Percy Jackson Fanfiction

The Unknown Guardian

Written by ~CSP2708~ and *Dillon_Walts*

Chapter 1

The Resurrection

*First Person Point of View ~ Percy*

The chains jangled loudly as I walked forwards, towards the Council. I had no idea why I had been summoned, but I knew that it was bad.

I was suddenly shoved forwards by Ares, who was the one holding my chains. "Keep moving, traitor," he hissed in my ear.

'Wait…what?' I thought. I gave him a look of complete and utter surprise. 'Why is he calling me a traitor? I mean, I know he hates me, but I saved Olympus－twice!' I racked my brain, trying to figure out why he called me that, when he shoved me again.

I groaned quietly, but did what he said and sped up, reaching the center of the throne room. I was definitely going to have a bruise there. He forced me to my knees, and then went over to his throne.

As I looked around the room, I saw that many of the gods were looking down at me with hate in their eyes. A few of the others－not so much. Hades and Hestia, who had recently been added to the Council by my wishes, were staring down at me with sympathy and sadness, along with my father, Lady Artemis, and Lord Apollo. The rest of the Council though, was stiff and indifferent.

Finally, after the heavy silence, Zeus spoke. He started off by glaring at me. "Perseus Jackson! You have been accused of treason against Olympus! How do you plead?" His voice boomed throughout the room.

I was taken aback. If I had been standing, I would've definitely fallen on my butt. "I plead innocent of course! How could you possibly think that I betrayed Olympus?" I questioned, but Zeus slammed his Master Bolt down onto his arm rest, causing a loud crash of thunder to echo, attacking my eardrums. In spite of myself, I flinched.

"Do not lie to me! We have all seen what you did! Whether we choose to believe what we saw, though, is up to us." As he said that, he turned to glare at the only five gods that weren't staring at me with hate.

I sent them all a quick look of gratitude, happy that they believed that I was innocent.

"For your treason, you shall be sentenced to death!" Zeus said as he returned his glare to focus directly onto me.

Knowing that there was no way to change his mind, I said, "So be it. But I swear to you that you will regret this decision. Someday, whether it's tomorrow, or the next day, or even thousands of years from now, you will realize your mistake, and you will wish that you listened to the truth," I told him, my voice sounding dark and ominous, even to me.

With that said, Zeus lifted his Master Bolt, and I accepted my fate. Just as he blasted me to oblivion, I closed my eyes, waiting for the intense pain. I wasn't disappointed. My whole body felt as if it were burning, every one of my cells spontaneously combusting.

And then, suddenly, it all stopped, and I felt nothing…

*Third Person Point of View*

It had been fifteen years since Percy Jackson was executed. Since then, the gods had found out the truth, but it was too late. Percy, their greatest hero and savior, was gone. Even his soul had vanished. He had never made it to the Underworld. There was no record of him anywhere in the mortal or mythological world ever since Zeus blasted him into ash.

The campers of Camp Half-Blood were devastated, Annabeth especially, but she knew that Percy wouldn't have wanted her to waste her life, so she moved on. At night though, when she knew that no one was watching, she let her feelings go, and sobbed for her lost love.

The gods that had betrayed him could not forgive themselves. Well…most of them. Ares and Dionysus were still indifferent about the whole thing.

While the other gods, the ones that had voted for his life and freedom, still grieved. The five Olympians shunned their family for what they had done, and refused to speak or come in contact with any of them unless for a Council Meeting, which only happened twice a year. And even then, the three gods and two goddesses refused to speak to anyone other than each other.

The five of them held their own meeting once a year, on August 18th, to mourn for their lost hero. Percy's shrine was near the edge of a high cliff, overlooking the ocean. Each year, they met, and honored Percy, bringing fresh flowers, offerings, and prayers that his soul had finally found peace, wherever he was…

*Third Person Point of View*

The night was quiet and peaceful. Crickets chirped softly in the trees, while the leaves rustled ever so slightly by the dull breeze. The quiet pitter-patter of the nocturnal animals echoed throughout the almost silent forest.

Among these creatures resided the－ever-elegant and graceful－hunters of Artemis. This small group of maidens traveled under the silvery light of their patron, Artemis, the goddess of the moon. Artemis ran alongside them, as her Roman form, Diana, drove her chariot across the night sky, passing by the stars and constellations, watching over the peaceful world below.

The brave hunters were chasing a small pack of hellhounds, which were large wolf-like beasts with matted black fur, glowing, crimson-colored eyes, and a taste for both demigod and mortal blood. The hellhounds pulled ahead, and all dashed into the cover of the thick shrubs.

The hunters followed, both on foot, as well as jumping amidst the trees. Branch to branch, they made the slightest sound, showing off their experience and the extent of their training. Just as the forest came to an end, the hunters found themselves at the edge of a shallow cliff.

The hellhounds had already started to climb down the jagged ridge, using goat paths as they jumped from foothold to foothold. Seeing their chance, the hunters all notched their arrows and aimed, but all wavered as their eyes caught sight of what was at the bottom of the cliff. It was a campsite, and not just any campsite. This campsite was filled to the brim with monsters. The variety was nearly endless, as the field was filled with large leather tepees, glowing campfires, and discarded piles of bones.

The hunters stood, shocked by the sheer amount of monsters in the one place. Artemis shook herself out of her shock first. She turned to her loyal followers. These girls were her sisters-in-arms. "We cannot let these monsters amass any more troops. We must destroy them now, so that they cannot attack later. Hopefully, we can destroy most of them before they notice that we are here," she said.

The hunters seemed doubtful, but they all nodded, new determination flickering to life in their eyes. Firstly, they shot down the hellhounds, to make sure that they didn't warn the others.

After they had been taken care of, the hunters, slowly and stealthily, made their way down the cliff. The monsters were far too distant for the hunter's arrows to make any difference from the top of the cliff, so they sacrificed their higher ground for efficiency. One misstep and the monsters would know that they were there. As silent as could be, they made it all the way to the bottom of the cliff, which wasn't very high, maybe thirty feet or so. There were plenty of handholds and footholds, so they made it down without a problem.

Once they had reached the bottom, they crept forwards, and started by taking out the monsters on the far outskirts of the camp. That way, the other monsters wouldn't notice until it was too late.

After a few minutes, they had managed to take out a quarter of the monsters, but sadly, luck wasn't on their side. It was bound to happen, but Artemis wished that the inevitable could've waited just a few minutes more.

One of her hunters, the smallest, a dark-haired girl named Tristy, tripped over a pile of bones, sending them clattering to the ground.

The sudden sound caught the monsters' attention, and they looked over to see the hunters, all poised to strike, their arrows all pointed towards the monster campsite. All of the monsters let out their own loud roar; they were angered by the sight of the girls that had sent them back to Tartarus so many times. They all stood and charged, ready to destroy the young maidens.

The hunters fired as many arrows as they could, but it only made a small dent in the monsters' forces. They were soon forced to abandon their bows, using their silver hunting knives instead. The monsters closed in, and several of them were reduced to dust by the skilled goddess and her hunters, but their sheer numbers were slowly overwhelming the group.

Suddenly, a scream rang out. Artemis turned to see that one of her hunters had fallen, and she knew that they couldn't win. She called all of her hunters back, and stood in between them and the monster army, protectively. Everything was brought to a standstill.

Right in that moment, she made a decision that would change her life forever. "Hunters, get back!" she said, just to make sure that they weren't going to be put in danger by what she was about to do.

As soon as she was sure that they were all at a safe distance, she gathered her energy. Her whole body began to glow with a bright, silvery light, forcing both the monsters and her hunters to cover their eyes. The silver light just kept getting brighter, and brighter, until it suddenly shot outwards in all directions, the beams instantly lighting up everything in a five kilometer radius. When, suddenly, as soon as every beam of light reached the distance of five kilometers, they all stopped moving, and turned into a strange, silvery mist, circling Artemis.

And as soon as the light turned to mist, Artemis collapsed, causing her hunters to call out to her. They had all been able to take their hands away from their eyes as the light dimmed, and saw that their mistress had fallen unconscious from the display of power.

Their attention was soon taken away from their mistress, however, when the silver mist turned back into light as it raced back towards them, faster than a speeding bullet. Every beam of light collided into the center, and started to churn.

Once it had assumed a shape, the light shattered, to reveal a figure, standing above Artemis, facing the enemy army. This figure, obviously male, was wearing a black cloak, with a hood, silver lining the edges. On the back of the cloak, there was a design. It was a full moon, with two black arrows crossed over top of it in an X shape.

The figure stood unearthly still, until he sprung into action, he drew two swords, both silver, and lunged at the monsters at inhuman speed. The only indication that he was there, was the silver trail left behind him. He stopped as suddenly as he had started, on the other side of the valley.

All at once, as if the monster's bodies had finally realized that they had been destroyed, all of the monsters broke apart and disintegrated.

The man who had destroyed them returned to where the hunters were kneeling, in front of their mistress, trying to see how to help her. He stopped, a few feet away, and asked, "May I heal her?"

The hunters were skeptical, but seeing as he had just saved their lives, they decided to let him. Thalia, who was right next to her mistress, nodded.

The man knelt down, careful not to make contact with Artemis. Instead, he held his hand above her forehead, and his hand began to glow. The soft silver glow slowly spread across Artemis' whole body, and the color returned to her face. Suddenly, she gasped and sat up, her eyes snapping open. The man quickly retracted his hand, to make sure that she didn't hit it as she sat up, and he moved away. As Artemis regained her breath, she looked around at her hunters.

Once her gaze landed on the man, her eyes widened, and she gasped. "It actually worked," she said, staring at him.

The man smiled, but it was hard to see under his hood.

Now that the hunters got a closer look, they were surprised to see that he had a silver mask on his face. The mask was plain—covering half his face, cutting off at his cheekbones—except for the black crescent moon on his forehead.

"Yes, it worked," he said, looking directly at Artemis. "Now that I am here, is there anything you wish for me to do, Milady Artemis?" he asked, surprising the hunters further.

Artemis flushed with embarrassment, because she had forgotten how the whole arrangement worked. "Um…I guess you can patrol the forest for any leftover monsters. Just don't disturb us," she said.

He nodded and crossed one hand over his chest, then bowed slightly. "Of course, Milady Artemis," he said.

But before he could leave, Artemis called him back. "Wait! How…how do you know my name?" she asked.

A quiet chuckle erupted from the man's mouth. "Of course I know who you are. You have summoned me, have you not? I am now bonded with you for eternity, under an oath to protect and provide for you and those you care for. It is within my oath as a member of the Guardians' Guild," he said before making his way out into the forest, scouting for any monsters that may have escaped.

As soon as he was gone, the hunters all turned to their mistress. "Who is that boy? And why is he here?" they questioned, causing Artemis to sigh.

"Girls, quiet down. I'll explain everything," she said.

The hunters gathered around, eager to hear what their mistress had to say.

Artemis took a deep breath. "I knew that we weren't going to be able to hold off those monsters back there. If we had continued to fight, there was no doubt that we would have lost some of our own. So I took a chance. But before I can tell you what that chance was, I need to start from the beginning.

"Right after the first Titan war, when the gods were building Olympus, they were－dare I say it－vulnerable. They had many enemies that wanted to destroy them, so they needed someone to protect them as they slowly grew in power. The eldest six Olympians made a deal with a very powerful being, so old that even I do not know the name of, and he agreed to train soldiers to protect them. Soon enough, the six were attacked, and in the time of danger, they called forth Guardians to protect them. The ancient being had kept his word, and sent them each a Guardian to protect and fight alongside them.

"Many years passed, and new Olympians were crowned. On the day of their crowning, these gods each received their own Guardian. Eventually, I did as well. For many years, the Olympians and their Guardians fought side-by-side, and prosperity ruled over Greece. But when Gaea awoke to find that the Titans had been defeated, she grew angry, and sired the giants to destroy the gods. The gods and their Guardians fought bravely, but alas, all of the Guardians had died during the battle, in order to protect their charges.

"The tradition had been broken, as the gods were heartbroken by the loss of their friends, and they no longer summoned Guardians. The years went on, and the story of the Guardians faded into legend, only the Olympian gods knowing that the story was true. Today, I took a chance, and summoned a Guardian. He will now be with us until his death," Artemis explained.

"That is correct," a voice said. The girls turned to see the man standing a few feet away.

He crossed his arm over his chest and bowed, "Milady Artemis, I have finished patrolling the woods. There are no monsters within a great distance of this place. I know that you requested that I do not disturb you and your huntresses, but I heard you talking, and I am willing to inform you of anything you wish to know," he said politely.

Artemis was surprised that he was being so polite, but she nodded, thinking back to her previous Guardian. He had been kind as well, the only male to ever show her and her hunters proper respect. Ever since he died, however, it had been hard. She couldn't look at a male without remembering him, so she treated them harshly, only to see how cruel they were when they reacted. He had never reacted as such when she mistreated him. He had always been kind and understanding, providing advice and protection for both her and her hunters, even though his oath only stated for him to protect her.

She was snapped out of her daydreaming as the man cleared his throat, "Milady?" he asked, wondering why she hadn't answered yet.

She nodded once more, "Oh, yes, go ahead. Tell us everything," she commanded.

The man nodded in reply. He snapped his fingers, and the air around them glowed, and suddenly, all of the hunters' tents and supplies shot out of their bags, the tents setting themselves up and the supplies and bags all going to their separate tents.

He snapped his fingers once more, and some logs floated out of the woods, forming a circle in the center of camp, around a campfire pit that appeared suddenly. The man sat down, gesturing for the hunters and their mistress to sit as well.

He took a deep breath before he began. "When heroes are taken into the Guardians' Guild, they all start by swearing an oath of the highest order, to protect and provide for their charge, and fight to their last breath. Once their oath is accepted, they begin training. All Guardians are trained in their own unique way, in order to learn the skills that they require to protect their chosen god or goddess. Obviously, the heroes are not allowed to choose their own godly parent－if they are indeed a demigod, and must always choose an Olympian of the opposite gender," the man explained.

"Why?" one of the hunters asked. This hunter was physically twelve years old, but she had been in the Hunt for quite a long time. Her name was Heather. Her hair was honey-blonde with multicolored, dyed tips, and she wore a rainbow-colored shirt under her silver hunting jacket, which was unzipped at the moment.

The Guardian shrugged. "I…don't actually know why that is. It's just a rule," he said. "Anyways, the heroes train, and eventually they take another oath, this time, to their specific god or goddess personally, and standby, usually training and such, until their god or goddess calls upon them for help. At the moment, I was the only Guardian who chose you, since there aren't many males that would like to be your Guardian, for obvious reasons, and since females are not allowed to choose you," the Guardian explained.

Artemis and her hunters nodded, showing that they understood, but Artemis still had a question. "But…just how do heroes get instated in the Guardians' Guild?" she asked; there was an underlining of hope in her voice.

Though it was hard to tell with his hood, he seemed to smile as he answered. "Once every decade, the Great One chooses a hero from the Underworld to become a member. These heroes must be strong, powerful, and courageous, but also humble, caring, and gentle. They cannot be boastful or arrogant. He brings them to his realm and offers them a position. If they accept, they swear their oath, and if they decline, their memories are erased and they are sent back to the Underworld."

The Guardian paused for a second, as if a thought had occurred to him, before he continued speaking. "Though, a rare occurrence, depending on both the time of year and if the hero caught the Great One's attention, they do not make it to the Underworld, and are taken immediately after death."

He suddenly saw a spark of hope come to life in both Artemis' and Thalia's eyes, and sent them both a confused look. "And what if, per say, a very great hero died around two decades ago?" Thalia asked.

The Guardian tilted his head. "Well, if he or she was a great hero, then I am sure that they would definitely be offered a position. Was this hero arrogant or anything? Any negative drawbacks?" he asked.

Thalia shook her head. "No. Even his fatal flaw was good. It was Personal Loyalty," she replied, though her voice had suddenly turned sad.

"Well, then this hero would definitely have become a Guardian, but you probably won't see him anytime soon, sorry to say. He'd have to go through the rigorous training, and, depending on which goddess he chose, he'd be waiting until his time to be summoned," the Guardian said.

"Oh," Thalia said, her face turning somber.

"But I am sure, that if the Guardians were summoned again, you could very well see him," the Guardian said, in hopes of cheering her up.

"Now, I believe that it is time to go to sleep. Everyone rest, and tomorrow, we can tell the other Olympians about the monster army. I will be on night watch," he said, standing up.

The hunters seemed reluctant, but in the end all stood, heading to their tents. Thalia and her mistress were the last to leave, walking a bit slower than the others.

As soon as they were out of sight, the Guardian sighed. "If only I could tell you…" he said, staring at their tents, which were at the very top of the semicircle of the campsite…

Word Count: 3685