Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.
A/N: Hello! This is my first story and I hope everyone can read it. Please, I encourage you to guide me on how to do this. Private message me or review. I want to become a better writer and I need critism. I'm actually not satisfied with this prologue. Tell me what would have made it a little better. Thank you.
The Hunter:
Prologue
The night was silent except for the occasional howl of a hellhound. The moon was red and casted a blood-red glow across the courtyard. A figure stood silently on a tree. His sea-green eyes searched for enemies. When there wasn't any, he raised his hand. A second figure landed next to him.
"Are you sure you want this?" He whispered quietly.
The girl glared at him and nodded. "My lady needs me."
The man nodded. He understood what she was feeling. She needed them.
"Then let's go," He said. He unsheathed his sword and dropped down tree like a cat. Silently.
He crouched down and ran across the courtyard. The girl following closely behind him. He looked up. The castle would have been beautiful if it wasn't made up of human bones. He stopped and placed his back an inch away from the castle wall. He refused to come in contact to those bones. He continued to sidestep towards the corner of the back entrance.
He leaned his head slightly around the corner and quickly took a step back almost colliding with girl.
He raised his fingers to two showing the girl that they had two enemies guarding the back entrance.
He took out his bow and placed a black arrow. He aimed and shot. The arrow hit the hellhound in the neck and not too soon, another arrow hit the Cyclops in the eye. They both burst into yellow dust.
He moved quickly. He opened the metal door of the back entrance and waited for the girl to get in before closing it.
"Wait," the girl breathed out. "Something's not right." Her eyes narrowed as she observed the abandoned hallway.
A cold laugh vibrated through the hallway making the hairs on the back of the man's neck stand up and the girl to shiver unconsciously.
"Did you honestly think you could infiltrate my castle without me knowing?" The same voice said amusement clear in his voice.
The man gritted his teeth. They were careless and the whole world was condemned to eternal hell because of them. He unsheathed his bronze sword and said. "Come and face me then, you coward!"
The voice chuckled. "Now, why would I do that when I have an army of monsters." There was a snap of a finger and the walls crumbled revealing endless monsters ranging from Telekhines to Cyclopes.
The man cursed and asked the girl in a low voice. "Zoe, If you get any chance, run for it."
"What...?" The girl started when the man charged at the monsters. The girl cursed when she realized that he was distracting them so she could escape.
She unsheathed her silver hunting knives and ran the opposite way towards where they came from. She barely made it four feet when something hit her at the back.
The man fought bravely applying every experience he had into taking down as many as he could but in the end, he was overrun.
-
He woke up in a very uncomfortable position. He lifted his head. It was dark. He couldn't see anything. His arms were shackled above his head and he could already feel his arms began to numb meaning he had been unconscious for a long time.
The man grunted as he pulled the shackles that bound him to the wall. It was useless.
"Hello?" Zoe's voice called out. "Who's there?"
"It's me," the man grunted as he tried once more. It didn't budge.
"Where are you?" Zoe asked.
The man cursed softly. "I can't see anything."
"Hold on," was the Zoe's reply.
A few seconds later, a light burst through. The light casting a shadow on his face. Only now did Zoe notice how sunken and defeated his eyes were. His brown hair was disheveled like he had ran his hands through it many times. The man eyed the light stick. "Where did you get that?"
Zoe rolled her eyes. "I'm always prepared."
Then he noticed something. "Why aren't you shackled like me?"
Zoe lifted one of her legs and the man saw it. She was shackled to the ground.
The man cursed and looked around. They were placed in a windowless cell. The walls were made from stones and water dripped along the wall. The only way out was a single metal door.
"What are we-" Zoe started but stopped short when the metal door burst open revealing a tall blonde guy.
"Luke Castellan," Zoe hissed, her dark eyes narrowed angrily.
"So, you are Kronos' vessel?" The shackled man spoke up.
The man, Luke, chuckled coldly. "My name is no longer Luke. It is Kronos." He raised his head revealing gold eyes. "When I had assumed my form, I had to choose an image, and what better image, than the image of the demigod who betrayed Olympus," he smirked. "I do love ironies. Your life did lived in irony, right, Orion?"
The shackled man glared at Kronos.
"You must be searching for Artemis," Kronos continued, but still Orion didn't reply. "Why would you search for the woman, who put an arrow through your heart, figuratively and physically speaking, of course."
"You bastard," Orion said quietly, his sea-green eyes blazing.
Kronos laughed, his voice like a nail scraping against a black board.
He smiled sadistically. "Normally, I would kill rebellions without a second thought, but I have plans for you, Orion."
"Go to Tartarus!" Orion snarled, his arms straining against the shackles as he tried to get his hands around Kronos.
Kronos frowned as he watched the shackles strain to hold him. "You're more powerful than a normal demigod," he noted. "Which brings me curious question. Why are you not with the stars?"
Orion didn't reply.
Smirking, Kronos snapped his fingers and two cyclops appeared behind him. He motioned his hands at Orion. "Get him to my office," he ordered and left.
Violently and abruptly, the cyclops removed the chains that bounded him. He held out his hand just in time to stop him from face planting on the ground. He didn't have anytime to compose himself as the two cyclopes hauled him to his feet nearly dislocating his shoulders and they dragged him towards the door. The last thing he heard before the door closed was Zoe's voice calling out his name.
