Chapter 3


POV: Artemis


Artemis and the hunters were trudging across the grass. They were at the Quehanna Wild Area in the Elk State forest in Pennsylvania seeking an unknown source of disturbance emanating from the forests. It had been a week or so and she felt that she was nearing the source. Father had sent her and hunters to find out the cause for the disturbance. Artemis felt unusually jumpy and nervous. She would be mortified if Apollo got to know that she, Phoebe Artemis, the one who doesn't hesitate to kill male adulterers and the one who braved many dangerous foes is now nervous about a hunt. But she felt something bad is going to happen. Even Apollo looked thoughtful (she often questioned herself that did Apollo even have a brain) at Olympus for once and warned her about something very dangerous in those forests.


Flashback (Week before Percy arrives at camp)


Artemis was sitting in her throne with an annoyed look. She looked at Hestia who was right next to her in her fiery and beautiful throne. Perseus Jackson had got Hestia's and Hades rightful place in the Olympian Council two and a half years ago. He had again turned down immortality for his love, Annabeth. Artemis's respect for this boy no, man had risen up by notches for his selflessness. Right now Hestia had a look of sorrow. She did not like the way the other Olympians were arguing no, squabbling.

Hephaestus was wiling away his time by tinkering with some metal with a bored look in his face. Hades also had the same look. Dionysus looked like he was eternally bored. To her surprise even Apollo was silent and had a thoughtful and distant look which was unlike his usual immature and cheery attitude. The others were just squabbling including Athena. She was getting really annoyed. She wanted to stop this nonsense. But Hestia beat her to this and yelled at the others. Zeus was shocked but composed himself quickly.

"Why can't you be like a family for once?" Hestia yelled. Everyone but Apollo flinched at her tone. Apollo slowly came out of his dreamland and looked at Hestia who was glaring at all the gods. "Sister, please calm down" Hestia just glared at Zeus but did so. Artemis was slightly shocked at Hestia's behaviour. Apollo stood and addressed Zeus

"Dad I sensed some sort of presence in the Elk state forest when was driving my chariot" "What sort of presence son?" Zeus asked looking confused. "I don't know dad, but it was very strong" "Yes, yes Zeus I too sense some sort presence in these forest" Demeter stated.

"How you did feel that?" Apollo asked. Demeter answered with sad look "I felt many trees being destroyed, not cut in those forests" "Anyone else who had has some idea about this?" Father questioned. Hermes stood and spoke "Dad I heard from the mortal TV that there have been some mysterious disappearances in these forests"

"This presence might be a threat to us" Zeus pondered stroking his beard.

"Father I suggest a hunt for this threat" Artemis said. Apollo surprisingly looked like he wanted to protest. Artemis thought that her brother cared for her just to be around her hunters and flirt with them. But Zeus silenced him with a glare.

"Alright my daughter then you will report of this in a week at most" Artemis nodded. "Council Dismissed!" Zeus shouted and held Hera's hand and vanishes with electric strands surging around the area they stood at. Artemis rolled her eyes at her father's theatrics. The others vanished with except of Apollo. He looked like he was pleading to speak with her. "Little sis, this is dangerous that aura I felt was too strong that it made almost made me black out." "Little brother" she glared at him "I can handle myself and my hunters and if I do find this dangerous then I will order my hunters to retreat, Okay?" she said as the last part came out softly.

"Promise me" Apollo asked. "Fine, I promise Apollo" Apollo smiled though his eyes pleaded to her not to go."What must have been there in that aura that made Apollo so frantic?" Artemis pondered over this until she decided to flash of to her hunters' camp.


Flashback End


Artemis and the hunters stepped out into the clearing. They were eerily close. Each one of them felt it. Artemis waved at Atlanta, a daughter of her brother to look out scan the perimeter. Even her demigod mortal sister Thalia seemed nervous. Suddenly they heard some shuffling in the direction of Atlanta. An extremely loud shriek emanated from Atlanta as Artemis snapped to look at her direction. Artemis noticed a pair of yellow eyes in just few feet from Atlanta. The eyes surged forward and a large spear shot out streaming through her collarbone. Everyone was paralyzed. Phoebe was the one who broke out of it and pulled out an arrow and shot at the figure. The figure stepped out as it dodged the arrow. It was over 12 feet tall and had brown reptilian-like scaly and muscular but lean humanoid body with a conjoined dual tail splitting at the middle. He had a tattered old cloth covering his abdomen region. Artemis looked at eyes. Big mistake. The eyes just struck fear within her. The eyes were large and yellow with no irises or pupils which had a crazed look and its mouth was etched with disarranged set of serrated teeth. Its five digits were long and had big and sharp claws. It pointed his hand at the now dead Atlanta and the spear jerked out violently and flew back to its master. The spear had a beauty of its own. Artemis would have stayed admiring it if not her dead hunter and the blood staining it ruining the image and a dangerous and ugly looking beast looming over them. At the thought of her fallen hunter's blood her own blood started boiling. Atlanta did not deserve such a cruel death.

The beast bellowed out so loud that her eardrums almost cracked at the instant. At the beast's roar five more figures jumped out of the foliage. One of them looked like a human but was also 12 feet tall. The others looked similar to the beast but around 9 feet tall and had human-like eyes. The similarity amongst this scary group is that they all had the craving for blood and a fight. Even the human had that in him to though it looked a little restrained than the beasts. He had savage eyes and a v shaped metal piece that held his long hair and lengthened down it his jaw. He held two ancient looking axes which was inscribed with some unknown symbols and wore a bearskin and a tunic and was barefooted. The ancient aura released from the man was made Artemis feel like wanted to strangle something which she could not as the aura also seemed to paralyze her and the hunters. He looked at the hunters with a savage, barbaric smile.

"It is time the foolish Olympians know of my return" he said in an evil, raspy tone. The big beast snarled at man and looked at hunters who were paralyzed with fear.

"Yes, yes my friend you will have your entertainment but do leave some alive and especially that puny goddess" the burly man pointed at Artemis who was unable to make a move for due to the paralyzing aura form the man. The beast glared at the man angrily before emitting grumbling snarl and looked at his followers and motioned them to attack the hunters.

Artemis was able to move again and pulled out her bow and notched an arrow and looked at the hunters. They readied their bows and arrows and pulled it out at the same time. The Big ugly and followers just twirled their spears and swatted away the arrows. They moved forward lethargically. The hunters kept shooting their arrows. Suddenly they charged in closing the distance rapidly. The speed at they stormed forward surprised the hunters and monsters used this to their advantage and one them caught one of the hunters by the leg and tossed her around like a toy. As much angry as Artemis was, she knew this was a fight that they could not win. Artemis yelled out frantically to her hunters to retreat as another hunter literally stamped over by these beasts knocking the life out of her.

25 minutes later here there were the surviving 12 out of 38 hunters and Artemis kneeling to the ground as their assailants held them to the ground. Artemis felt immense shame wash over her for letting her hunters meet such a fate. These ruthless beasts captured them without trouble and spent the last 15 minutes executing her hunters very painfully. The area had blood and dead remains scattered all over. Artemis was feeling her weaken at the death of each hunter and it was intensified by herself being in sight of them, unable to protect them, Artemis had her ever first emotinal breakdown. Artemis looked at remaining ones. The survivors had large scars riddled all over their body and clothes. She herself was not any better. Her arm was dislocated and a large wound in her right leg was bleeding the ethereal blood of gods profusely. Artemis looked at their next target. Thalia. "No, not her too!" Artemis cried out as tears were just flowing freely. Thalia had been the next closest one to her as a friend after Zoe. The large man stepped forward and motioned them to stop. The leader growled in frustration.

"Vliagral, my friend, I told you spare some, didn't I?" he looked at the broken leader of the hunt.

"I need this goddess and her slaves to make her puny family to notice my arrival. I, Krolm, the protogenoi of the wild and barbarians have arrived to purify this planet of the evil that exists here" "Listen you pathetic filth, warn your family that, that this is the beginning of the end"


Hi guys I am not really good with such type of scences and felt a little bad for killing of so many hunters. Percy is in next chapter. I am really trying hard to make it different from other stories of Pertemis. I had to push off many hunters just to keep the characters low as I am introducing a barrage of characters into the story. Please forgive me for the killing, pleeease

Uncle Rick Riordan Own Percy Jackson and The Olympians characters

I own the OCs

'Till next time

Guru signing off