A/N - This is a complete AU for Once Upon a time, I've crossed it over with a book series that I am in love with The Dark-Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon. If you haven't read her stories I suggest you do. I will put a lot of back ground information in the first couple chapters and then as needed as I go along, so you won't be completely lost if you've never read a Dark-Hunter book. Just to clarify because I'm sure it will come up. Daimon's are not vampires, not really. They were created by the sun god Apollo because he was angry that one of his son's was murdered. He made Apollite's that when they turn 27 they die painfully from the curse he put on the people. The only way out of this curse was to drink the blood of humans or Apollite's and take their soul for their own. They can not be in the sun because Apollo will burn them to death on sight. Artemis, Apollo's twin sister, and the goddess of the hunt and many other things created Dark-Hunters. She is a very selfish goddess and the decision to make Dark-Hunters was made from a very selfish place, but the Dark-Hunters do serve a very good purpose of protecting Humans and Apollite's from the Daimon's. Like the Daimon's the Dark-Hunters can not be in the sun because Apollo would burn them on sight as well. Phew... that was a long authors note. lol Enjoy the story!


Chapter 1 – The Beginning

Grasping his arm where it had been cut off moments before Killian Jones glared at the Demon responsible. Not only had he crushed the heart of the one he loved most moments before but now he also sliced off his left hand. Pain shot through his being but it couldn't over shadow the rage he felt.

"I want you alive, because I want you to suffer as I did." The Demon told him his sword held to his neck. Killian had the thought of simply dropping his neck onto the sword and being done with it. He had nothing left to live for. But before he was able to the demon stood with a giggle and sheathed his sword. Rage filled him and he glanced around for something, anything to take his fury out on him with.

Grabbing up a hook from the ground Killian imbedded it into the monster. He turned to face him and giggled once again, it was an insane sound. "Killing me is going to take a lot more than that dearie." He gestured to the hook with a laugh.

Shock covered Killian's face seconds before he recovered his rage. "Even demons can be killed I will find a way!" He promised the demon.

"Well good luck living long enough." The demon replied red smoke billowing from around him and taking his form with it. Defeated Killian watched him vanish leaving nothing but the hook behind. It clattered to the ground drawing his attention.

Bending over he picked up the hook and gazed at it. He would live long enough to kill the man, he promised him self, he would find a way.


From the clouds above Artemis took in the scene in a detached manner. The red haired goddess smiled in a thoughtful way. He could be of use to her. Of course any man or woman, lets face it she wasn't picky, that wanted vengeance could be added to her dark hunter army. All he had to do first was die. Then she could offer him eternal life and the promise of the revenge he wanted. It would be just one more tie to bind Acheron to her. She would use anything she could to keep him at her side.

"Make sure he finds his demon, only this time make the outcome not so nice." She absently told one of her handmaids. She laughed then, but it didn't reach her eyes. So often she felt dead inside, the only time she felt alive was when Acheron was by her side. To bad she had to force it from him. To bad she had to hide how she felt from all the other gods. Artemis was goddess of the hunt, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and the protector of young girls. The fates had a field day when they listed her traits. Because of it the only men she was allowed to be around were her father Zeus and her twin brother Apollo. Both of them were extremely protective over her and if they ever found out about her dirty little secret she would be cast out to live in the mortal world. She shuddered at the distasteful thought; to live among humans was her worst fear.


After the demon had disappeared, Killian had taken up the moniker of Hook. He would be known for the tool he would use to destroy the monster that took his love. Searching for the demon proved harder than he expected, each lead he found was a dead end. But he didn't care he would avenge Milah. If he was an old man before he accomplished it then so be it.

Another lead had him walking into the poorly lit tavern. He had heard the Dark One was in the area and that he searched the taverns for a way to find his son. Obviously if he had run away he didn't want to be found but the demon probably didn't care about things like that. Hook took in his surroundings the place was full of loud patrons. But he found the hooded man he was searching for. Rumpelstiltskin. The demon was here. Just as Mr. Smee had said he would be. Tonight was the night one of them would die.

"Demon!" Killian bellowed from across the room. Rumple's head snapped up from his conversation with a man at his table. An evil smile settled on the demon's face almost like he expected him and Killian stalked across the room towards him. "I've come to kill you!" He growled.

"Oh have you now." The demon giggled insanely getting to his feet. "I like to think I'm a fair man, so I will give you till dawn to get your affairs in order then we will dual!" He told him repeating the words he had said years ago to him. Killian felt the rage in him boil over and he lunged for the demon. Intent on taking his neck out with the hook, he buried it into the side of his neck. The Dark One only grinned crazily and then pulled out his own sword pushing it into Killian's stomach. "Well if you insist." He laughed again pulling the hook from his neck and pushing Killian to the floor, he kicked him hard the sword still sticking out of his stomach. Blood gurgled up from his mouth and the light left his eyes as he died.

Rumple stepped over him and pulled his sword from the dead man. Using a near by man he wiped the blade off and continued out of the bar. An eerily cheerful whistle drifted on the air behind him. Mr. Smee stood over him an evil smile in place; it had been him the Dark One had been speaking with. He had betrayed him.


The echo of his tortured soul echoed through the mountains of her home. Artemis sat up from her reclined position slowly, almost tiger like. Flashing to the dank and dark tavern she grimaced in distaste her pert nose wrinkling up. Couldn't the man have tried to die somewhere more pleasant? Gross. Gingerly she stepped over discarded food and spilt drink. No one in the place noticed the goddess. But that is because she didn't will them too. Coming to a full stop over his body, she looked down at his barely breathing form. To human eyes he would already look dead, but she knew better.

"I've come to make a pact with you. I will allow you one single act of vengeance against the one that wronged you. But your soul will be in my keeping and you will work for me ridding the Earth of Daimon's. You will live forever. You will protect human kind forever. Do you understand?" She asked his still form her head cocked 'bird like' to the side. At a slight nod of his head she bent and touched the round container to his wound. It closed up leaving a bow and arrow tattoo in the place of the gash. His soul flowed out into the container and he gasped back to life. "Go on now pet, get your vengeance on those men that wronged you. I will send Acheron to train you. You have less than 24 hours to get your revenge." She smiled as he sat up. The people around them were oblivious to the fact that he was not actually dead.

"What have you done?" He questioned his hand going to his blood stained shirt. He had been dying he knew he had been. Smee had betrayed him and worked against him with the Dark One.

"I've given you eternal life and a way to get your vengeance." She replied simply. "Acheron will be in touch." With those words she vanished.


The next evening he found Rumpelstiltskin and Smee outside a tavern searching for the son he would never find, because tonight was the night they would die. He stepped from the shadows his sword already drawn. The powers he had coursed through him, he was stronger now, faster more agile and he had the ability to blend into the shadows unless he wanted to be seen. He even had what seemed to be the ability to read others minds. His blue eyes glowed brightly with his fury.

"You! It can't be I killed you a last night!" Rumple cried. Smee straightened up and went white as a ghost.

"Aye that you did." He laughed humorlessly. "Lucky for you, I'm no longer part of the land of the living so I no longer live by that pesky code." With that he lunged for the demon. Striking quickly he slashed across his chest. A greenish-yellow foaming started immediately and he grinned. Then he spun in the direction Smee started to run and cut him down. The man fell without a fight and it left Killian slightly disappointed. Turning back to the demon he stalked slowly towards him. "Tonight you die." He promised and then buried his hook into the Dark Ones chest. Savage satisfaction filled him as the poison took over his body. The light slowly left his eyes and then he fell off of his hook to the ground, dead. It was over quickly and he wished to do it all over again.

Killian knelt down and wiped his hook slowly on the dead demon's clothes. An evil grin covered his face as he stood back up. Turning he came face to face with a very tall man. He couldn't be any more than 19 at the oldest. His silver eyes swirled in the darkness and he dressed similarly to Hook's own clothing. Sensing someone stronger and more powerful than himself he stepped back from him.

"No need to fear me. My name is Acheron. I am here to train you how to stay alive." He told him sarcasm lacing his words. The man radiated power. It intimidated even him.

"I thought I was dead already," Killian responded distrust evident with the cock of his eyebrow.

"Not yet. Only your soul has been taken, or given as the case may be. Although normally your eyes would be black by now." Acheron informed him. "I'm the head of the Dark-Hunters, which is what you now are. Would you like to stay alive Killian?"

"How is it you know my real name? Do I know you?"

"I know a great many things about you. But that isn't why I'm here. Come with me and I will train you to stay alive as you slay the Daimon's." He reached out to him and when his gloved hand landed on his shoulder they vanished from the dark alleyway. The feeling of traveling through space disorientated him and he dropped to his knees when they reappeared just outside a cave in the side of a mountain. The contents of his stomach emptied out onto the dry ground. "Don't worry your sickness will pass. It was a necessary evil to get you here. Can't have you dying without your soul now, can I?"

"What would happen to me if I die without a soul?" Killian asked after his sickness subsided. The question concerned him more than he wanted to admit.

"You would become a shade. Cursed to a life without a body or a soul, never truly part of anything." The man told him. He said it simply but there was a kindness he wasn't use to in his voice. Or maybe he was just hearing what he wanted to hear, someone as powerful as the man in front of him couldn't possibly treat him kindly. Power corrupts; he knew that better than anyone. Power had corrupted a coward making him into his worst nightmare, but he was no more, time to put it behind him he thought shaking himself out of his dark thoughts.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because it is my fault you are now the way you are." He replied cryptically. "Now lets begin. Rule number one, you cannot go out in the sun, you will burn to death, much like a vampire. Not even in heavy cloud cover. Rule number two, although you have fangs, do not go around biting people. We do not drink blood. Rule number three your duty for the rest of your immortal life is to kill Daimon's and protect mankind. Rule number four, if you are around others like us your powers will drain quickly. If you need to be around other Dark Hunters make the visits short and sweet. I am the only exception to that rule. You will have the option of hiring a squire to take care of your daytime needs. They will take care any thing that you need while you rest during the day."

"Seems like a lot of demands to me." Hook grumbled under his breath, being told what to do bristled at him. "What if I want my soul back? What if I've changed my mind?"

A true laugh left the young man's lips and Hook found it hard not to stare. The man was beautiful in an odd way. He didn't even like men in that way and he felt a strange pull to him. A tattoo moved slowly along his upper arm disappearing beneath his shirt. Killian's brow furrowed in concentration. Had he just imagined a tattoo moving?

"You can't get your soul back. Only your soul mate can do that for you. She will have to kill you and then hold your burning soul against your tattoo to restore your soul. If the person fails then you will walk the world as a shade never truly part of anything. Only someone that truly loves you is capable of returning a soul. So be absolutely sure about the woman if you find her. I have witnessed what happens when the person doesn't succeed and it is not pretty."

Defeat ran through him. His true love was dead; he had no hope but this existence that had been put onto him. Resentment at the man before him filled him. "Indeed?" he questioned his eyebrow rising slowly, his anger slowly building into an inferno. "So now I am trapped in this existence?"

"You made a pact with the Goddess Artemis, it was what you wished yourself. Don't blame me for mistakes you have made for the sake of your revenge." He said not unkindly. "Now will you let me teach you how to kill the Daimon's?"

"Aye." He replied his head angled at the ground. His blue eyes sparked with his tamped down anger. If he were to ever meet this Artemis he would surely thank her with the end of his sword.