I don't own PJO.
Chapter One
Artemis' POV
I crept through the forest silently, gazing intently at an incredible eagle high up in the trees. It perched on top of a pine branch that was heavily accented with its needle-leaves; an almost impossible shot. A great challenge. Believe it or not, I've basically caught, killed, and skinned at least one of every animal known to be in a forest, that is, except for the magnificent bird of prey kind of in front of me. Too rare of a species.
Deep breath. In. Out. Focus.
I pull back the string on my bow and a silver arrow appears out of thin air, materializing gradually, silently. This was all about stealth. I closed my right eye briefly as I took aim (I shoot left-handed).
A twang echoed throughout the very small clearing and I saw a crudely made arrow fly straight towards the bird, but six inches too high and to the left.
A clear miss.
Now imagine my astonishment when, upon hearing the classic sound of an arrow being released, the eagle launched itself into the air, practically committing suicide via impalement. The arrow pierced its chest, and it gave a blood curdling shriek and fell sixty feet to the ground. The poor bird landed with a hollow thud, the undertone of crunching bones accompanying choppily.
I was highly tempted to race forward, grab the prize, and run, but something held me back. If someone could shoot so well with such a horrible, crappy weapon, I wanted to stay and see who it was. (And it's obviously implied if the archer is female she has a guaranteed spot in the Hunt.)
A boy, around the age of eight, with black hair and careful steps glided through the undergrowth with ease. He was almost dressed normally for a hunter: black tee, dark jeans, and a dark green cotton jacket. (Colors that correspond with the forest.) The only difference being that he had an off-white bandage wrapped tightly around his neck and no shoes. Odd. He gently picked up the still-dying creature and stroked it soothingly until it died. He placed the bird on the grass covered ground and spun around to face me. In one smooth movement, he pulled his bow off his back and had another crudely crafted arrow drawn before I even realized it was pointed my direction. He had great reflexes, and could sense me when I masked my presence from all, the markings of a truly powerful half-blood. Observation time was over.
"Peace, I mean you no harm. It appears we were hunting the same thing and I simply wished to see who caught that magnificent animal there." I gestured to the dead eagle at his feet.
He inclined his head politely, asking for more information without questioning me.
"My name is Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Archery, and the Moon, twin of Apollo. Yes," I smirked. "The Greek gods are real."
I don't know if I was awaiting a shocked display of emotions or if I wanted to scare him, but my heart plummeted when he didn't acknowledge me in any way. His face was free of any feelings. I slowly set my weapon down and waited cautiously until he did the same. The arrows might not be able to kill me, but they sure as Hades wouldn't feel like sparkles and rainbows. I relaxed when his bow touched the ground.
Suddenly, the boy plopped onto his rear end, stretched his legs out in front of him, and plucked up the bird. One by one, he pulled out feathers and sorted them into color piles. (Brown, white, and speckled.) He smiled and waved to the empty space in front of him. I took it as a request to sit.
"Since I told you my name, I think that you should introduce yourself to me. And let me know of your parentage, you reek of demigod." No answer.
"Hello? Anyone home?" No answer.
"Just answer me asshole!" He shook his head.
"No? No! You dare to refuse what a goddess tells you?" He shrugged his shoulders with a helpless little smile.
I clamped down on my jaw, making my teeth ache slightly. The boy gestured for me to come closer and I reluctantly scooted towards him a little bit. He reached to the back of his neck and fiddled with the now determined strip of torn cloth and unwrapped it gingerly.
I couldn't breathe.
I sat in a stunned silence with wide eyes because an angry, red, and jagged lined crossed thickly from the very left edge of his throat to the very right. It was recent, just starting to close completely and the scar tissue was visible just about everywhere under the skin. It had been deep, the cut. And that was when I realized that a kid, a child that was supposed to be so full of life and innocence, a little boy, had someone try to slit his throat. Some human had basically tried to rip his throat out. Somebody tried to kill an innocent child.
A warm, vicious fire burned sharply in my heart. It was foreign, and it filled me with unnatural rage, so I tried to push it aside before I realized that it was an instinct flaring up. One I had only felt briefly when one of my hunters was killed, injured, or sick. My motherly instinct roared into action and I immediately followed.
I twisted my back around, searching through my hunting bag because I could've sworn that I had some nectar and ambrosia in it . . .
I gave up quickly, though, why waste time searching when I could just summon some anyways. I turned my attention to the nameless child and was surprised to see wide sea-green eyes and the boy scrambling backwards.
"Hush, child. Fear not, for I won't hurt you." Maybe sudden movements weren't the best idea with a traumatizes kid.
He shook his head vehemently and picked up his bow and strung an arrow. Flawlessly, he drew back and fired. The arrow flew straight towards me, hurdling closer and closer while I sat there too shocked to move because I couldn't believe he would have the nerve to actually fire at me. The bland wooden arrow flew over my right shoulder, ruffling auburn strands of hair, and into something behind me.
"Ow! You fuckin' asshole! What the Hades is your problem? That hurt for the gods sake!"
I breathed a sigh of relief, it was only my lieutenant, and half sister, Thalia. I glanced behind me, only really half caring. There stood Thalia, well she was hunched over from pain, with the child's arrow sticking out of her thigh.
"Thalia. Language." She turned to the boy, "You. Apologize."
"Sorry, milady."
The boy just walked up to Thalia, and tapped her shoulder (which made her stand up).
"Well, boy, apologize for shooting me." She spat savagely.
He nodded, then did something that surprised Artemis herself. He ripped out the arrow. Just grabbed it and pulled and then carefully placed it back with his others. Thalia howled and spat curses at the poor boy.
Meanwhile, he just walked to his previous spot and sat in front of me in his previous spot, returning to his piles of feathers.
I turned my attention to Thalia. Her eyes were flashing sparks and her hands were clenched into fists. The boy looked up and saw Thalia. A flash of remorse flitted across his little face. She said nothing as she watched him make his way back up to her, but her eyes widened dramatically when he wrapped his arms around her middle in a hug. He held on for a couple seconds, then let go and backed up.
"I-I'm sor-ugh." He gagged and red began welling up slowly underneath the mark on his neck. He clutched his throat with both hands, one towards the base and pushing upwards, and the other right under his chin pushing down. "Ree."
I flew to his side. "Let me see." I demanded. He swayed a little on his feet and plopped onto the dirt, then let go of the skin. Blood gushed. The wound reopened. I could hear Thalia retching somewhere behind me. "Lay down." He grimaced, but complied. I summoned some nectar and poured it on his neck, simultaneously cleansing it and healing it. I watched the skin slowly stitch itself back together and the blood flow come to a halt. "Don't speak until it's completely healed, understand?"
He nodded about half a centimeter. Smart boy.
"Thalia, grab me a stick roughly the size of a pencil. And you, boy, do you know how to write?"
In response he took the stick from Thalia.
"What is your name?"
He scratched at the ground, smudged a spot, then scratched again. I studied it. Ancient Greek.
Perseus.
Thalia piped up, "Why did you shoot me."
I don't like people.
She chuckled. "Why did you try to speak?" It was clear she was still in shock over his wound.
I felt like a bad person because I was mean to you.
Enough pleasantries. "Who is your godly parent, Perseus?"
I don't know. Hey, do I know you guys from somewhere?
"Probably not, right . . ." I drifted off as I looked back at my lieutenant for confirmation. Her eyes were filling with tears and she seemed short of breath.
"Milady, I need to IM Nico, please."
Why? Who's Niko?
"It's spelt with a 'c.' And I need to tell him something." She looked at me with wide and imploring eyes. "Please, sister." I sighed and snapped my fingers, creating a rainbow. Thalia threw in a drachma. "Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Nico di Angelo, probably somewhere in the Underworld."
The rainbow shifted, becoming darker, and a male's shape began to form.
"Nico!"
The boy spun around and smiled. "Hey, Thals, how's it goin'?"
"I found him."
Hey, people, I know I went haitus with Maximum Ride story, but I can't figure out what to do next and how to write it. I'll return to it eventually. (More than likely after The Blood of Olympus comes out because my mind will finally be HoO free!) Anyways, I want to know if I should continue this or leave it a oneshot. That could work too. The first three chapters are written and I'll probably update once or twice a week (more if inspiration hits). PM or review your feedback. I don't have a beta, so TELL ME IF I MISS SOMETHING GRAMMAR RELATED that way I can fix it.
Before the ridiculously long A/N and the bolded words at the top, my word count is: 1,684!
