AN: Hey again, I heard you guys like updates? I know I said longer chapters and slower updates, but I busted this out, and it leaves me with enough material to make a long chapter to end the prologue. That said, chapter 5 is going to wrap up the prologue. Chapter 6 will have a few timeskips to show progression and introduce everybody you'll need to know. Chapter 7 will really kick it off! Hope you enjoy!
Edit- This is a re-upload with a major change to the latter half of the chapter, since I've decided to make the piece of plot I removed a story on its own, and not jumble the plot of this story to high hell. Forgive me, friends. Anyway, minor plot tweaks and corrections, all in the latter half of the chapter. R&R
Chapter 4
Artemis checked the edge on her hunting knives for the third time that hour. With the council's unanimous decision in favor of setting a trap, they wasted no time, the hunt digging in around the 24 hour establishment. She cast her gaze inside from the rooftop across the street. 'That's Zoe's third cup of coffee. I'll have to ask if it was that good, or if she was that tired.' Moving her eyes to check on all the stationed hunters, she was satisfied with their disguises. 'I don't like that I only have three girls with bows, not counting myself. But if he's a clear-sighted mortal as they say, the girls will have to make do with throwing knives if this goes to shit.' Artemis had been given 20 minutes to prep the hunt for this mission, and not nearly enough sedative to coat a quiver for each archer. Artemis had picked the best marksmen, giving them 4 arrows each, with herself having 3. She wasn't given the specifics, but was told that their target was no ordinary mortal, and would need heavy tranquilizers to take down. 'These are my next best tranqs. The top tier would kill any mortal or lesser demigod, and I know that Poseidon would be furious if he died before he was questioned. Can't forget to check for a fake tooth either.'
The cook had been convinced with the mist that they were law enforcement in pursuit of a kidnapping suspect. He had been given some sedative as well, and instructed to wait for a signal from Zoe to administer it to the target. 'I'll make it an imperative that Zoe learn modern English after thismission. I hate having to keep my lieutenant silent out of fear of throwing the mission.' She checked her watch, knowing it was close to starting. Her watch was something Hephaestus had made at her request. Since an analog watch had little electrical wiring, it worked fine even in an environment saturated with divine power. '5:45? Not much longer now. He's supposed to show at 6:00, but he most likely will have eyes on the restaurant before then. All we can do is wait.'
14 minutes passed by at a snail's pace, before a man appeared down the street, going against the foot traffic to reach the restaurant. Her mind shifting to a combat mindset, she readied her bow and took aim. 'Inconspicuous indeed. Brown hair, brown eyes, and around 5'5"? You couldn't get a more common look if you tried.' The man she presumed to be her quarry walked inside the restaurant. The huntress next to a window looked up to catch her gaze, to which Artemis responded in the affirmative. The huntress didn't give an acknowledgment, instead standing to walk to the restroom, tapping Zoe's back on the way. The goddess of the hunt gave a last check to her marksmen. All had an arrow knocked, with one watching the front with her, as the other two kept their arrows trained on the back door from above the alley. Artemis reached out to establish a mental link with her lieutenant, in preparation of things going south. 'Zoe, is everything ready? We have the entrances watched, and the two hunters on the ground outside will be moving to hold the doors shut in a moment.' Her lieutenant never showed an outward sign of the mental talk, nodding along to another huntress's decoy conversation. 'Affirmative, my lady. The mortal has placed an order for coffee, which is rather divine if I say so myself. Shall I move to incapacitate the man?'
Artemis reacted with millennia of experience, knowing to trust her instincts in a situation like this. 'No need Zoe, but I sense Hermes' power nearby. Either it's a strong demigod far away from camp, or he's here personally. I'll just wrap it up myself.' As the target reached for his coffee, Artemis set a compressed burst of power to her right hand, holding the string to give her arrow some real kinetic power. Release. The arrow punched through the glass over an empty booth, flying straight at the man's midsection. What happened next stunned the goddess. The man had never tensed until the window broke, throwing his weight to the side, mostly avoiding her shot, but not completely. Her arrow struck the bar with godly force, splintering the wood with a loud crash. 'His jacket is torn, blood running onto his pants. Must have nicked him then. How in Tartarus's name did he react that fast? That's on par with some of Hermes's strongest children, but this man is supposed to be mortal!' She shook her head as she jumped over the edge of the building.
She grabbed onto the fire escape, using a bar to swing her back to the wall beneath, which she used as a spring board to cross most of the street, landing with a roll next to the diner entrance. She had given the marksmen orders to stay in their respective vantage points, in case something went wrong, while she went to take down the man in case her initial shot missed. 'No mercy now. He's fast enough to dodge an arrow above mortal speed, so he must be above normal standards himself.' She arrived inside to a standoff. The man was ready to spring into action, his knees bent, if unsteady. 'The sedative got him then. Not enough to knock him out, however. That's what happens when the arrow doesn't lodge though.' Her hunters were gathered around, throwing and hunting knives in hand. She saw the man's head turn slightly, his eyes widening at her appearance. She cursed when she saw his jaw rotate slightly, and then open his mouth. 'The tooth!'
She was beat to the punch however, when an arrow whizzed by her head, striking the man right in the temple. She was close behind, prying his mouth open before he could recover, sticking her knife inside his mouth to ensure he didn't close it on her hand. 'Too damn close.' The tooth had almost went down his throat, but Artemis's deft hands had snatched it at the last second. Retrieving her knife and knocking the man out for good measure, she cast a glance to the huntress outside, then to the arrow capped with a hard rubber head. 'Precise as always, Claire.' The Huntress caught her gaze, nodded, and began to climb down to join the group. The goddess of the hunt was proud of her girls, another successful hunt under their belts. Her thoughts drifted to the other two marksmen, however, as it had been a few minutes since the fighting had stopped and she still didn't see them coming through the back door. 'I've got a bad feeling about this, this whole situation doesn't sit right with me. Mortals with reflexes on par with an experienced demigod? That's…unnatural.' She coughed, gaining the attention of her hunt present. "Well-done, girls. Now, Zoe and Claire will be sent along with the captured male to Olympus for his questioning. The rest of you besides Ariel and Stephanie will return to camp. Phoebe, you're in charge until either Zoe or I return. Clear?" A resounding "Yes ma'am!" met her ears. Satisfied, she motioned for her other two hunters to stay close behind. She quickly informed Apollo of their success and flashed the man along with Zoe and the now present Ariel to Olympus.
Taking a last glance around, she turned to the back door, her bow in hand. The knob turned smoothly, the door swinging out to the dark alley behind the restaurant. She cast her gaze up to the fire escape where the first marksman should have been. 'No sign of her. Probably already on the ground then. What about Candace?' She turned her head to the intersection of the alley, seeing a bit of silver behind a dumpster. Moving quickly, she turned the corner, finding a sight unwelcome to her eyes. There lay both the missing huntresses, a pool of red underneath them. Marie, a hunter who had been with her since the French revolution, had a red gash across her throat, while Candace had a gaping hole in her midsection. Frantically, she checked for Candace for a pulse. 'Barely alive, but she's alive.' Tears coming to her eyes, she pumped a wave of energy into the unconscious huntress, the wound closing slightly, and a little color returning to her face. Wasting no time, she gathered her girls around her and flashed them to Olympus, hoping that Apollo could save her. Knowing the survival of the wounded hunters was out of her hands, Artemis let her bow disappear and summoned her knives, a white knuckle grip the only sign of her fury. 'Level head, Artemis. They didn't have their quivers or bows, and only Marie had her knives. Marie must have been attacked from behind, but Candace had a chance to fight back. That makes no sense though, Marie's body looked like she had her throat slit, how did that happen? High ground with almost no blind spot, but attacked with a melee weapon?'
Her rage momentarily subsiding at the situation, she made her way to the pavement under the fire escape where Marie had been positioned. Artemis gave the ground around her a scrutinizing gaze. A glint of red caught her eye, by the sidewalk at the end of the alley. She moved over, instantly recognizing the substance. 'Blood, and lots of it. A large wound or major artery, I'd wager.' She knelt over the blood, something about it not seeming quite right. Tiny specks of gold were in the puddle, dispersed throughout the puddle. 'I know exactly what that is, but why are there bits of ichor in mortal blood? Demigods' small amount of ichor is scattered thin, too thin to stand out like these clumps. Better take a sample.' She summoned a small vial she kept for monster blood, and used her knife to scrape some of the liquid into a vial which she capped. She gathered two more vials before she stood to examine the scene again. The large puddle had long smudge marks on one edge, as if the wounded individual had been lifted and dragged away before being picked up completely. 'The way Candace was positioned, she appeared to have been standing over Marie when she collapsed.' She turned the corner, and quickly shrunk back around it, the flashing blue and red lights down the street giving her pause.
Assuming her normal routine when dealing with mortals, she aged herself to appear in her mid-twenties, her hunter tunic and leggings shifting to a top with a leather jacket along with well-worn jeans. Her hunting boots remained. 'I have to give it to mortals, they know their clothing.' She made her way toward the commotion, making a conscious effort to slow her stride to a more casual pace, knowing her long strides would draw attention. As she neared the scene, she noted an ambulance leaving the scene, with another being loaded. 'All black clothing, and those are sheaths on his back and chest. The assailants.' She made her way back to the alley, having enough information now. 'I'll flash to my chariot, then I can tail the ambulances.' Not bothering to change her form back, she reached the alley and flashed out, appearing in her chariot. She didn't have long to wait before the ambulances arrived at a hospital. 'This is nothing short of irony, being treated at the same hospital that was attacked.' Artemis flashed to Olympus, aiming for Apollo's temple. She cast a mental thought out to Hermes. 'Do you have time to grab two mortals and their possessions? They attacked my hunters, and I'm positive they're linked to Poseidon's missing son.' At his mental nod, she sent an image of the hospital along with the one man she had seen, before the connection vanished.
She strode through Apollo's temple, making her way to the healing facility located in the Wes wing. Upon entering, she was greeted with the sight of Apollo tending to an unconscious Marie while Candace nursed a glass of nectar in a bed nearby. Upon seeing her mistress, Candace made to get up, but was quickly waved down by Artemis. Making her way to her side, Candace spoke in a low voice, but one laced with urgency. "Lady Artemis, I stashed our weapons away further down the alley, but I was only able to get off three arrows before one of them rushed me, even with an arrow in his ribcage. He pulled out a short blade, and he moved almost too fast for me to track, it was in my side and out before I could react! He didn't finish me off though, and Marie was down on the ground by then. I saw him run by her, his blade out and at throat height. She reacted much better than I did. She threw her head back, the blade scraping her throat but not cutting too deep. She hit her head on the wall though, and went down hard. I made my way over as the first attacker drug the other one away, and I put her behind the dumpster before I went unconscious. Lord Apollo said she would be fine, but the wound on her head would need some natural rest." Artemis let out a large breath at the news, reaching her hand out to grab the shoulder of her huntress. Her voice was soft as she pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I'm just glad you girls are okay."
Cloudburst
With those slitted emerald eyes now burned into her memory, 38 had a hard time taking a nap. 'I REALLY needed a nap before this meeting.' She cast a glance at the clock which sat on her nightstand. '6:30. That means 59 and 82 have made contact, if everything is according to plan. I doubt it's going good, however. From the report, 59 stayed behind to throw the pursuers off, he's no doubt dead or captured. If they somehow managed to get information out of him, then 82's a goner as well. DAMN it.' She sat on the edge of her bed as she rubbed her temples, 'Everything about this operation went to shit. Fast.' Her phone went off, which she opened quickly. Operation is changing course. Meet in briefing room in 10, high priority. The message dropped a stone in her stomach. Nonetheless, she ran a hand through her hair, quickly donning a jacket and beret before opening her door and moving down the hall. 'The original goal of this was simply a snatch and grab. I still have the briefing papers to prove it. There wasn't supposed to be this much heat, nor an on-site augmentation. There's something going on behind the scenes that I don't like.'
She reached the meeting room in no time at all, and was greeted with the site of Prometheus standing at the front of the room, standing next to another individual she didn't recognize. 112 sat at the long table, looking as tired as she felt, but awake and aware. Taking a seat across from her, 38 trained her stare on Prometheus. His expression was cloudy, at best. When he spoke, his voice was like gravel. "This will be your final mission, 38 and 112." 'What? I still have around 7 years left on my contract!' Judging from 112's expression, her thoughts were on the same topic. "Our organization supports any and all actions that seek to go against the Olympian gods, from demigod revolts to assassination attempts. However, the titan lord Kronos is on the rise. Our patron, Lord Tartarus, has made it clear he intends to make no effort to support him when he goes against Olympus. That said, Tartarus is shutting down this organization. He has a message for you two. He will give you your final briefing, and when you leave for your mission, your respective accounts will receive full pay. You have served with outstanding distinction. You will be missed." Prometheus would never cry, not for a soldier, but his expression was honest, and his expression was too neutral not to be forced. 'I knew he cared.' Ignoring the stinging in her eyes, 38 stood with 112 to salute Prometheus as he strode out the door.
Once the door closed, 38 turned her eyes to the individual standing at the front of the room. The figure was nondescript, a black cloak hiding all features except for height. A gloved hand reached inside the cloak, bringing out a black crystal in the shape of a pyramid. The crystal was dormant as the cloaked person stepped away, and once they ceased movement, it grew a violent purple aura. A harsh light shone from the center, and a deep voice, grating like gravel spoke from within. "You mortals call me Tartarus. I understand you were the ones to capture the child?" 38 felt the power in the voice rattle her bones, but knew this would be the worst possible moment of her life to let fear show. "Yes, my lord." The purple light moved with his words. "Good work, escaping the clutches of three Olympians is no small task. You have done well. In light of your coming mission, I am giving you a chance to get out of this organization. Prometheus means to recruit as many as he can for the puny titan lord, but I will advise you two as you show promise. Things have been put into motion that will make the coming conflict much worse than the last time it occured, Ananke has said that. Therefore, a plan was devised at her behest." The crystal paused, and the lights of the room seemed to dim, the only light coming from the crystal.
"I coalesced some of my aura into this piece of obsidian, but it won't hold for much longer. The boy you stole needs to be delivered to a specific location. For Ananke's plan, certain tools of a caliber beyond the norm were needed. A son of the sea with such power was too great an opportunity to miss. Now that Thalassa's essence runs through him, he may undergo changes, but we do not know for certain. Our council plans to watch his progress, as he is the first to have received primordial ichor in this manner. Either way, the boy is essentially a prototype. We were of a mind to inform the Olympians of our plans for the boy, but decided an alternate method may prove useful." The triangular rock dimmed momentarily, before a tendril shot out to a corner of the room, sparks flying like fireworks. "The titans can know of much without being able to harm our plans, but this next piece is tantamount when it comes to secrecy. You WILL swear an oath." After a short pause to absorb the startling information, as well as the fact the meeting had been spied upon, they both swore. "I'll keep the information we learned in this room to myself, until given permission to say otherwise." The usual oath their organization required seemed to please to lord of the pit.
When he spoke again, his voice was low and dead serious. "Your last job under this organization's payroll will be to deliver the child to Thalassa herself. She has awakened, and awaits the infant. My servant will give you access to a portal, from this location to a drop zone 1 mile from the Atlantic Ocean. Be aware, anyone besides you two who goes on this mission will most likely have orders from the titan to interfere, most likely aiming to maintain possession of the child. I would put you closer to the beach, but any closer and the power of the portal and that of Thalassa would mix and surely alert unwanted company. Once the portal is opened, you move straight to the beach. Don't stop, don't look back, and don't drop the boy. Thalassa had one particular piece of information you were to be told. Ahem, 'squids are friendly,' whatever use it may be to you." The crystal began to dim slightly, the light flickering. "The portal will close immediately after the boy goes through, so a good plan might be to rush the portal ahead of anyone else once it opens."
"The portal will drop you one mile from beach, like I said. You are to rush as fast as possible for the glowing spot in the sea, and one way or another, put Perseus in it. Thalassa has assured me she will do the rest. Are we clear?" 'Who knew the pit was so long winded? Holy shit.' "Yes sir, we'll get it done." 112 didn't respond, lost in her own thoughts on the matter. The crystal gave no response, the light dimming into nothing as the cloaked individual picked up and placed it once again within the cloak. A distinctively feminine voice spoke from within. "You have the day to prepare. The portal will open just before midnight. I suggest being ready in this briefing room to depart at 2330, that will give you ten minutes to calm your nerves." With that said, the cloaked individual stepped back into the shadows at the front of the room, after which the lights came back on. She was nowhere to be seen.
AN: As you can tell, it was a substantial change. I felt like I was overdoing it, and didn't want to bog down the story. Tell me what you think! Please leave a review if you don't mind, I love to read them.
