but not long enough. COME ON! I screamed in my head, but my energy was gone, and so was the air in my lungs. My vision was fading as I desperately gasped for breath.

Black slowly crept from the edges of my vision, and in my haze, I almost missed the thrum sound of an arrow being released, and a flash of silver flying into one of those hideous yellow eyes. The pressure on my torso lessened, but remained, but I did have the opportunity to inhale just a bit. The black did not recede, and I watched in a half-dead, or, I guess, three-fourths dead trance as more little flashes of silver came out of the darkness, hitting the serpent. Beautiful golden liquid dripped from the wounds and onto me, making my wounds sting.

Just before my vision faded the rest of the way, I saw the serpent explode in a puff of golden dust and heard shouts and footsteps. I hoped that they were coming towards me, and maybe I wouldn't die the rest of the way. Then the darkness took over, but even so, the pain did not fall away.

"Hey!" A voice cut through the darkness. "She's waking up!"

"I'll get Thalia," another voice volunteered, and there was a rustling noise.

A groan broke the silence, and I wondered who it was from, before realizing it was my own. My eyelids felt like they were stuck together, and I lay still while putting great effort into opening my eyes. It was like they were weighed down by lead.

Another rustling sound came to my ears as I slowly peeled my eyes open. The first thing I saw was the face of a girl older than me. She had short black hair, a silver tiara perched on her head, and she was dressed in practical clothes, but the color scheme was all silver. There was even a silver bow clutched in one hand, a quiver of matching arrows on her back.

"Where-" my voice was thick and slow, and my mouth tasted like blood and ectoplasm. I smacked my lips, trying to get some saliva in my mouth, then continued. "Where am I?"

"That's not important," the girl with the tiara told me. "You barely survived, and even with Artemis's help, you'll probably be in pretty bad shape. You would have died." The name Artemis flashed in the back of my mind, but didn't come up front, so I ignored that. "I'm Thalia," the girl continued. "What's your name?"

"Can I-" I croaked out, but my dry throat cut me off after that. "Water," I finally managed, but it was a low, crackling whisper.

"Water," Thalia instructed someone out of my view. I was flabbergasted she'd heard that at all, or maybe it was just a guess. Either way, she got a cup of water handed to her, which she set to my lips. I took a couple greedy gulps, and then the cup was empty.

Thalia set the cup down. "Your name?" she wondered, and at her tone, which was no-nonsense, but still gentle, all thoughts of lying were immediately crushed my a ten ton block of guilt. Well, maybe not ten tons, maybe like five hundred pounds.

"Danielle," I answered attempting to sit up, and thoroughly shocked when pain didn't ripple across my body. Apparently, my face showed it, because Thalia's lips stretched in just a hint of a smile.

"Nice name," she complimented, then turned her head from me for a moment. I followed her line of sight to see an african american girl who looked around eleven, a year younger than me. She was also cloaked in silver. "Hannah, can you go get some more water, and tell Lady Artemis that she's awake."

"Why do I know that name?" I inquired as Hannah ducked out of the building, which i know saw as a silver tent. "Artemis?"

"She's the goddess of the Hunt, and the Moon," Thalia informed me. "The Greek myths, all real. It might be a bit of a shock to you, but you lasted long enough against that Pythous to have a bit of an open mind, am I right?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Greek Goddess? Pshhh, I deal with stuff crazier than that with my c-cousin." My voice caught on the word, almost turning to say…something other than cousin, but I pulled through.

"She sounds pretty strange," Thalia murmured, putting a hand to the small of my back and lifting me into a sitting position.

"He," I corrected, feeling much better that my torso was now vertical. "Thanks."

"So," Thalia began, and I could tell by the tome of voice she was about to breach a much more important subject than small talk. "How did you survive against the Pythous for so long? And why were you covered in green liquid?"

I winced at the mention of the ectoplasm, but quickly tried to cover it up. The look on Thalia's face told me that she wasn't buying it. "I have some fighting experience," I told her, reminding myself to dance around the mention of anything ghostly. "I've been on the run for a while, traveling places, seeing the sights, discovering that all hamburgers taste the same no matter where you go. I've run into a few thugs here and there, and what can I say, I don't go down without a fight."

"Thugs don't equip a twelve year old girl to battle a giant serpent for more than an hour and a half, and from what we've estimated, that's exactly how long it was."

"I eat my broccoli." I attempted a joke, shrugging.

Thalia didn't laugh, and instead reached a hand out to me. At first I flinched, expecting her to grab me, but instead she extended a finger and scooped a bit of ectoplasm on to it. She held it up to my face, raising an eyebrow. "What is this?" she wondered in a no nonsense tone.

I felt my muscles tense up, not sure how to respond. "Uhh…" I trailed off, my eyes flicking all over, anywhere for an answer, but all I saw was silver tent, silver supplies. What was it with silver.

"Thalia," an elegant voice intoned, and both myself and Thalia turned to look at a new person entering the tent. A girl, around my age, or at least what looked like my age on the outside. She had pretty auburn hair I was a bit jealous of, pulled into a tight brain straight down her back. Thalia sat up straighter, her face becoming more serene, and it was obvious to me that this girl was important, more important than Thalia, who seemed to have everybody's respect.

"Lady Artemis," Thalia addressed the girl, and I felt my tongue go numb. If I'd been talking, I would have been left speechless. I guess it was lucky that respectful silence existed, and I hoped it looked like I was attempting it, because I seriously doubted my ability to form coherent words if I tried to talk right this instant.

"My Lieutenant," Artemis lilted in a very endearing way, which made me feel that Thalia had helped her in many ways and times. She turned to me, and I held back a gasp at the sight of silvery-yellow eyes, the color of the full moon on a warm night. Of course I knew this, I was a stargazer. Another thing to thank Danny for.

"I believe," the goddess began to say, glancing me up and down. "That we have a very unique and special original here before us, Thalia." She gave me a small smile, which seemed warmer than you'd expect from a goddess. I felt it was in my best interest to return the grin, but all I mustered was a weak grin that soon slid off of my face. She seemed appeased anyway.

"That's ectoplasm on your finger, Thalia," the goddess said to Thalia, motioning with her odd eyes to my green lifeblood dripping off the girl's finger. "From our new friend here, a halfa. Very rare." The goddess turned to me. "I was under the impression there was only one true halfa, and that he was an adolescent male." I choked slightly. Danny, I thought, but resisted from speaking the word aloud.

I opened my mouth to respond, with what I didn't know, but the goddess continued speaking, saving me from myself. "There's a false halfa, more like a third. A bitter old man." Okay, no matter how horrible the situation, Vlad being described as bitter and old will always hold at least a hint of amusement. "And the young halfa, but not a female halfa." She studied me curiously. "I haven't heard of you, or either of your births, life or half-death."

A bitter taste (like Vlad, I thought for an entertaining moment) tingled upon my taste buds, because I knew immediately that she knew, she was figuring out right now.

Artemis leaned closer, her face serene, and surprisingly clear of judgment. "Perhaps because it wasn't a convention birth?"

I felt tears form at the corners of my eyes, and blinked ferociously to keep them at bay. I was Dani, I was me. I did not cry. It had been quite a day, damaged beyond repair by some creepy snake monster, and then humiliated by some pompous goddess. Horrible.

"So?" I asked, letting the emotion I was feeling show in my voice in the form of rebellion.

"I'm not here to judge you…" Artemis looked to Thalia.

"Danielle," the girl supplied, looking curious, but I could tell she had faith in the girl before her, even though she appeared the eldest here.

"A fitting name." Artemis's voice was like a song to listen to, smooth and melodious, but not overly. "Meaning 'God is my judge'. I would never dream of taking up the position of judging you, Danielle, but if I did, I would say you were strong against the Pythos." Unlike Thalia, who seemed to say the word with just a bit of uncomfortableness to the tone, the word slid off of Artemis's tongue easily. I flushed at the comment, despite myself.

"Thalia is my most trusted adviser," Artemis told me. "I trust her with most secrets, and I would trust her with yours." I knew, in an indirect way, Artemis was asking my permission to tell Thalia what I am, and I decided to give it, with a soft bob of the head. Strange that I would trust so soon, but somehow I knew Artemis was a goddess as soon as she walked into the tent, and if you couldn't trust a goddess, who could you trust? She could blast me to smithereens right here and now, or even when I was a million miles away.

"Danielle, you are a clone from the one true halfa, correct?" Artemis asked, and Thalia momentarily looked like she was going to choke. I nodded quietly, beginning to doubt, but there was no further negative reaction from Thalia, just a soft encouraging smile. I smiled back, but I knew it was trembly. I was scared, but Artemis, and Thalia, and everything. So confusing.

"Daniel Fenton," Artemis said blankly, and I winced at how similar Danielle and Daniel sounded. Thalia noticed, and grinned at me. Somehow, it made me feel better. "The one true halfa. The gods have plans for him."

"Plans?" I asked. So what, I hated Vlad and hated being a clone. Danny was the best person ever, and the only person who'd ever actually been nice to me, truly, truly, truly nice, no visible advantage to him anywhere. He'd gone though hell for me and I'd thanked him by flying away with nary a goodbye. Twice. He didn't deserve 'plans' on his agenda as well.

"Plans," Artemis repeated, and I noticed Thalia wince slightly at the repetition of the word. Not good. "Not all good," Artemis vocalized my thoughts. "Between Clockwork and my father and uncles, your original is not set to have a life full of happiness, but in the end, hopefully, he will get his reward."

"Like the world needs another Jackson," Thalia grumbled. "Not so much Jackson, as what follows." I wondered who Jackson was. It also baffled me how she didn't ask who Clockwork was, even though I was pretty sure she didn't know. I didn't, or hardly. A couple whispered rumors while I was passing through the Zone, and this could be a completely different Clockwork. Then again, how many people are named Clockwork?

"Daniel is a fine young hero," Artemis assured her. "Already battled the Ghost King and taken his place, the other fake," contempt was rich in her voice, which I enjoyed," halfa, and his greatest inner demon."

Thalia looked a bit surprised. "Ghost King like Nico di Angelo, my Lady?"

Artemis smiled slightly. "Nico is not the true King of Ghosts, despite his boast and the prophecy. Pariah Dark was an evil ghost who dictated over the ghosts before he was defeated by ancient ghosts, with the gods help, and sealed away. He escaped again, thanks to the help of," Artemis's lip curled in disgust. "A rather abhorrent, odious man." Vlad? Ha ha? Dissed by a goddess. Take that you old gas bag! "And then, before the gods could do more than gather to strategize about thinking about interfering, he was locked away nearly single-handedly, and therefore, the ghost who triumphed was awarded his title, no matter how he wishes he didn't have it." I smiled at this, thinking about Danny screaming at a bunch of pushy ghosts holding a crown and scepter and beating them out of his house and into the portal with a broom.

"So this guy's a major player," Thalia theorized. "And she's his clone…" I waited with bated breath for her next reply, because her opinion seemed strangely important to me. "I don't see why we don't shove an invitation into her hands immediately." Invitation? What?

"Danielle," Artemis turned back to me, a caring expression on her face. "You may not understand or comprehend most of this, but we will teach you. I know more of you than you'd imagine, and I know you're strong and brave. My hunters are all girls who have no family to flee too, little friends to live with, but brave at heart and strong of mind. I'd like to extend a hand of friendship as well as an opportunity to join to you, Danielle, and we shall explain all either way.

Both girls looked at me expectantly, and I breathed in through my nose nervously. After a couple more calming breaths, my mind was clear, and I thought through everything. I may not know everything, but I knew enough. Enough to make the decision. I opened my mouth...

'Cause, see, I don't know what she's going for, so you get to make it up. Hope your imaginations are up for the challenge and you don't disregard me.