Chapter 2 – Hungry
As soon as the meeting had finished, Hades approached Percy and pulled him away to a garden adjacent to the throne room. "I spoke with your mother and she accepted a position at the judge's table. Paul has accepted to be a fill-in judge whenever one of the judges needs a break. They are both very happy and wanted me to tell you that they love you and don't want to see you anytime soon." Percy smiled and nodded in response. "I also saw Annabeth." Percy's smile disappeared. "She told me to tell you that she loves you very much and hopes that you have a long and happy life. She also told me to tell you that it is ok for you to fall in love again. She said she will understand. She also wanted to ask your permission to go for rebirth. She said that if you wanted her to wait for you she would wait. I believe she has her eyes set on the isle of the blessed." Percy eyed Hades as he mulled over Annabeth's message. He wanted her to be happy and he didn't know how long it would be before he joined her in the underworld. He knew he had to let her go. He looked up at Hades to signify he had made his decision. Hades laughed "You being a mute is going to be quite the challenge for everyone to swallow. You have always been an outspoken lad. Ok, nod yes for rebirth and no for wait." Percy firmly nodded yes as a tear rolled down his face. Hades pulled the young hero into a hug. "It will be alright. You are going to be alright. I know it is hard now but you have to hold on. Be strong, my nephew. There will be better days. Now, you have a new job to do. Remember that many of the girls that you are about to spend the rest of your life with have hated the male species for years. Therefore, just in case you need a quick escape I give you my blessing to be able to hide in the shadows." Percy smiled as the lord of the dead took his leave and shadow traveled away to his home territory. As Percy turned to find his new charge he was approached by another god.
"Hello, nephew." Lord Zeus said politely. Percy was confused. Why were the gods being so nice to him? Either his face was easy to read or the king of the gods was spying on his thoughts because Zeus replied with "Contrary to popular belief, we really do care about you, Perseus. You have caused each of the gods to change in some form or another. Therefore, I have decided to give you the ability to change your form into one animal of your choice. Just think it and I will know it." Percy thought for a moment. There were several animals he would like to change into if he could, but as he thought there was one that truly stood out from all the rest. He imagined himself as a raven-furred wolf with sea-green eyes and a grey stripe from his time holding the sky. "A wolf, interesting choice seeing as you will be joining the hunt. Good luck, Perseus. Stand firm." And with that he flashed out as Percy averted his eyes. Percy then took off to find the goddess of the moon. He found her waiting patiently on her throne, with his father speaking with her in hushed tones. As he approached, they quickly cut off and turned to speak with him. Percy bowed to both of them before waiting for further instructions. Poseidon came over and gave Percy a big hug and whispered into his ear that he was always welcome to come and visit if Lady Artemis would allow him a break in his duties.
"Are you ready, Perseus?" Artemis asked. Percy looked from the goddess to his father pleading that he would understand.
"Actually, Lady Artemis, Percy prefers to be called Percy." His father voiced as Percy nodded in relief. Artemis laughed quietly
"Of course, Percy, Are you ready to meet the hunt?" Percy nodded. No time like the present. "Then we are off. Oh, before I forget, my father told me of his blessing. What animal did you choose?" Percy focused on himself becoming a wolf and he felt himself slowly morph into one. "A wolf is a fine choice; it may help a male like you keep up with the hunt. You may change back now." As soon as he was human again Artemis teleported them both to central park. "Come, the hunters will be waiting." Percy followed quietly behind his new mistress and charge. They came upon the camp fairly quickly. The girls seemed to have settled back into a normal routine, although they had just returned from the war. Thalia was the first to notice that they had arrived. She ran up to them and gave Percy a hug.
"You took my idea?" She asked incredulous. Artemis laughed.
"It was a good idea." Artemis replied. "Now, let's introduce young Perseus to the rest of the hunt." Percy glanced at Artemis. "I mean Percy." this is going to take a while, Percy thought. They made their way over to the center of camp where the hunters had built a campfire. "Hunters, gather round." After all of the hunters were settled, most watching Percy with distaste, Artemis began to explain about the reward ceremony and how Thalia was now the hunt's full immortal lieutenant. The girls all congratulated Thalia on the achievement. Then one asked why a boy was in camp.
"Ah, yes. You all know Percy Jackson, correct?" there were nods all around. "You are also aware that he was in love with Annabeth Chase the architect of Olympus?" there were more nods. "As you know she lost her life in the battle against Gaea this morning."
"This doesn't explain why Perseus is here" Phoebe said with venom clear in her voice. At this Percy stood up abruptly and ran off into the woods. He couldn't hold it together anymore. If he stayed they would see him cry. He would not cry in front of them. That would be weak. It wasn't like they wanted him there anyway. Their glares at him upon arrival made that clear. He sat down in the next clearing knowing that Artemis would be able to sense where he was. He changed into a wolf and howled to let out his frustration. He howled for what felt like an eternity. He was sure it was a good amount of time as he was howling he was aware of someone standing at the edge of the clearing watching him. When he stopped Thalia stepped out of shadows and approached him.
"Percy?" she asked. "Is that you?" Percy nodded not bothering to change back. He lay down with his head on his front paws. "You can turn into a wolf? That is totally awesome!" Thalia walked up to him and sat down using his side as a backrest. They sat like that for a while just enjoying each other's presence. Percy knew full well that Artemis was explaining to everyone why he was here. They were his babysitters to make sure he didn't make any rash decisions. Then Thalia pulled him out of his thoughts "I know that this is going to be hard, for you and for us. The hunters are going to need some time to adjust and accept that there might be a male that isn't a jerk. You convinced Zoe in a week. I'm sure that the hunters will care for you like one of their own soon." Percy raised his head and turned to look at the lieutenant. "Ok, it may take some time, but someday…" Thalia trailed off. They sat in silence again. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?" Percy thought about it for a minute. He had told Hades to tell Annabeth she could go for rebirth. He had no reason to 'do anything stupid.' He shook his head firmly 'no.' Thalia sighed in relief "Good, because I don't know what I would do if I lost you so soon after Annabeth." Percy hadn't thought about how Annabeth's death had affected Thalia. She was acting so strong, but she must be as heartbroken as he was. He quietly nuzzled his snout into her hand as if to say it's going to be alright, I'm not going anywhere. "We should probably get back. Did you want to change back?" Percy shook his head no. They might be a little more accepting if he wasn't blaring out 'man.' Perhaps being a wolf would help. Either way he couldn't talk. They took of back for camp. Upon arrival Artemis came up and told Percy that the hunt had accepted the reason that he was here, but informed him that the hunt said they would kill him without a thought if he offended any of them. Percy just nodded. Then Thalia showed him to his tent. He changed back to a human and went to sleep. He dreamed of all the good times he had with Annabeth, but his last dream was of her death. He woke in a cold sweat at five in the morning. He walked outside and sat by the dying embers of the fire. He was there for maybe five minutes when the fire suddenly reignited and out of the flames stepped Hestia, goddess of the hearth and Percy's favorite goddess. She sat down next to him on the stump and they watched the flames together for a time.
"How are you today Percy?" she asked. Percy shrugged. "I came to thank you for getting Hades and I back our places on the council. I know that Hades already blessed you and I came to ask you if you would be my champion. You would be my first." Percy smiled and eagerly nodded his consent. Hestia was in her eight year old form and gave Percy a big hug excitedly. Percy laughed. The eldest child of Kronos always knew how to make him smile. She smiled and blessed him. "Ok, I think you are going to be able to produce home-cooked food and fire." Percy tried. He imagined blue waffles just like his mom made them. They appeared on a plate in his hands. He tried one and smiled. He offered one to Hestia as well. "These are delicious!" she exclaimed. They heard some hunters starting to move around. Hestia said goodbye and promised to visit every once and a while. Percy found a tent that seemed to me the mess hall and started to produce plates of blue waffles. Maybe if he made breakfast, they could start off on a better foot than they did last night. When he had finished setting the table he returned to his place by the fire and changed into a wolf and lay down. Artemis was the first to leave her tent. She passed the fire on the way to the food tent. Percy raised his head and nodded to her. She smiled and went into the tent to eat. About ten seconds later she stepped back outside and stared at him in surprise. Percy laughed. As a wolf it turned out that laughing sounded like a mix between a bark and a growl. Artemis shook her head and went back inside. Soon after the other hunters joined her. He nodded to each as they passed. He had better hearing as a wolf and all of the hunters were complimenting the food. They didn't realize that he had made breakfast, so when they thanked Lady Artemis for breakfast they were all surprised to discover that Percy was the culprit. They reluctantly came outside and thanked the wolf for breakfast. Percy nodded. A thank you, albeit grudgingly, was more than he expected. As the hunters began to go about their daily routine Percy's wolf instincts kicked in. He sensed a small herd of deer a mile away grazing. He realized he was really hungry for meat. He had been lying lazily by the fire all morning but was suddenly filled with energy. He tore off in the direction of the herd, a blaze of black across the plain. His path led him through the hunter's archery range and he was vaguely aware that the hunters were disgruntled by the interruption but he couldn't focus on them for long. He was also aware that someone was shouting for him to stop, but he couldn't listen. Soon he had reached the clearing the deer were in; he began to stalk around the edge of the clearing to get closer to a young buck that had a leg injury. Just as he was preparing to pounce a voice echoed in his mind. Perseus, where are you? Percy ignored the voice and got ready to attack. Percy! What are you doing? Percy imagined his teeth at the throat of the buck. Percy, you need to ask before you hunt! Percy saw himself as a wolf with his stomach growling in hunger. Fine, just this once. Next time, you need to ask first. With permission granted, Percy leaped from his spot onto the back of the injured buck. His teeth latched onto the back of the deer's neck while his claws dug into the buck's sides. His human side took back over as he tasted the blood and he quickly clamped down with his powerful jaws breaking the poor animal's neck. Death was immediate. The other deer from the herd had relocated to a different clearing the moment Percy had broken out of the woods to attack. Percy had lost the exhilaration from the kill. For a moment he just stared at the deer not knowing what to do. He decided the best thing would be to bring it back to camp. He somehow managed to get the deer draped over his back with one leg in his mouth so he was partially dragging it and partially carrying it. When he was reached the edge of the plain where the hunters were practicing, he cautiously made his way out of the forest. When the hunters noticed his movement they immediately aimed at him. In fearful submission, Percy lowered himself to the ground trying to be as small as possible.
"It is just Percy, gals." One of the hunters grumbled. They all looked at him with distaste and returned to their practice. Percy slowly made his way around the hunters carefully skirting around behind them in an effort not to bother them. When he got back to camp, Lady Artemis approached him.
"I am not going to lecture a wolf, change back." Percy obediently did. "That was very dangerous, Percy. You can't just run off like that. You are a son of Poseidon. Your scent could have attracted a monster and you would be all alone." Percy hung his head. He had already disappointed Artemis. "Don't let it happen again." Percy nodded. "On a better note you did very well. It is rare for a wolf to take down a buck on their first try. Let alone by its lonesome. Wolves hunt in packs. Perhaps you could learn to hunt with them. I would be more inclined to let you go off with the wolves than by yourself." Percy smiled and nodded his thanks. "Do you know how to butcher a deer? No? Well, today's your lucky day." With that they lugged the deer to the edge of the clearing and Artemis gracefully butchered the deer explaining each step carefully to Percy. Later as they were storing the meat, "I know and understand your reasons for not wishing to speak, but to communicate have you considered learning sign language? There is something unsettling about having a one-sided conversation all the time." Percy nodded that he would be willing and Artemis said she would get him some lesson books on it.