Chapter 1: A typical Day.
Jason really hated Lizards.
Well, that may be a slightly obscure statement. Jason did not hate lizards in general. He hated big lizards. He hated lizards that threatened your life. Sure there were poisonous lizards, and other such things, that were plenty small. But Jason did not hate those with the passion he hated a particular kind of lizard.
He hated the kind that was about...well, it was very big. And it was a very peculiar type of lizard. It was unique in that the thing had five heads. And something that made it very unique, and made Jason hate it all the more, was the fact that the middle head just so happened to be able to breath fire. And that fire was something Jason did not want to be caught in, and so he hated the slimy, reptilian, big-ass lizard even more for it.
Long story short...Jason really hated Hydras. And the fact that he was having to run around for his life, with one nipping and biting at his precious buttocks as he ran, was not helping thing at all...
"Would you people hurry those freaking arrows up!" He screamed at the group of boys a good fifty yards away, readying a type of explosive arrow that they had been assured would destroy this foul creature without the bad side-effect should it's head not being cauterized upon decapitation. Or so they had been told by one of their experts back at camp.
"Just keep distracting that thing Jason, your really good at it!" a boy named Mikhail shouted back. He was working as fast as he could to set it up, but it sure as hell wasn't fast enough for Jason. With a hydra on his tail, nothing could come faster...except death. Death could take a card and wait it's turn.
He ran for all he was worth in an essential circle, the hydra snapping at his back with the speed of a rattlesnake. Jason had already been singed by the things fiery breath, and he was hoping to the gods that he could get away before it tried that move again. He heard another growl from directly behind him, and made a leap forward just as the hydra head snapped forward.
Jason felt it's hot breathe on his back and the snap of it's jaws slamming shut. He had once again just barely dodged a bite, though he would swear that he had lost a chunk of his pants in it's jaws. Mikhail took a moment to look up from preparing his arrows to congratulate Jason.
"Hey, nice one there man. You sure can be pretty springy when you have to be!" He hollered. How the boy could laugh while his lieutenant was being attacked by a hydra was beyond Jason, but the boy had always been like that.
"Well, feel free to help out at any time!" Jason screamed.
"Almost ready man, just give us a another couple of seconds!"
Jason swore. They had to be getting a kick out of this. Was he too strict on them for messing something up? Was this some sort of sick, twisted type of revenge for this group of brotherhood? Well, he might want to make a point next time he talked to them. A point that you don't take revenge in situations like this. But this was assuming he could last the few seconds that Mikhail had said they needed.
Next time, he was going to be the one to run in circles with a monster chewing on their butt...
"Alright then, we got em' ready Jason. Lead that five-headed Godzilla wannabe right over here!"
About damn time...
Jason made a ninety degree turn, just as the hydra pitched back and sent a stream of fire right at him. He covered his face to shield it, and ran dead straight for the group of boys posted a ways away. He felt a strange burning sensation at his butt, and realized with some rather embarrassing thoughts that his rear end had been set on fire. But he really could not afford to brush out the flames, just make his best impression of a cartoon character making flames on his way to the group now pointing their bows at the monstrosity behind him.
Jason ran straight for them for all he was worth. He felt the hot breathe of the creatures breathe and the snapping of air as it bit and reached for him. His teeth were gritted tight against one another in concentration as he forced his legs to work faster and faster. One might think that the boy was making an impression of the road-runner cartoon, if not for his flaming behind and huge reptile trying to eat him.
He dove down just as his brothers fired off their volley. When he fell, he immediately rolled over and smothered his butt fire, relishing the fact that it was now out. Then he turned to see the hydra had been momentarily stunned by the volley of arrows that had just been punched into it. Then it roared in defiance.
Jason watched the fuses burn down to the explosives within the arrows, and gave the hydra a grin.
"Eat this, you overgrown five headed gecko!"
With a shattering explosion, the hydra exploded. And Jason had just a second to react before he was catapulted several feet back by the force of the explosion. And then, just seconds later, he was smacked in the face by the blood and guts that had sprayed out from the creature. He gagged and spit, the blood even in his mouth. Thankfully, most of it's remains vanished in a flurry of gold dust, though he was still soaked in blood.
Mikhail got up along with the rest of the hunting party and walked over to Jason. Mikhail was a son of Ares, and extremely muscular. He also had the cocky attitude to match, and he never got enough of tormenting Jason. Despite this, Jason had come to favor the boy, as there really was very few he would trust to have his back in a fight.
But Mikhail was not helping his mood right now. Which was annoyed, to say the least.
"Well...that was impressive. Nice Forest Gump impression by the way."
Jason gave him an annoyed glare, and then retrieved his weaponry and bow. He did not bother to try to wipe of the blood, for it would take some serious scrubbing before the blood would come off his armor and clothing. Actually, he would probably burn these clothes after tonight.
"Next time we do this Mikhail, your going to be the bait."
Mikhail only chuckled in reply.
-Thirty Minutes Later-
The camp was alive and full of activity when the hunting party returned from their little expedition. Boys sparred and exercised. Some were taking it easy for today, playing cards or listening to music. Several of the brotherhood had actually managed to snare themselves laptops. Children of Hermes in the brotherhood got plenty of reasons to use their gifts.
Darren was sitting next to several and watching something on one of their laptops, which caused them all a great laugh. But he got an even bigger laugh when he saw Jason trudge into camp, still looking miserable from what he had just gone through. He walked up and grinned.
"Hello, oh great lieutenant. Have you had a good day?" he asked with mocking politeness. Jason stared at the son of Athena with a mocking smile. And then he addressed his sub-lieutenant with an equally sarcastic politeness.
"Why yes I have Darren. I have just spent a good three or so minutes being chased by a lizard that is the size of a several story building, that just so happens to breathe fire, and have nearly gotten my ass bitten off several times. On top of that, my brothers took their dear sweet time with their preparations on the new arrows, which worked beautifully. And we slew the hydra, never mind the fact that I have had my butt nicked and then set on fire, which will make bathroom visits a little painful. And I also been thoroughly covered in hydra blood, which if I might say so, stinks like hell. So yes Darren, I have had quite an exquisite day. How has yours?"
"Pretty good...I beat everyone at Risk."
Jason dropped his charade and simply glared. Darren saw the mood change and laughed like a rabid hyena, slapping his thigh in hysterics.
"I you don't mind...I am going to get out of these clothes and wash up. Watch the boys while I'm gone, would ya'?"
"Sure thing man..."
As Jason was walking away, he heard Darren whisper.
"Nice ass by the way..."
Jason whirled around and glared daggers at him, but Darren only laughed harder, this time making tears drop from his eyes.
"Just kidding man, just kidding!" he continued to laugh all the while as Jason made his way into his tent. Ripping off his stained armor, he tore off the stinky clothes and wiped at his body with a washcloth. He would get a proper shower later. Right now he needed food and some proper rest.
He opened his tent and sat among the his brothers. He listened to their joyful spouting and jeers. A smile crossed his face as he watched an listened to their young complaints and hopeful dreams. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering all those days in his early career with them, wanting all the best for them. And he still did, his love for them not diminished in the slightest, not even since the war against those huntresses.
It was a touchy subject, the war. Many brothers still complained about it, even though Orion had finally revealed all the details of what transpired to make the war happen. But old rivalries are hard to get rid of, and many brothers still talked about the huntresses with icy contempt. Jason could sympathize, as he still did not trust women very much at all. He admitted to the skill of some of them, especially the lieutenant of the huntresses, that Thalia. But he still remembered the losses they had sustained, and while the war may have been declared on false pretenses, it's wounds ran deep.
He still remembered the way that in that final battle, how Orion had come to almost destroy Artemis once and for all. And then...it was still pretty confusing for him, even now. But he knew that Orion had somehow been healed of something, by none other than Artemis, the very goddess that they were fighting. And then that other goddess Nemesis, showed up. And she tried to kill Artemis, which Orion prevented. Jason could not help but wonder just what had snapped in Orion to suddenly have a change of heart that sudden, but Nemesis then tried to kill Orion. And that was when every member of them rose to defend him. They did not stand a chance against Nemesis in single combat, though Jason felt he may have made an impression with his personal stand.
And he thought back to how, when he lay there with a wound deep in his flesh, and his mind fading, how that goddess Artemis had come and healed him. Why she did that, he did not know, but apparently he was wrong on one account. Women might know what honor was, even if it was a little known subject for many of them. And so he allowed her to heal him, though it was probably more painful than actually being run through.
They had defeated Nemesis. They left their camp the next day. Jason remembered the quick shoot back that Thalia said when they complimented each other, and he had maintained a grudging respect for her. But only her, and no other huntress. They were all still second rate to him and the brotherhood, as he saw it.
There was a commotion as one of the brotherhood got out his guitar. Morgan, a son of Apollo, and probably the best singer Jason knew, had finally been coaxed into playing some tunes for them. He made a show of swiping his hair back over his face, in an impression of what some famous long-haired singers would do to impress the ladies when they were performing.
"So gents, I understand you all would like some music?" he asked with a smile, his white teeth dazzling bright.
"Yeah!" the boys shouted in a mock fan scream.
"Are you all ready to hear some music I say!"
"Yeah!"
"I can't hear you!"
"Just play some damn music already, geez!" one of them shouted, and there was a howl of laughter.
"Here we go!"
He began to play. It was one of the more popular songs that he liked, "In Our Blood" by HIM. He sang the lyrics with an unequal beauty, and he even seemed to outshine the original singer who sings it. Jason felt his mood brighten at the music. Morgan always had a calming effect on them, his singing being that good.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see that even Lord Orion had come out of his tent to listen to Morgan. He nodded at Jason, and then turned toward Morgan, a small smile on his face as Morgan finished his song. When he was done, the brotherhood let out a collective howling and cheering, though it wasn't very loud. There were only about twenty-five of them at the moment.
Morgan made a show of getting up and taking a bow, and then sat down, once again doing his "rock-star hair swish" move.
"So, any requests for the next act?"
"Cry Little Sister!" one of the brothers called out. There were some shouts of agreement.
"Alright then, let's get singing."
Jason paid even more attention to this song then the last. He had heard it several years ago and was captivated by the power of it. The way the vocals and instruments had created the perfect atmospheric blend, and the message within the lyrics. He closed his eyes and allowed Morgan to sing it, again being superb with his voice.
Last fire will rise
Behind those eyes
Black house will rock
Blind boys don't lie...
Jason's mind was lost within the first round of lyrics. This song had special meaning for him.
Immortal fear
That voice so clear
Through broken walls
That scream I hear...
Everyone braced for the chorus...
Cry Little Sister!
Thou shall not fall
Come, come to your brother!
Thou shall not die
Unchain me sister!
Thou shall not fear
Love is with your brother
Thou shall not kill!
The song continued, but Jason's mind was on the power of the chorus. He thought back to when Orion had saved him from his abusive mother and sister, who were on the verge of outright killing him. He had promised that Jason would be immortal if he joined his this group he was planning. That he would not die of old age, and that he would never be afraid of anything ever again. The phrase about not killing still did not mean much to Jason, but he knew he could find meaning for it somewhere.
Orion removed his hand from Jason's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, in an almost fatherly way. Orion had adopted them all in a way. Most of the Brotherhood Of The Hunt was comprised of the abandoned and the homeless, and those whom had suffered greatly at the hands of women and girls. Orion had collected them all like lost puppies, which in a way, they were. And he had given them a family to depend on, a brotherhood stronger than most family ties. Which was one reason why their war with the huntresses harsh on them, for every brother felled was almost like their own blood being spilled.
But it made no sense to dwell on it, for the war was over by several months now, and it was time for the brotherhood to find it's place in this world. Last they heard, Artemis and her huntresses were almost completely on the opposite side of the country, near the Canadian border. It was best that some sizable distance remained between the two groups, at least for now.
Morgan finished the song, and the clapping rang out louder than some sword fights they had had. He made several kissing motions with his hands to all the boys, despite some faces being made at the motions. Then he sat down to enjoy dinner. Several boys had managed to snag a deer and quite a few lizards for dinner. The diet of the brotherhood was somewhat unconventional, but they really were not fond of just cruising town for food, unless they needed supplies of a different kind.
Jason bit into the meat of some kind of lizard, and found that it was actually very tasty. He remarked that he had helped kill one lizard today and was now eating another. That earned several grins as the boys near him heard. Lord Orion ate alone, as he usually did, a ways away from the main group. He seemed to enjoy eating his meals alone, and no one ever bothered him while he ate, unless it was necessary. He had been given a chunk of the deer, and was actually much more modest than the boys, who simply tore into their food like starving wolves.
Jason continued to eat, ignoring the typical yelling and loud gossip going on around him. Many boys just couldn't seem to talk at least quietly, as not to disturb others. And so the air was full of gossip from the release of the next Twilight movie, which was a disgrace to vampires, to finding a way to smuggle in some more electronics from the stores in the nearby town.
Jason finished his meat and was sampling the various different breads that some brotherhood had decided to simply take from the nearby town store. They may have mostly hunted their food, but that didn't mean that everything just happened to walk along. Bread and other things needed to be collected, and that is where the children of Hermes came into play once again.
If we did not have those kinds here, we probably starve someday, Jason thought to himself. He had just swallowed another bite when Orion stood up and pounded his fist on the table, almost instantly making the noise stop and every brother's attention completely on him. He observed him and smiled, every brother finding comfort in that happy face of his.
"I first must say that I am greatly pleased by the conduct and hunting skill that you all have exhibited. You have made me proud to call you brothers."
No one made a noise, but their spirits soared.
"As a reward for such fine service, I am going to grant some leave for all of you."
There were some rapidly beating hearts now.
"One group will stay here and tend the camp. Another will be allowed to freely roam the town and do what pleases them, so far as they don't do anything drastic. I think you all know what I mean by drastic?"
They nodded.
Orion gave them one last smile before turning to leave.
"First group will be lead by Jason and half of the brothers. The next will be led by Darren and the other half. We will continue this pattern for at least a week, and then move on to some different hunting grounds. That is all." he left without another word. Orion had always been very direct with them, and also very laconic.
There were some cheers of joy and rowdiness from the brothers, and everyone swarmed Jason for the news of who would be the first group. Jason waved them off, saying that due to his weariness, he would pick them out in the morning. He then told them to get their rest, as the group leaving would be getting an early start, and the group to stay would need to make sure the camp stayed orderly and to send hunting parties.
He left the throng and entered his tent. He walked over to his bed and sat upon it. His blood-stained armor was lying nearby, but he did not feel like messing with it as of now. He slowly removed most of his clothing, throwing it in a pile nearby. He then slipped into his bed and closed his eyes, finally getting some sleep for a change. Being a lieutenant was more physical than most would have thought...
Jason screamed as they thrust the cigarette into his skin. He felt the sharp burn as it was put out within his flesh, and he heard them laugh at his torment. He was bound hand and foot, and dressed only in his boxers. He had spilled some kind od drink on his sister, and now is mother was making him pay for it dearly.
"Oh, don't be such a little crybaby, it doesn't hurt," his sister said. And then she put her own cigarette out in the flesh of his back, earning another scream from Jason.
Rain pelted down on his almost naked body, and the two women laughed at his misery. He had already acquired several burn marks upon him from previous sessions, but this time, they seemed determined to outright kill him.
"You know you are just an accident right? Your father is dead, and no one is coming for you. So just suck it up and take it," his mother jeered. Then she lit another cigarette. She smoked it a few times before she began to lower ti to his burned body.
As she lowered it, a huge fist came out of nowhere and pummeled her on the back of her head. Her eyes seemed to vibrate with the shock, and she fell face-forward onto the alley's stone cold floor. His sister opened her mouth to scream, but she was silenced by a vicious back-handed blow. She joined her mother on the ground.
Jason cowered in fear of the huge man that had suddenly appeared. He seemed to radiate power beyond anyone Jason had ever met, and he looked down at the boy with a strange look on his face. His eyes were full of wisdom, and Jason saw a pitying lok begin to cross his face.
"I see you have found out what women are truly made of..." he said, almost seemingly to himself.
Jason did not reply. He simply whimpered in the pain of his burns.
The man dropped down and gently picked him up with one powerful move. Jason yelped in fear, and the man rested his hand on his back, soothing the burns left by his family.
"You need not worry, young man. I will not harm you. My name is Orion."
And then he began to carry the weak boy down the alley, talking to him of what he was, and what he was now doing. And despite the information that Jason was receiving from him, not one bit of fear ever touched his heart. He had never been afraid of anything since...
In his sleep, despite the nightmarish first part of his dream...Jason smiled.
-morning-
Around the encampment, the song of the birds could be heard. Several of the boys were already up, mostly because they were on cooking duty. One of the responsibilities shared by all of them were the basic fundamentals of camp life. There were a few who were excepted from having them required to do them, like Jason and the two sub-lieutenants. But even they had to pitch in every so often.
Jason awoke with a yawn and stretched. He climbed out and fumbled through his bag of clothes for some relatively clean ones, knowing that later, several boys would be sent to do the laundry. Those who gave them their clothes to wash had better make sure they checked the pockets, as what was in them and discovered by the boys on duty was usually theirs to keep.
He opened the tent flab and breathed in the cool morning air. Around them, the camp was coming alive, with brothers emerging from their tents, albeit at a varying pace. The call for breakfast rang out, and those nearby hurried to be the first for some grub. It generally got worse the farther down the barrel the food was, so one in the right mind would make a point of being one of the first in line.
After breakfast, Jason began to pick out the ones who would accompany him to the nearby town to have what fun could be had. They all buzzed around him, and though Jason put on the show that he had already knew whom was coming, in reality, he really was just picking people at random. The only one he was sure of was Mikhail, whom he always loved to have his back. The rest were mostly boys he pointed at and said were coming.
As they began to leave Orion called out one last time to have fun and not to draw attention to themselves, something that a few of the brothers seemed to have trouble with. Jason led them on a road for a few miles, staying out of sight within the tree line. Many of the group hollered and made a little fun out of their hike, and Jason decided that since there were only a few people living outside of the town, they needn't be told to shush or anything.
They entered the outskirts of the town and Jason stopped them, needing to set some ground rules for their visit.
"Okay guys, here's the deal. We are gonna break off into groups of four. Thirteen boys traveling together might raise a few of the authorities eyebrows, so we need to be a little careful. We have about ten hours to kill here, so go ahead and do what wanna do. But do NOT get caught by any cops or other people, or there is gonna be hell to pay with me and Lord Orion. Are we clear?"
"Sure, sure, can we go ahead now?" Mikhail asked.
Jason chuckled and waved them on. Mikhail and three others remained, with the two other groups separating in two directions toward the town. It was a pretty big town, with many stores and houses. Jason would have guessed the population to be very much in the thousands, and so there would certainly be a lot of places where adolescent boys could kill some time.
First stop was the local mall, where the boys were quick to find the arcade. They had brought quite a bit of money from the camp, mostly stolen by Hermes kids or simply found on the ground. Orion usually made one of the sub-lieutenants the brotherhood's treasurer, and it was his job to keep any mortal or immortal money they found secure.
They had the time of their lives in there, beating the games they played. The powers gained from becoming part of the brotherhood gave them much better coordination than the standard teen, and some marveled at how these boys were beating most games on the hardest difficulty level. Jason got no end of amusement hearing the comments of cheating or luck that the average arcade goer whispered about them.
Afterward, they decided to raid one of the game stores for games that would be compatible with the electronics that Orion had allowed them to start gathering. Orion had no use for such devices, his mind still not wrapped around such things as electronic entertainment. But Jason and the rest were from a whole different era when it came to such things, and Jason allowed himself to feel like a kid in a candy store as he browsed the games. After checking that there were no cameras in the store, he was quick to snare a few. Hermes kids had taught most of them the finer points of shoplifting.
Jason felt more relaxed and more like the kid he once was. This was shaping out to be a very good day...if only they knew just how brutally short the good times would be.
Well, I said I might...and I guess I did. The first chapter in this new tale is done. In this story, I am actually going to try to aim for the type of villain that I have seen nothing of on this site, in order to keep the originality of the first story. And I promise that the characters of the brotherhood will be developed much better than they were in the last, as now the story is about them.
If anyone is interested in voting for "The War Of The Hunters", I have the link to the website posted on my profile. Just go there and get to the voting section and then the "Angst" section. Then if you want to cast your lot with me, feel free to vote for it.
A word of warning, I might possibly have to change this to an M rating. This story is going to be much darker and have a much more brutal feel, due to the content of what will happen in the future. I don't know exactly what will come, but be ready in case of rating change.