AN: This is already the tenth chapter, guys. It is going so fast. Thank you for all the positive reactions on previous chapter, I really enjoyed reading them and some made me even laugh. I got some PM's with ideas for the story I suggested in the last chapter and I think I am starting with it. Maybe if some more people can give positive reactions to it or have some awesome ideas I will start with it. Further ado I have nothing to say here, except for reacting to reviews ;)

Orion Son of Zeus;

No, I didn't rush the powers. In my opinion powers come quickly to gods and they don't need much time to use them completely. If you read the real myths you can see that they all come fairly fast.

ro781727 ;

To then meet the wrath of the gods, except a few, and be thrown into Tartarus :) He is still forbidden and an outcast. He needs to get stronger and then maybe one by one get most of the gods to his side. (This didn't hold any clues to the near future! Cough Cough)

To the rest who reviewed;

Thank you for all the positive reactions! This kind of reviews really keep me going especially the one from CaptainCyber and from a Guest, I whished you had a name...

Oh wait, I do have something to tell you guys; This chapter is not one of my best and it is rather boring. There will be talked a lot and that is just the thing I suck at, but it will do. I made the best of it.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, RR does.

Chapter 10

In the Forests around Athens - Four days later

Artemis and her huntresses were running on a fast passe after their wolves. Since Yesterday the wolves had picked up a trace and the hunt together with their leader were following them patiently. They had only stopped for a quick rest and to inspect the trail they were following. According to their trackers they were on trail of three horses. The horses had been running on top speed and the trail definitely lead to something near Athens. Artemis had been very vague when she had come back from the emergency meeting on Olympus and she even looked slightly pissed, but this was only visible to the older and loyal huntresses in the hunt. They could see the hidden emotion through the mask she put on when she wanted to hide it. She had just said that they needed to capture one of the members of this group and he desperately needed to be capture alive and very soon. Some had tried to protest and demanded more information, but after an outburst of Artemis they didn't dare to protest anymore and went down to work immediately. They had found the trial fairly easy and they followed it on top speed, letting the wolves run away and do the most of the tracker work, they were trained for this after all. Suddenly the wolves stopped running and they put their tail between their legs, howling out of fear. The hunt almost bumped into the wolves and had no idea what had made them stop. The best tracker of the hunt, Arete, began to examine the tracks. After a while she stood up and pulled her hand through her hair, putting her hair behind her ears. "One of the three sped up the horse and went on full speed into that direction, with the other two following shortly." She pointed forwards. "They have around four days head start, but they were going on full speed, so we don't need to waste time."

Artemis nodded and she looked around to examine her 19 huntresses. The non-stop running had exhausted them and they clothes were torn through all the branches and bushes. Thorns were sticking out of their clothes, leaves covered their bodies and their hairs were full of branches. The running had not been well for the group, but they had not time to lose, but they were also not in any shape for a heavy fight. "Okay girls, we take a quick break here. Make yourself fight ready and get yourself in shape for a chase." She announced and the faces of the huntresses lit up, they may not be the regular girls, but even they cared about looks, even though it would only be to show the world what strong and brave huntresses they were. "We have a chase to continue so chop chop. No time to lose." With that said the hunt began to unpack quickly, they had no time to waste.

When the hunt continued their hunt they were all fight-ready and they were looking like the fierce huntresses again. Artemis was proud of them and she couldn't wish any other followers, young and old, it didn't matter in the hunt. They were all loyal to a fault and they knew that if they weren't they were in the wrong area and would be dead soon. After an hour of running they ran up a hill and from on top of there they could see a farm. Artemis ordered to stop and obediently the huntresses and the wolves stopped. Artemis stared at the destructed farm, it was burned down to the ground with only some wooden frame still standing. Iaera came to stand next to her and Artemis took the word. "The trail leads towards it, doesn't it?"

"Indeed, Milady." Iaera answered politely and together they stared for a minute at the farm. "Arete and her trackers said that the trial leads straight towards it. Do we have to go towards it?"

Artemis could hear some hesitation in her voice and she could understand it, there was something about this farm. Something bad had happened here and it made you have this weird feeling in your gut. "We go where the trial goes." She turned around and saw them all waiting patiently for her orders. "Let's go girls! We got a trial to follow!" In no time on top speed they reached the farm and the trials showed that they dismounted their horses and went into the house. They went through the burned down house to find some more information, but nobody found a thing, just charcoal, just burned stuff that was all. They were just going to leave this place until one of the youngest huntresses shouted for them.

"Milady! I think you will want to see this!" Niobe shouted and they all sped towards here. Niobe was standing in the garden behind the burned down house and she was bowing over a big wide stone. Artemis was nearing the stone and from already a distant away she could see it had carvings on it. The huntresses waited patiently on a distance while Artemis walked towards the stone. She bowed over it and read the carvings.

Here lay; Thyia and Crethos,

The lovely Mother and father of Perseus,
The child that is no child anymore,
They are the greatest parents there were and they always lay in our heart,
Rest in Peace mom, dad

You both will always be in my heart.

Shivers went down her spine and she got a lump in her throat. Maybe Hestia had been right.

Flashback

Artemis had immediately flashed back towards her huntresses after her discussion with Hestia, Poseidon and Athena. Even though she brought good news, the news of a new hunt, she was pissed. Athena, Poseidon and Hestia knew something she didn't and that what they new was very important information. The part that pissed her off was that they didn't want to share the information even though they all knew she needed it, not that she knew what it was, but just following their reactions it was. When the hunt noticed her they all greeted her with a quick bow and her lieutenant, Khloris, greeted her verbally.

"Welcome back, Milady. Did you attend the emergency meeting?" She asked, well aware that she did and that it had to be very imported due to the time that she used to leave the camp. Well better said none.

"I did indeed, Khloris." Artemis said trying to hide her anger. Not all huntresses needed to know what had just happened a minute ago. All eyes were on her now and she knew exactly why they all looked at her like that. They wanted information. She smiled at the huntresses curiosity and told them the truth. "We have a hunt girls. We have an official order to hunt someone down and capture it." All girls got excited and were running around beginning to pack until Khloris cleared her throat, demanding attention. When everything went quiet and the girls were standing still Artemis motioned Khloris te begin.

"Thank you, Milady." Khloris began. "But I have a few questions." Artemis motioned her to go on with a hand wave when she waited for permission to go on. "Who are we hunting down, Milady?"

Now that was a good question. "I have no idea." Artemis answered.

"Okay." Khloris replied who had already expected this, this was how it normally went with official hunts, vague, vague and even more vague. "Do you know what we are hunting then, Milady?"

"Actually I do, Khloris." Artemis answered and this time the eldest huntress was surprised. "We are hunting a young godling, a godling hidden from Olympus. We have orders to bring the godling to Olympus alive. No matter how or in what way." Some huntresses yelped in excitement at the last line and they began to talk loudly to each other, except for the eldest group. Consisting out of Khloris, Iaera, Arete and Pherenike. They were slightly worried of the big job they had to do and were speculating about things like, how dangerous would it get? what was it what they were hunting? what obstacles would they meet? and so on. When the huntresses calmed down Artemis sighed in relieve and that made most of them blush. Sometimes Artemis called them; The gossiping-house-wives and she had all the rights to. When they began it only grew louder and louder and the subjects were almost always nonsense. "Now that that is settled. Go pack you stuff, we have a job to do. We will leave tomorrow morning so be ready by then." All huntresses ran to their stuff and began to get ready like death was haunting them. Sharpening their arrows, hunting knives, repairing their clothes, training, training the wolves and already beginning to pack. Artemis watched them for a minute until a flash appeared in her tent. It lit up a little, but soon faded and Artemis knew someone was waiting in her tent so she walked towards it. While she was walking towards her tent she began to speculate who would be in it, but she had no idea. Who would visit her just before an official hunt? She had no idea and the only way to find out was getting into her tent as fast as possible. She inhaled deeply when she stood before the entrance and exhaled all of it out when she opened it. She stepped inside and when she looked around she saw Hestia sitting on her bed. She was in her 13 year old form and her legs were dangling offside, because she was not able to reach to floor. She had a stern look on her face and Artemis got slightly pissed again, but Hestia had such a nature you just could not get mad at.

Hestia's eyes made contact with hers and Hestia smiled a little. "Hello Niece."

"Hello Aunt. What had brought you here?" Artemis asked the 13 year old goddess. Every god could prefer an age to live in when they reached adultery and when they reached they all choose their own preferred form. For Artemis it was 16, the average age of her huntresses, for Hestia apparently 13, for her idiotic brother Apollo 19 and for the rest she didn't really know and she didn't even want to really know. Age is not really important when you are immortal.

"I want you to know the truth and I want you to consider a favor for me." Hestia replied and her eyes never broke the contact with Artemis' eyes. What ever she wanted to tell and ask it was serious.

"Is it about what was told in the throne room and what had happened afterwards?" Artemis asked and she summoned a chair for herself to sit in in front of Hestia. Her curiosity grew, but she knew that she had to take in everything very carefully and well. This would all be high classified and very important, her guts just told her that and if she had learned one thing as a huntress. Always follow your gut.

"It is indeed." Hestia answered. "I have to make it quick, Niece. Someone needs my help." Artemis nodded for her to get going and so she began. "First of all, I want you to swear on the Styx that everything stays in this tent and is only to be discussed with me or the person in question." Artemis was irritated by this, but when she saw the determent face of her aunt she gave in. She swear on the Styx that everything stayed between these walls and was only to be discussed with Hestia or the person in question. "To immediately get to the point; the young godling you are chasing is Perseus-" Before she could go on Artemis exploded.

"WHAT?!" She roared. "You know him?!"

"Hear me out, Artemis?" Hestia shot back and her eyes were filled with flames, nobody was going to touch her best friend. Artemis calmed and Hestia went on. "As you already predicted he is the forbidden son of Athena and Poseidon-"

"WHAT?!" She roared for the second time. "DID ATHENA BREAK HER OATH?! THAT WHORE, SHE LET HERSELF BEING SEDUCED BY THAT-"

"ARTEMIS!" Hestia screamed and apparently that made Artemis calm down immediately. "Athena and Poseidon have loved each other for a long time now and the oath was just a mistake. She thought that Medusa was going out with Poseidon and was broken, but this was all just a gossip. When she saw together in her temple he was just talking, her own thoughts made the other things up. It was the biggest mistake in her life."

"Owh." Artemis replied and her eyes burned into the floor. "Go on, Aunt. I will try to keep myself in line." She cursed herself in her head for hothead a thousand times. She was like a greek fire bottle, ready to explode anytime.

"Thank you." Hestia said with a sigh. "Perseus live is everything, but easy and he is struggling to even start up a live at the worst standards. He fits in nowhere and his parents left him with features that leaves everybody staring at him with fear." When Artemis eyed her in non-understanding she added. "He got two different eye colors, one green as Poseidon's and one Gray like Athena's. He is a special boy, capable of almost everything when he would want to. He is now almost always on the run and without my help-" Artemis opened her mouth, but Hestia raised her voice and talked on. "He would have been somewhere dying in a ditch, well dying. Just lying down, if you know what i mean. He is almost non-stop training, making himself ready to protect anything that lies dearest in his heart and maybe even more." Hestia ended with this and Artemis waited for more, but nothing came. "I am sorry, Niece. But if you want to know more about him you have to figure it out yourself."

Artemis sighed and she remembered Hestia talking about a favor. "What about that favor you wanted."

"Oh yea." Hestia shriek and she face palmed herself. "How could I almost have forgotten that. Perseus is my best friend and he means a lot to me." This made Hestia blush slightly and Artemis noticed it, but she ignored it. It probably meant nothing. "When you find him don't immediately go over to action, learn about him, maybe even talk to him. Then decide, is he worthy of a much harsher live than he already has? Or is he worthy of your respect and live a life with daylight and some less harshness? I can't force you into anything, but I can only beg you, please Artemis, see what harsh live he has and then decide, is he worthy of your father's wrath?" With that Hestia disappeared into a golden light and left Artemis alone in her tent and that was what Artemis wanted to be, alone. She had to think of a lot of stuff.

End of Flashback

"Are you alright, Milady?" Niobe asked who was staring at Artemis. Artemis had been staring at the stone forever and the huntresses had began to worry.

"Yes of course." Artemis said and she began to frown over her own thoughts. She had to find out what had happened here and why this had happened to Perseus' parents or as she knew his adoptive parents. Artemis kept staring at the stone and after a while Niobe, again, awoke her from her thoughts.

"He is the one we are looking for, aren't we, Milady?" Niobe asked and Artemis nodded absently, not really paying attention to her question. "Even though we have to hunt him down, I have sympathy for him. Nobody should have to bury their own parents at a young age." This alerted Artemis.

"How can you tell he is young?" Artemis demanded her, not really knowing if she even heard it right.

"Well you see, everyone addresses him with young godling and if he was older you father would've already noticed him earlier." Niobe informed and Artemis could see the logic in that. Niobe was a demigod daughter of Athena and was created with her brain. She was around half a century old and was beginning to get a place in Artemis most trusted huntresses. "It's just a way of logic thinking, Milady. But I guessed you had already figured it out." She added quickly.

"Indeed, there is some logic in that." Atermis said and out of nothing she jumped up and walked away out of the garden. She walked back to the road where she waited for the rest of the girls. When they all met up they went over into a discussion. "Okay girls, we are going over in top speed chasing-" All huntresses groaned, but she didn't gave in. "We have to lost time to make up and I don't want the future traps ruined due to animals or other travelers."

They all nodded in understanding and Artemis order Arete and her trackers to get back on track and predict where they went. After a while of area inspection they came back and said that they went north. The path lead to the north, but what they hadn't noticed was the 20 year old experienced huntress Zoë standing over the grave stone. She went to it after Artemis had left and it shocked her what she had read. The woman who laid here under a layer of dirt was Thyia, the daughter of Alpheos and that was the man who had given her shelter when she had arrived here in Athens. She had nowhere to go after she was banished from her own home. She had served in the Garden of the Hesperides, but she was exiled by her sisters after helping Hercules trick Ladon and letting him steal a golden apple from Hera tree in the Garden of the Hesperides. She had gone to Athens in the hope for some work and shelter, but eventually she ended up in a ditch where she was found by the lovely old man, Alpheos. He had taken care of her together with her daughter Thyia, who was a teenager at that time. When she was fully recovered she stayed for a while until she was hunkering for adventure and left only to never come back and that hurt her now. She had never really said farewell to them and now she was dead. She had been a good friend. She knew out of instinct that if Alpheos was still alive this Perseus would go there. She heard Arete say something about north and she had to intervene now. "That is not true, Milady!" Zoë shouted from out of the garden, all eyes were on her immediately and looked at her like she was mad. "I am completely sure he went to Athens."

Artemis raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst of the fairly new huntress. "Why so, Zoë?"

"Well uuhm.. I know this Thyia, she is the daughter of Alpheos, head of the Athenian-Academic counsel. I found shelter by them before I joined the hunt and Alpheos was the only male I would ever come close to me. He and his daughter took care of me and his heart is pure. If this Perseus needs a place to spend his time now he would definitely go to Athens when he had the choice." Zoë explained and she blushed at all the attention.

Artemis took in the information and she turned towards Arete. "Could this be possible according to the trails?"

Arete frowned and quickly took a map out of her bag. She studied it for a moment and nodded. "Athens is North-East from here, so maybe they made a curve some where and went towards the city."

"Well then," Artemis said and she gave a small smile to her huntress Zoë. She was already a great addition to the hunt even though she was pretty new." To Athens we go girls and still on top speed." All huntresses groaned at loud, but were happy that they could leave this creepy place fast. When the farm was almost out of sight Artemis turned around and thought. 'I am sorry for what you have to go through Perseus, I think Hestia was right. But time will tell if she really did.' With that thought she turned again and ran after her huntresses thinking of things they could trespass in Athens. Crossing a city full of filthy bastards of men would not be an option with her fierce huntresses, but that would come later.

It turned out that indeed Zoë was right and that the trial led to Athens. When they reached the edge of the forest they halted and waited for Artemis instructions. Normally when she would go into a city it would be in a very small group and the rest would set up camp, but Artemis attention was on something else. Smoke trialed up into the cloudless night and the light of all the fires inside was clearly visible, even from that far away. She sensed much death from inside of the city and when she saw the banner of Sparta waving in the wind on top of the walls she knew that something bad had happened, because Sparta wouldn't take a city in a diplomatic way. There would've been a lot of bloodshed and probably, just as she sensed, a lot of death and maybe some grief, grief coming from an immortal, could it be Perseus?. "Girls we are going in together." She announced and while the younger huntresses got excited the older more experienced huntresses were worried.

"Why are we going in all together, Milady?" Khloris asked, because she knew that normally they wouldn't even go with five. They didn't need that much attention and it would end in fighting bastards anyway. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, Khloris. There is something terribly wrong." Artemis said with a sigh. "Sparta has conquered the city, the banners are on the walls and I sense death, a lot of death." Now even the younger huntresses were worried, but that didn't stop them from going in. They were the fierce huntresses of Artemis and they never back off. "Watch each others back, girls. What we will come across in there will not be greeting you excitedly, but will probably murder you on sight, Athenians and Spartans alike. They are probably not in the mood for a godly visit now."

They all nodded in agreement and they readied their bows in their hands, ready to fire any second, and they made their hunting knives easy to unsheathe when needed. When they were all ready they began to run for the city gate, but even though Artemis had guessed it would be really bad she was wrong. It was the worst you could come across in an immortal life and definitely a mortal life. When they were 20 feet in front of the gate 5 guards started the shout for them to stop and were threatening them that they would kill them if they went any further. This warning didn't do anything against the huntresses and all together they shot their arrows and all the guards were pierced with arrows on the place where the sun doesn't shine. They fell over and they groaned due all the pain they had. The huntresses didn't stop and they walked over the guards, yes you heard that right they walked over the guards, pressing them to the ground and letting the arrows sink more in their bodies. They screamed it out, but they huntresses pretended they didn't notice it, but silently they were all enjoying this dearly. When they were inside the city they had expected something very different from what they were seeing. They had expected a lot of people being enslaved by the spartan army, but instead they were met with a sea of dead spartan soldiers, not just soldiers, but even the elite soldiers were laying dead on their feet. Artemis looked around and she was stunned, there was no other body to find just spartan bodies. in front of here laid a big circle of spartan bodies with in the middle an open area with a body that was not from the Spartans. The body had a spear laying next to it covered in blood and she guessed he was killed with a spear. The spartan bodies around him were all killed with a something weird, it had the cut of a sword but instead of a clean-cut it was shredded cut. This sword or whatever it was ripped whole pieces of flesh of the body and it looked horrible, but it was getting worse. When they were done inspecting the soldiers bodies they looked at all the bodies spread over the street. Bodies were laying everywhere on the street as far you could look and massive pools of blood were laying everywhere.

Artemis hadn't thought that it would be this bad, soldiers in the circle were shred to pieces, ripped apart, cut in half, beheaded, stabbed and so on. This wasn't really that bad until you looked further like they were doing now. It seemed that the rest was killed with big claws, because she could clearly she the scratch of massive claws on some bodies. She saw body parts spread over the floor, massive blood pools and even exploded bodies, How she saw it? Well there were not many options when you see body parts sticking to the walls of the surrounding houses and caked blood onto facade.

Athousa was watching everything from quite a distance. She was eleven now and the youngest member of the hunt. She had joined three years ago and what she was seeing now was nothing that she had expected to ever see when in the hunt. This was making her sick, all the blood and death was becoming to much of her and when she could clearly see a spartan body with a ripped of head she vomited. She just let it all flow and this attracted the attention of a worried Artemis. "Iaera, can you take all the huntresses except Areta, Pherenike and Khloris? I don't want you all to see anything more of this." Iaera nodded in understanding and was slightly happy that she could leave this place, she had already seen a lot in her immortal live, but this was just too much to handle, even for her. "Please, set up camp in the forest and we will come there when we are done."

All huntresses except Arete, Pherenike and Khloris left and with the three of them they began to walk towards the end of the body stream. There were so much bodies and everywhere you looked you could see at least 4 bodies laying lifeless on the floor. Some bodies weren't even recognizable, while some were even almost totally intact except for the massive whole in their chest or abdomen. When they reached the place where Perseus had used his implosive powers for the first time they stopped and just stared at the body parts laying everywhere. It was clear immediately that it was all from one body and the blood was everywhere. On the ceilings, walls, doors, floor and so on. They stopped and Pherenike took the words while Artemis, Arete and Khloris were just too stunned to talk. "Who would do all of this and why?"

Artemis gathered herself and answered exactly what she thought, she probably had been right about the grief. She knew Thorax and if Hestia was a trainer and friend of Perseus she would probably get him for it. Thorax had once been, in his heroes years a champion of Hestia but gave it back when he left his role as a hero. "This is the work of someone who lost it all, someone who felt cornered by the killers, someone who has nothing too loose. You just loose yourself then and you all saw the body in front of there? Laying in the middle of the circle. That spear next to him was a spartan spear and the body was Thorax the lost hero. The hero who preferred a live of peace and quietness above a live full of fame and lust. I met him once and he was one of the most skilled warriors I have ever seen. He gave up his warrior life for a life of happiness. Almost nobody knows him, but still he is one of the best. What I think is that he trained our target and that our target lost it when he was killed. Because nothing human," Artemis pointed at the body of Zagreus whose body was separated from his head in a brutal way. "Can do that without having a beast inside of them. This is called a lost immortal's wrath."

AN: Okay this was rather a boring chapter but it was needed and it sucked too... Hoped you liked it anyway and as always:

Leave a review and if you want more of this favorite and/or follow it.
I am sorry for grammatical errors and/or spelling mistakes.

Next chapter will have some Hestia and Perseus moments so stick with me!

See you later!