I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians. I never have and I never will. Yes, I am heartbroken too, I know.
I am finally free, so I probably will update more, although there will be days on which I don't update. I do have a life in the 'real' world. Still, I will try to update more. Hopefully.
Enjoy!
Percy tried to keep still and calm down his beating heart. Tried to control his accelerated breathing and heartbeat and keep himself from doing anything stupid, like trying to attack, or showing fear. He had the idea Artemis reacted to fear like some predators do and kill him if he showed any.
The adrenaline was coursing through his body now that the moon goddess was looking down at him like this, like he was one of the monsters she hunted. Like she wanted to hunt and kill him, like she had done with countless monsters and animals.
His body was screaming he should do anything, try to fight her, but he was tied up and defenseless. And even if he had been able to move, he doubted he could beat her. He had seen her fight, had seen her agility and speed. He knew she was an amazing fighter, a better fighter than him even without all her godly powers.
He wouldn't be able to beat her, especially not while his head was still pounding and he was in unfamiliar, hostile territory. He would probably not even manage to land one blow on her nor take one step if he tried to escape.
Even he managed to escape somehow, if he managed get past her, there would still be the hunters. They wouldn't be happy to see him and Percy would rather not fight them. They were good fighters, hated boys and they had Thalia. He didn't want to get electrocuted or anything. Escape wasn't an option.
And fighting probably wasn't either, seeing he was outnumbered and one of his opponents was a very powerful, man-hating goddess. He could never beat all the hunters and Artemis, especially not with a possible concussion. The odds definitely weren't in his favour.
Artemis smirked and looked down at him with a look in her eyes that made Percy feel trapped and in danger. She didn't look very benevolent or fair right now. She looked like she was looking very much forward to torturing him.
" So boy. What do you think? Shall I give you to my hunters? I am sure they would appreciate having something to practice their shooting on".
" Yeah, about that... can't you just let me go? No one was supposed to hurt me, it was in the rules right?".
" Athena wasn't supposed to use her godly powers to hurt you. I however, am free to hurt you in any way I like. And I won't even be the one hurting you!".
" You will still be the one that gives me to a bunch of armed girls that hate my guts. Doesn't that count as hurting me?".
" Not really. And even if it did, I don't care. You need to be punished. Or do you want me to show that little scene at Victoria's secret to Zeus? He hasn't seen it yet".
Percy thought about this. What fate would be worse; being followed by one of the most powerful creatures that existed, who has a very lethal lightning bolt as weapon, or having to deal with a bunch of girls that were armed and had torturing boys like him as hobby? Both options didn't appeal to him at all.
Zeus would probably freak out and either use his lightning bolt to kill him and order Hades to send him to the field of punishment. Or something else, that was very painful. That wouldn't be good.
But Artemis' hunters might do something equally painful and no doubt embarressing. And they might even hate him more than Zeus did, were with more and were a lot more inventive.
He wasn't sure what they would do, but he didn't doubt their skill at embarressing and hurting boys. Most had had a long time to practise after all. Their punishment wouldn't be a piece of cake either.
Percy sighed. He understood he didn't really have a choose, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Or even feel like he deserved it.
" Neither is going to end well isn't it?".
" No, but I will show mercy. My hunters won't get to use you for practise".
" Mm. Then I will choose the hunters I think".
"Great! Let's go".
Percy got a sinking feeling when Artemis smiled brightly ( he had never seen her do that before and it freaked him out), snapped her fingers and transported him to where all the hunters were. She stopped smiling, but still looked a lot happier than Percy liked. Her happinness no doubt meant something very bad was going to happen to him.
The hunters were practising of course; shooting arrows at machines made by Hepheastus, shooting arrows at objects from a big distance and even shooting blindfolded. Some were even sparing against each other and all looked very lethal, something you didn't expect girls their age to be.
Percy wasn't happy when he noticed they rarely missed and that the practise dummy's/machines were all boys. Boys with missing limps, burns and arrows planted in various places of their body. He especially felt anxious when he saw one of the girls shoot an arrow straight through the heart ( or where his heart would be if he was actually alive) of a moving boy-robot while she was blindfolded.
" Girls! I have a surprise for you" Artemis called and all the hunters immediately stopped shooting and destroying things to walk towards her and hang on to every word she said.
They mostly ignored Percy, but some of them looked at him like he was Atlas himself. Others just give him a look full of contempt and ignored him. None of them seemed even worried about the fact that he was tied-up and probably had a very big bump on his head. They seemed to especially like that actually, smiling when they noticed it.
Thalia was the only one who seemed semi- friendly, although Percy knew she would love to hurt him. She didn't glare at him or anything, but was still looking a lot happier than she should have been. She didn't even seem worried.
" Okay hunters, as you all can see, we have a visitor. It doesn't matter who he is or why he is here. All you need to know, is what to do with him. Like all boys- those revolting creatures- he has done something wrong. I won't go into details, but it was really bad. So, as punishment, we will use him for our man hunt!".
Percy stared at her, nonplussed. Was she trying to get him killed? Or did she just enjoy humiliating and endangering him? Probably the latter. Or both.
"Man-hunt? Arte-".
Artemis gave him her coldest glare that warned him he should stop talking or live with the consequences. He didn't want to know what the consequences were, but they probably involved something far worse than a man-hunt.
" Lady Artemis. Have some respect, boy". The last part was practically hissed and Artemis managed to make it sound like the worst insult ever, like he should feel deeply ashamed he was a boy.
" Eh sorry, Lady Artemis. But a man-hunt ? What exactly do you mean when you say a man-hunt".
" Are you really that obtuse? I was well aware that boys possess little intelligence, but this should be obvious. It is exactly like it sounds like. We will let you go into the forest, you get a few minutes to run away before we will follow you and hunt you down".
" And by hunt you down, you mean... ".
" We will shoot arrows at you or use anything else to stop you".
" I thought you weren't going to hurt me".
" I am not, they are".
Percy looked at the hunters, who seemed all very happy that they got the chance to hunt him down and hurt him a lot. They were all smiling and looking more than eager to start and shoot all their arrows at him.
He had always hated bow and arrows, but now he hated them even more. How was he going to dodge dozens of arrows flying towards him?
"Great" he muttered and Artemis nodded, smiling vaguely. She had noticed his sarcasm, but ignored it.
" Exactly. This will be an excellent way to practise cooperation. And something that is alive is often more difficult to ki- I mean to catch - than a machine. So it will be a wonderful practise. Do you have any questions girls?".
One of them, one with black hair and periwinkle blue eyes, raised her hand. Her blue eyes sparkled with misschief and anticipation when she glanced at Percy. He didn't think that was a good sign.
" Are we allowed to really hit him? Like in his arm or anything?".
" Yes, you are. You have to minimalize the harm done, but you are allowed to shoot him in his arm or somewhere else on his body. Just make sure you don't hit any arteries or hurt him too much. You are not allowed to do any permanent damage or kill him. Apart from that, you can basically do anything".
All the hunters looked very happy at hearing they could do basically anything, although a few looked down now they wouldn't get to hurt Percy really badly and started to complain about it. They were all silent when Artemis gave them a stern look.
Another girl, this one with blond hair and turquoise eyes, raised her hand. She seemed just as eager as the rest, but also slightly nervous. Percy thought she might be the youngest, she certainly looked and behaved like it.
" Lady Artemis?".
" Yes, my dear?".
" So when does the game end? When do we have won?".
" Well, you will have to catch him and get him back to camp. If he reachest the bounderies I have set up, and he will know if he does, he wins. If you manage to catch him and get him back to camp, you win. You can use traps, your bow and arrow and anything else you can think of. Just be sure he only has minor injuries at the end of the game. And I expect you all to cooperate!".
Artemis glanced at Percy before continuing. He was starting to feel extremely trapped, with all those girls looking at him like he was the most despicable thing they had ever seen. What had he done to deserve this? Surely, the universe couldn't hate him that much, could it?
" So these are the rules. Cooperate, don't hurt him too badly and bring him back to camp. You get a half hour to set up some extra traps if you like and come up with a battle strategy while the pre- I mean boy - gets time to freshen up. After that half hour, I will send him inside the forest. Make sure you have taken up your positions, set up traps and discussed everything by then. I won't participate in the game, but I will be in the forest to make sure everyone keeps to the rules. Is this clear?".
When everyone nodded, Artemis told them they should go and they all run into the forest, laughing and talking. Artemis herself walked away as well, back to her tent, leaving Percy still tied up and uncomfortable. He had to wait a long time before she returned.
He was just starting to panic when she returned, carrying a green-gold back with little lions on it.
Her panther was following her, circling around her legs while she walked, and looking at Percy from the corners of his eyes. He obviously didn't trust Percy.
Great, someone else who doesn't like me. What have I ever done to those people that they hate my guts so much? You would think they would be nicer after I saved their mistress.
Percy was startled when something tickled his wrists. It took him a few moments to realize that it were the whiskers of the panther touching his wrist. He wanted to turn, so he could see what the panther was doing, but he still couldn't move.
He didn't have to wait long to find out however; he suddenly felt the rope no longer cutting into his wrists and realized the panther had chewed through the rope and released him.
Glancing at the panther, Percy stood and rubbed his sore wrists. There were red marks on them and even faint bruises. The rope had been tied extremely tight and his wrist actually burned a little.
He stretched a few times, hoping that would help ease the pain in his muscles from sitting on that uncomfortable chair for a long time.
His muscles were sore, but he expected he would still be able to run without much trouble. He just needed a little time to get his blood running again.
The panther walked towards Artemis and purred contently while she stroked his fur with one hand. She reached in the purse with the other hand and got some pieces of Ambrosia out. Without a word, she gave them to Percy.
He immediately put them in his mouth and sighed blissfully when his headache slowly disappeared and he felt energetic instead of tired. Now he might actually be able to win this 'game'.
" I would run a little if I were you. You don't have that much time left and your muscles are probably a bit sore".
Percy looked at Artemis, surprised she was actually giving him useful tips. It wasn't like he thought she would be unjust, but he had expected her to be unwilling to help any boy, even if that boy had once helped her.
" Thank you. I am surprised you are willing to help me".
" I only gave you Ambrosia and a bit of advice. That is hardly helping. And it wouldn't be fun to watch if it was too easy for my hunters. You at least require some energy or it won't be that entertaining".
" So seeing me run for my life is entertaining?".
" Quite. And don't exaggerate, your life isn't in any danger".
Percy stretched a few more times before he ran around a little, hoping to ease his muscles. He needed to be ready to run away very hard and he wouldn't if his muscles were still this sore when he had to run.
" Oh really? I would think it was. You have given them permission to do almost anything after all".
" They aren't allowed to kill you, so your life isn't in danger. Stop whining already".
Artemis walked towards the forest, presumably to check if everyone was ready and left Percy behind to run a few more laps. He was surprised to see she wasn't alone when she returned. The girl with black hair and periwinkle blue eyes was with her, looking vaguely annoyed.
They reached Percy and Artemis nodded at him while the girl pointedly ignored him after a glare towards him. She seemed to be annoyed with him for some reason. Probably because he was a boy.
"Percy. This is Perri, she and I have had a little talk and I decided to change the game a little".
Percy didn't like the sound of that, but he tried not to be too concerned. He had fought wars before, fighting the hunters shouldn't be bad- even if they were good fighters. Well, that was what he told himself at least.
" You aren't allowed to bring any weapon with you, so if you see a hunter, you will have to fight her bare-handed. Or just run away. Also, you will just be yourself the first half of the game, but as soon as you get closer to the bounderies, I will turn you into a jackalope. You will be returned ton your human form when the game ends".
" I would rather no-".
" Don't contradict lady Artemis, you revolting boy . She makes the rules and you will keep to them" Perri suddenly said, her eyes narrowed and her hand on her bow. She looked ready to attack, but Artemis gave her a stern look and she relaxed again. She kept glaring at Percy though.
" I thought Thalia was your lieutenant?".
" She is".
" Oh. So why isn't she with you?".
" She decided to wait in the forest so she could attack you boy" Perri said, glaring at Percy again. She obviously didn't like being left out of the conversation.
" Perri will assist me. She will only take part in the second half of the game and Thalia didn't want that. She prefered hunting to quietly observing. And who can blame her? It is more fun" Artemis explained.
Perri clapped her hands. "Anyway, are we ready to start?".
Artemis smiled at Perri's eagerness and told Percy to hand her his sword and any other weapon he was carrying. She had meant it when she said he couldn't use any weapons. He could use some things he found in the forest, like stones, but not swords or anything of the sort.
She also gave him a horribly pink ribbon that he should wear, so that everyone could recognize him when he was turned into a jackalope. He tied it around his arm, trying to not feel ridiculous.
Artemis shot one silver arrow into the air to warn her hunters the game was starting and Percy took off. He would only have minutes before the first hunter would follow him. Or start shooting arrows at him.
Percy ran as fast as possible at first, but walked after he had very nearly run into a trap. If he hadn't disturbed a squirrel, he would have fallen into a pit instead of the squirrel. He started jogging instead of running and paid more attention when he realized must have a lot of traps around here.
He picked up some stones and put them in his pockets, hoping to distract hunters by throwing stones at him. He probably wouldn't get close enough to hit them, seeing as their weapons were meant to use at a distance, so he needed something to throw at them. Stones weren't great, but it was better than nothing.
Percy walked for some time, carefully listening to everything and looking around him to search for more hidden traps. He didn't know how much time he had left before the first hunter would attack him, so he would have to be careful. And even without hunters attacking him, there would still be traps where he could run into.
He suddenly hear something in a bush left to him, but when he looked at it, an arrow flew towards him from his right. The sound had been to distract him.
He saw the arrow approach from the corners of his eyes and jumped forward while throwing a stone in the direction of where the arrow had come from. Immediately, a lot more arrows came towards him.
He started zigzagging, hoping he would be more difficult to hit that way, and threw another stone. He heard someone curse, but didn't have time to even feel satisfied. There were too many arrows coming towards him to dodge.
He started running again, careful to watch his steps, when one of the hunters dropped in front of him and startled him. Without thinking, he pushed her away and jumped over her leg when she tried to make him fall. She shot an arrow towards him, but he changed his direction at the last moment and she missed.
A few arrows grazed his neck and shoulders, but he didn't even feel it. He jumped over some branches and ran harder, trying to keep an eye out for traps. He just knew they had more. They had set up traps before he had arrived here, to catch animals no doubt.
He made it look like he was going right, but suddenly went left and jumped over a thornbush. He barely felt the thorns and ran a little harder. He needed to put as much distance between him and the group of hunters as possible.
When he was convinced there was enough distance between him and the first group of hunters, he slowed down and started walking.
He looked around him to determine where he was and where he had to go. He was somewhere in the middle of the forest and all he saw was leaves, trees, branches and stones.
He didn't really know where he was, but Artemis had said he would eventually see the bounderies, no matter which way he went. As long as he didn't run back, he would reach the bounderies if he kept running long enough.
He glanced at the trees and listened carefully for a few minutes, but didn't hear anything. He was convinced there were no hunters here, not yet at least. He would already be dodging arrows if there were.
He listened again and his eyes widened when he did hear something, something barely detectable. A river.
Artemis had told him there was a river somewhere and that he was allowed to use it to his advantage if he could find the river. If he could just find the river, he could attack instead of defend. He might actually win that way, despite the fact he was outnumbered, didn't know the forest and his opponents were almost invisble and attacked him from the trees.
He started running towards the sound, his spirits a lot higher, but forget to pay a lot attention. Which was why he didn't see the trap until it was too late.
The ground suddenly disappeared beneath his feet and he started falling. He tried to grab something, but his opponents had thought this through; the ground around him was all mud and there was nothing to hold on to. He couldn't do anything to keep himself from falling.
He landed on the ground and immediately tried to climb out of the hold, only to fall on his back. He immediately got up, despite the slight pain in his back. He had to get away before the hunters arrived.
He tried jumping really high and , after trying it a few times, managed to grab the upper part of the hole, but it was slippery and he fell again.
He tried again and this time, he didn't just grab the upper part, but also swung his leg and pushed himself out o f the hole. He rolled away when arrows flew towards him from all sides.
He jumped to his feet and started running again, zigzagging and randomnly changing directions to avoid all the arrows. Several managed to graze his skin and hurt him, but he didn't stop. He only ran harder, determined to get to the river and win this.
He paid attention this time and managed to avoid several traps, but that was mainly because Artemis had ordered her hunters to make the trap relatively easy to see, claiming it wouldn't be entertaining if he just fell in a trap. If she hadn't, he would never have been able to see the traps.
He reached some sort of hill and let himself fall to the ground, so he could roll down it. It was faster that way.
When he stopped rolling, he immediately jumped to his feet and started running again. The arrows weren't following him anymore, luckily. He had lost the hunters.
He got hear the water without much trouble now and ran a little harder, eager to get to it. He had to avoid several more holes, ropes, clamps and nets, but finally could see the stream.
Before he was there however, more arrows than ever shot towards him and he had to duck behind a tree to avoid them. Even then, some came very close to his face.
There was a big group of hunters here and he also suspected there were some very well-hidden traps. But he had to get to the water. So he would have to try, he didn't have any other option.
He inhaled deeply and, running hard and zigzagging, ran towards the water. Several arrows grazed his legs, hips and head and one even managed to hit him, but he kept running. He wouldn't go down without a fight.
He almost stepped in a hole, but managed to jump over it on the last moment. He avoided other traps by luck and was just quick enough to avoid the net that fell down from some tree when he ran past it.
Panting slightly, he stood in front of the river. Two hunters blocked his path, but he dodged both their weapons and hit them hard against the side of their heads before jumping in the water. He immediately felt better, the pain from his wounds lessening and his energy returning. He was ready to attack instead of defend.
He used hydrokinesis to 'shoot' water towards the hunters and freeze their hands to the trees they were in, after summoning a water wall, freezing it and making it stay that way to protect him from their arrows. Soon, all the hunters were stuck, their hands frozen to the tree.
He hoped it wouldn't harm them too much, but he didn't think so. They were immortal after all. They should be able to deal with a little ice.
He climbed in the highest tree and tried to see where he had to go. Artemis had said the bounderies were where the forest gave away for a abandoned road, so he just had to find that place.
After looking for some time, he managed to make out the end of the forest and the vague line of a road. It wasn't that far away, but the paths leading to it would probably be filled with traps and hunters. So he would have to be careful.
Percy climbed down and jumped back into the water, summoning a wave that was really big and rode it. He spurred it to go forward, towards the abandoned road. It was a lot easier than running and avoiding all these traps.
He was almost there- he could already see it in the distance- when he felt a weird tingling sensation and his wave collapsed.
He fell to the ground and gasped when that weird sensation continued and he saw his limps shortening, his skin changing into fur and his vision change as well.
He got to his feet clumsily and tried to ran away, but stumbled and fell again. He wasn't used to this form. He didn't even know how to walk, it seemed.
He tried running again, feeling very nervous and confused, but before he could come very far, someone shot an arrow through his ear, that attached him to the ground, and picked him up ( after removing the arrow).
He struggled in the person's arms, but wasn't strong enough to escape. The person just tightened her grip - which almost crushed his ribs- and started walking.
He was vaguely aware of people laughing and talking, but didn't fully understand what they were saying.
He still felt confused and wasn't accustomed to this strange form, vision and everything else that was different. Everything seemed bigger, smelled different and even looked different. It was very confusing.
After some time, and many fruitless attempts at escape, Percy was brought into camp and dropped to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, he returned to human form. He was covered in mud, wet, his clothes were dirty and torn and he felt nauseous. Sufficent to say, he wasn't happy.
He tried to get up, but everything started to spin and he fell down again. He heard people laugh and someone kicked him, but he couldn't see who it was. Black spots were dancing in front of his eyes.
After inhaling deeply, he tried again. He managed to stand, but was trembling slightly and black spots were still dancing in front of his eyes. He almost fell down again, but managed to stand despite the dizziness.
His stomach didn't feel great either; he could feel bile rising in his throat and barely managed to keep himself from throwing up. He had to inhale deeply before his stomach calmed down somewhat.
When the black spots had finally disappeared and he didn't feel like fainting or throwing up anymore, he noticed Artemis and her hunters were looking at him.
Most hunters were smiling broadly, but some looked vaguely worried. Like Thalia and some others who probably knew him. They looked relieved when they saw he was okay.
" Seaweed brain! We kicked your ass. Again " Thalia said, grinning.
Percy smiled weakly. "Well pineapple face, you were lucky. Next time, I will kick your ass".
" Keep dreaming".
Artemis gave Thalia a stern look, but Percy saw the corners of her mouth turn upward. She obviously was trying hard not to laugh.
" Now Thalia, no matter how entertaining it is to see the two of you fight or argue, I think Percy should go home. They probably expect him".
She turned towards Percy and he felt dizzy again. Her aura wasn't just slightly painful or annoying anymore, but made him feel dizzy and nauseous for some reason.
" Did you like being a jackalope?" she asked, with the shadow of a smile. He could have sworn her eyes were sparkling with misschief, making her look more like her brother.
"No sorry, not really".
" Too bad. You make a good jackalope".
" ehhm okay? Can I go home now?".
He hoped he would be able to go home. The man-hunt hadn't been nice, but it hadn't been the horrible torture he had expected. He had expected something far worse when it became clear Artemis knew what had happened between Athena and him.
He had at least expected her to be very, very mad, but she didn't seem to be. Or she was just doing a very good job of hiding it.
" That can be arranged. Just don't think I let you off the hook Percy. And don't think Athena will let you get away with it".
Percy sighed. She was right. Athena wouldn't just let him get away with it. If she was anything like her daughter- and he knew she was- he would deeply regret his actions when she was done with him.
" I won't. Can I go now?".
" Sure. Thalia, show him the road that leads to camp half-blood all right?".
Thalia nodded while the other hunters seemed very disappointed they wouldn't get more time to hurt him. Especially the ones whose hands had been frozen seemed disappointed. And angry, very angry. It made him want to leave even more.
He walked behind Thalia, his muscles aching and still feeling a little bit nauseous, and they talked a little.
She asked him what exactly was going on; Artemis had told her of the bet, but she didn't know all details, so Percy told her all that had happened apart from the kiss and what had happened at Victoria's Secret. She would tease him forever if she found that out.
He also didn't tell her where Artemis and he had talked about or that he thought- knew- he was in love with Athena. It was too messed up and he didn't know how she would react to it.
Thalia showed him the right road, gave him a quick hug and said goodbye before leaving him to walk back on his own.
It took him ages, but he finally reached camp half-blood and immediately went inside his cabin, collapsing on his bed in his dirty, torn clothes. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he was asleep.