Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

The Hunter:

Chapter One

"Wake up!" A harsh voice demanded. A second later, he was hit with freezing water.

He gasped as the freezing water hit him and he shivered violently. He was supposed to stay dry unless he willed himself to get wet. It was part of being a son of Poseidon.

"Funny, isn't it?" Luke said his voice full of amusement. Orion's eyes snapped at him. He was holding a bucket. "A son of Poseidon getting tortured by the very thing his father domains over." He paused. "Or rather had domain over." He chucked the bucket away. "Like I said your life is very ironic."

Orion gritted his teeth but refrained from replying. It would only amuse him.

"Still not talking, huh?" Luke commented. "Fine, have it your way." He snapped his finger and a chair materialized in front of him. He placed his hands on the headrest of the chair and regarded Orion with a cold calculating look. "I want to know only one thing," he started. "Who sent you?"

Orion met his eyes evenly. He frowned and waved his hand in the air. A sharp knife appeared in his hand.

"Let's start things nice and slow," Luke said. "We wouldn't want you to go into shock, now would we?"

He brought the knife to Orion's chest and slowly applied pressure. Orion closed his eyes in slight pain. He had endured something like these years ago but it still didn't make him feel any better.

"Orion," a voice whispered urgently.

He stirred.

"Orion, wake up," that same voice whispered and he felt someone shaking him. His eyes slowly opened and met a pair of silver eyes. His eyes widened in surprise and he jolted his head banged against the wall. Pain danced in his eyes but he ignored it. His eyes stared at a young woman.

"Orion," she whispered her hand reached up and cupped his face. He winced at the familiarity. "I'm here." She said her voice sounded angelic to his ears. He could feel tears forming in his eyes. It was too good to be true.

"I'm going to free you," she whispered and he nodded unable to speak. A second later, there was a snap and the chains that once held him broke. He collapsed on his knees and she caught him before he face planted the cold floor.

"We have to go," she slung his arms over her shoulders and led him out. Cold night wind swept his sweating body and he shivered.

"Before we go, I need to know where we should go," she said. "Who helped you?"

Orion's mind was fuzzy and he was dead to his feet. A feeling in his gut told him not to tell her. But he loved her and she loved him. She would never betray him. Still, his instinct screamed at him not to tell her and his instinct saved more than a dozen times.

"Orion?" She prodded.

"Where's Zoe?" He asked instead, his voice slightly slurred.

She shot him a sideways glance. "I'll come back for her."

Suddenly, Orion stopped short and pushed her away albeit weakly but it did the job. She staggered backward and composed herself.

"Orion," she started.

Orion pointed an accusing finger at her and he glared. "You are not Lady Artemis."

She took a step closer and tried to laugh it off. "You're a little tired. I mean, you were tortured. You must not be in your right mind, right now."

"Lady Artemis would never leave a hunter behind," he took another step back almost tripping. "It's either you're an imposter or you're not the woman I have fallen in love with."

"But-" she started but was cut off by a cold familiar laugh.

"Enough, the jig is up," Luke said suddenly appearing beside the Artemis imposter. He snapped his finger and the fake Artemis turned into an Empousa. He snapped his finger again and a hoard of monsters appeared on both sides of Orion. "Tie him up and return him to his cell."

Orion's face was emotionless as he held out his hands. Luke raised an eyebrow. "I thought hunters aren't supposed to go down without a fight?"

Orion shook his head. "Those are Ares's children. A hunter seizes an opportunity when he sees one but this," he gestured at the opening. "Isn't an opportunity."

"You should tell him the truth," his cellmate said. After a few days of torture, he was transferred to a new cell so he could recover from his wounds. "You're only delaying what is inevitable."

With his eyes closed, Orion said. "I don't sell my own comrades."

The man snorted. "That was what I used to think until he had the Titan of Memory sort through my mind," he said disgustedly. "There's nothing worse than someone invading your mind."

"Tell me about it," Orion agreed.

"Good thing, my comrades managed to moved out before the base was seized," Jason continued. "Now, I don't even know where they could possibly be."

Orion cracked open one eye and regarded the savage looking man. His electric blue eyes looked defeated and his blonde hair was long and he had a beard growing. He reminded Orion of Hercules. "Son of Zeus?"

The man nodded. "Jason Grace," he introduced. "I would say nice to meet you but," he shrugged not finishing the sentence as if he had no energy left.

"Orion," Orion felt he had to introduce himself.

Jason nodded. "I know," he said. "You've been the talk of the rebellion for days."

Orion asked. "Rebellion?"

Jason nodded again. "Yeah, I was one of their leaders before I got captured."

Orion hesitated. His mouth itched to ask the question he had been wondering for so long. "Was she there?"

"Who?" Jason asked confused.

Orion sighed and repeated patiently. "Was Artemis part of your group?"

Jason shot him one suspicious look before nodding. "Yes."

Orion let out a breath of relief. "Good, she's safe," he muttered.

Jason shot him another suspicious look. "Why do you care about Artemis?"

Orion furrowed his eyebrow. "Kid, do you know who I am?"

Jason scrunched up his eyebrows. "You just said you're Orion."

Orion frowned. "I am Orion, the hunter, as in the guy that was once in the stars."

"Orion?" Jason choked. "The guy who Artemis accidentally killed?"

Orion scowled. "Yes, I am him."

Jason gaped. "Whoa..."

Orion stared at him and muttered. "So, that's why she didn't try to find me. She assumed I was another demigod bearing a similar name."

Jason shut his mouth and asked. "Hold on, I thought you were in the stars."

"I was brought back," he smiled bitterly.

"By whom?" Jason asked curiously.

"I can't say," Orion shook his head. "The walls are listening."

Just then, the door opened and a cyclops came in. He grinned showing its gap front teeth. "Time for one of your sessions," he clapped his hands gleefully and roughly grabbed Orion.

-

"Annabeth," a voice called. The blonde haired woman raised her head from the blueprint she had been reading.

"Yes, Thalia?" She responded.

The immortal teen regarded her best friend. "You've been going over that for hours. You should rest," she said. "We don't want you to pass out in the middle of the war.

Annabeth sighed tiredly and rubbed her bloodshot eyes. "I don't know what to do," she confessed. "I feel like the world is going to end if I close my eyes."

Thalia opened her mouth to say something when someone burst in. "We found him," the boy barely twelve said.

"Jason?" Thalia asked sharply. "You found him?"

The boy looked at Thalia and took a step back just a precaution. "No, uh... We found where he was being held captive."

"Where?"

The boy looked solemn. "Mount Tam."

Thalia clenched her hands into a fist. "Go," she ordered the boy with barely controlled emotion. The boy nodded and quickly went away.

"We have to get him," Thalia said after a few seconds of silence.

Annabeth's eyes looked remorseful. "Oh, Thalia," she said. "There's a huge possibility he's dead."

Thalia shook her head and a few tears leaked out. "Nico told me he's still alive."

Annabeth bit her lips. Hades doesn't control the Underworld anymore. There was no way Nico could still sense death. She opened her mouth to mention this to Thalia but stopped when she met her eyes. It used to look defeated. It still was but there was a slight difference.

Hope.

There was no more hope in the eyes of the rebels and she had agreed. But now, seeing it in her best friend's eyes, she couldn't bear it if she was the one who destroyed her hope. That was Kronos' job.

Annabeth sighed. "I'll formulate a plan," she said. "Meanwhile, you tell the others that we are going on a rescue mission."