A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR: Hay! So I don't know how long this story will be. It may be one chapter but it may be thirty. I haven't Decided.
Chapter one: The Hunters' new recruit
POV: Thalia
The Hunters of Artemus were in a forest in Washington when they hers a noise. They followed the sound to a clearing. A few miles to the west was a cliff faced mountain rising behind a see of tall pine trees. To the east was nothing but tall pine trees for miles. The same was true for the north and south. There shouldn't have been a mortal for miles. The noise was not a mortal however. It was three cyclopses gathered around a camp fire. Artemus was in the lead with her lieutenant Thalia Grace at her side.
The band of about thirty hunters fanned out around the clearing without making a sound. Artemus was about to give the signal for her hunters to let their arrows fly when one of the cyclops's head's exploded in a bloody mess that caused the rest of the body to instantly dissolve into golden monster dust. A second after this happened there was a faint echo of a rumbling found to the west.
It sounded like thunder but Thalia knew better than to think that, being the daughter of Zeus. The bright blue sky seamed to darken as the birds stopped chirping. The two remaining cyclopses looked to the north and frowned, clearly trying to process what just happened to their friend.
Then the second cyclops's head exploded and the body disintegrated. Again the echo of the rumbling sound came a second later. The last cyclops seamed to realize what was happening and ran for the eastern end of the clearing, desperate to get to the tree line. Before he could make it though his chest burst open and he disintegrated to dust. The echoing rumble ensued the cyclops's death.
"What was that?" Thalia asked in surprise.
"I am not shore." Artemus answered. "But I intend to find out. You will wait here with the other hunters. I will return shortly."
Thalia wanted to protest. She knew better however. Artemus may look twelve but she was actually the Goddess of the moon, Archery and the hunt. Thalia watched as Artemus teleported away.
POV: Jack
Jack lay on his stomach. He was very conferrable where he was. He was laying on a large flat stone with a beautiful view of the country side. Miles of forest lay spread out before him. His right cheek lay resting on the stock of his hunting rifle with a wide smile on his face. He pulled his cheek off the rifle and pulled his right hand off the handle of the rife and brought it up to the bolt. The slammed the bolt up to un loch the chamber. Then he pulled it back to jettison the spent bullet casing where it fell next to the other two ones on the rock beside him. He then slammed the bolt forwards to lock the next bullet into place in the chamber. Finally he pulled the bolt back down to lock the chamber closed so he could shoot again.
He than picked up a pice of chalk and made three more tally marks on the right side of his rifle. The total of marks added up to twenty two. He was still marveling over the way the confused look on the cyclops's face exploded when he shot it. Just then he herd a noise to his left. He spun around and raised his rifle to shoot the monster but froze. The thing in front of him was not a monster but a twelve year old girl.
"Who are you?" Jack demanded as he stood to face the girl and brandished hid rifle.
The girl was so young looking with here brown hair. Her outfit said otherwise though. She wore silver camouflage and carried a bow and quiver full of silver arrows. The girl glared at him like his mere presence was annoying.
"I am Artemus." She declared. "Goddess of the moon and..." She was cut off by the boy.
"Fuck off." He said in a nonchalant tone as he hooked his right arm through a shoulder strap on his rifle and turned to walk away. The Goddess appeared to become enraged at that.
Well good. Jack thought. He was sick of the gods. His own father had left him for dead. Now he just traveled the nation and hunted for monsters. He grimaced as he remembered his mother's face as she lay dyeing in front of him.
As Jack was lost in thought he didn't realize that the goddess that he had turned his back on was drawing an arrow. She notched it an fired it between his legs as a warning shot. She wanted him to stop walking away and to face her.
"Do you know who I am?!" She bellowed to the boy who had stopped but hadn't turned around to face her. "I am a god! I am one of THE most dangerus things on this planet! Do not turn your back on me! And don't you dare tell me to 'Fuck off.'!"
Jack turned to her at these last words and gave her a cocky smile.
"Well, your only half right there." He said cooly. "You are Artemus and you are a god." He said. "But you are not one of the most dangerous things on this planet." He continued. "The most dangerous thing on this planet is one pissed off, fifteen year old demi god and his rifle." He said. "And you just antagonized one."
He turned to leave as if this would settle everything. Artemus however raised her bow and shot another arrow. This one was aimed at the boy's head. It should have killed him but he heard it coming and dogged it. He spun around and dropped to one knee as he raised his rife into a firing position. He looked down the scope with his right eye to make shore he was lined up with the chest of his target. His left eye was open to make shore she wasn't doing anything that would kill him in the next point five seconds.
She was reaching over her shoulder to draw another arrow. She never got the chance. Jack pulled the trigger of his rifle and for the fourth time that day felt his favorite fealing on earth.
Time slowed down. He felt as the trigger released the firing pin. He felt the firing pin make contact with the bullet in the chamber. Felt the explosion of the gunpowder and the recoil as the bullet was propelled forward. He felt the celestial steal bullet flew down the length of this rifle. Saw it as it flew through the air and made contact with it's mark. He knew the bullet would have little to no effect on the goddess but he didn't care. She had tried to kill him. He quickly went through the steps of readying the next round in the rifle's chamber. He had done this so many times it took less than a millisecond.
The goddess stared in shock.
"Who are you?" She asked at last.
"Just call me Jack." Jack answered. The goddess frowned.
"You were the one that killed those cyclopses?" Artemus asked.
Jack nodded, unsure of where this conversation was going.
"Well I do believe we have gotten off on the wrong foot." Artemus said. "I would like to invite you back to my camp sight for a meal I that's all right."
Jack frowned in confusion.
"Why?" He asked.
Artemus shook her head.
"Those cyclopses were pretty tough looking and to be honest with you I am fairly confident that I would have lost a hunter trying to take them down." She said. "So I am only expressing thanks to you for helping me jack."
Jack considered this for a moment and than nodded his acceptance and lowered his rifle.
"Good." The goddess said. "My base camp is a few miles from here."
Then without warning she teleported them both back to where the hunters were waiting. When they arrived Jack looked around to make shore the goddess wasn't trying to trick him or anything. What he saw shocked him. There was thirty girls in silver camouflage with bows and arrows all around him.
"Who is this male?" One girl asked like his existence was some form of curse.
"This is Jack." Artemus answered. "And he is the one that assisted us in our hunt today. The least we can do is offer him some food."
Jack resisted the urge to point out that he was actually the one that tracked down and killed all the cyclopses and that the hunters didn't actually do anything. He figured free food was free food.
"Jack, huh?" a girl with smooth brown hair and storm gray eyes said. She looked to be about his age. He hadn't noticed her yet but she was really pretty.
He nodded in response to her question.
"I'm Jessica." She said.
"And Im Thalia." Said another girl with spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. "Thanks for the help."
Jack nodded again.
"Any time." He said with a shrug.
"If you don't mind me asking." Jessica asked. "How did you kill the cyclopses anyway?"
"I just used Angy here." Jack smiled patting the side of his rifle.
"Angy?" One girl asked. "You named the gun?"
"Of course." Jack answered. "You take care of your weapons and when the time comes they'll take care of you."
"But how?" Jessica asked. "Mortal weapons can't hurt monsters."
"Celestial steal bullets." He said.
"Don't you mean bronze?" Thalia asked in confusion.
Jack shook his head.
"Steal." He said. "I make it my self."
The hunters seamed to perk up at this so he continued.
"All you need to do is melt down some steal than mix in a little melted celestial bronze and them let it cool. The enchantment of the bronze then mixes with the steel and whala a cheep and more versatile weapon. Effective to hunt monsters or deer."
The hunters seamed impressed with this.
"Where do you get the celestial bronze?" Jessica asked.
"Oh thats easy." Jack answered. "That stuff is every where if you know how to look for it."
And so they went back to the camp sight and ate some deer meat and blue berries that the hunters provided as Jack showed them how to make celestial steel over the camp fire. They spent the next few hours talking and laughing. Eventually Artemus stood up and announced that it was time for her to retire for the night and she suggested her hunters do the same.
"Well, I better get going than." Jack said as he stood up off the log he was sitting on. The sun had set hours ago and the only light came from the camp fire. "Thanks for the food."
He was about to leave until Artemus spoke.
"And where do you think you're going?" She asked.
Jack frowned at the question.
Why would she care? he wondered. He had just tried to kill her and she him, not more than a few hours ago.
"I think the hunters have rather taken to you." Artemus continued. "And so have I. Maybe it is time we expand our hunting party a little, don't you say girls?"
There was a small cheer from the hunters and it dawned on jack that Artemus had invited him to join the Hunters of Artemus.
"Why?" He asked. "Why would you want me?"
"You have a boldness that I have not seen in a while." Artemus declared. "And I can sense your good intention behind your mask of...What do they call it?" She was addressing Thalia now.
"Asshole nature." Thalia suggested.
Artemus nodded.
"Yes that's it." She said. "Though I wouldn't say it that strongly."
"I think you're fun." Jessica said.
There were nods of agreement from the other hunters.
They want me? Jack thought.
After carefully thinking it over he finally nodded.
"Ok." He said. "Sounds like it could be interesting."
The hunters took this as a yes and cheered. Artemus smiled and tossed him a silver backpack.
"Inside is everything you will need." She said. "And there is a bow and quiver for you by that tree over there." She said pointing to her left.
Jack studied the bow without moving towards it.
"No." He said. "If I join you, Im keeping my rifle."
His face was set in a determined way.
"Of course you are allowed to use your rifle if you want." Artemus said. "But the bow could still be your back up weapon."
"I still use my spear and shield." Thalia said. "But I also cary the bow."
Jack nodded in understanding.
"Ok." He said as he picked up the bow an quiver.
"Jack. You are now a Hunter of Artemus. You will have partial immortality from this day forward." Artemus spoke. "Welcome to the hunt."
Artemus showed him how to unfurl the magic tent and then bid him a good night. He climbed into his new quarters and sat down on the floor and opened the back pack. Inside was a silver camo T-shirt and black camo cargo pants. There was also a silver hunting knife with a black leather grip. His favorite was the silver camo jacket with the nice sheep wool lining on the inside.
Once he went through everything he spread out his sleeping bag and went to sleep. It was one weird day.
A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR: Thanks for reading. Post a review or PM me and I will update. One review gets you one chapter. Same with PMs. If two of you review than thats two chapters. so on and so forth. Any kind of review is welcome.