Chapter 10: Searching and Finding
Hunters of Artemis Camp…Cascade Mountain Range…Dawn…
The morning sun peeked over the horizon, shooting rays of gold and orange into the clouds above, lighting the beautiful mountain vistas below the camp. Thalia and Annabeth stood at the gate of the Hunters' camp armed for the task set before them. Artemis had ordered the pair of demigods to search the Cascades to find the strange man and the black wolf who had intervened during their confrontation with the razorback. Both girls weren't exactly certain that they would be able to find their quarry. Searching the entire Cascade Mountain Range for two specific individuals was a monumental task, particularly for only two people.
Both girls were decked out in their chosen gear: Annabeth opted for a more agile arsenal and sported several daggers and a short sword that hung from a holster across her narrow shoulders while Thalia grasped her spear loosely in one hand. Both wore light silver armor plates to protect vital organs and areas over matching sky blue t-shirts and tight shorts. Annabeth sighed and shifted her weight, feeling the belt of daggers slip into a more comfortable position on her hips. Thalia yawned. The daughter of Zeus hadn't slept well and it showed. Bags were apparent under her eyes and she was swaying in the gentle morning breeze. Artemis stood several paces behind the two girls, an amused look on her face. The goddess shook her head and walked over to the two demigods.
"From what I have observed," she said, coming abreast of Thalia and Annabeth, "you could use a little help on your excursion." Thalia opened her mouth to retort but stopped when Annabeth elbowed her in the ribs.
"Yes, milady," the daughter of Athena confirmed. "We would appreciate help. If you don't mind of course." Artemis' smile widened and she gestured. There was a sharp popping sound followed by Nico di Angelo appearing several feet away from Annabeth and Thalia just outside the camp's boundaries. Like Annabeth and Thalia, the son of Hades was garbed in light armor the color of ash over a black long-sleeve and pants. His Stygian Iron sword was sheathed on a bandolier that was slung across his shoulders. Nico blinked his dark inquisitive eyes and looked around in surprise before he noticed the female trio. Recognition then irritation flashed across his narrow face as he settled a questioning stare on the Goddess of the Hunt.
"Yes?" he huffed. "You popped?" Artemis gave a soft giggle that was almost imperceptible as she nodded in confirmation. She placed her hands on Annabeth's and Thalia's shoulders.
"I believe you three will be able to complete your task with little difficulty," she decided. "Good luck." With that, she turned on her heel and strode swiftly back into the camp, leaving the three demigods at the gate. Nico blinked and turned to Annabeth and Thalia, a questioning look on his face. Thalia rolled her eyes and walked out of the camp and past Nico. Annabeth followed behind, gesturing for Nico to do the same.
"You missed an interesting exchange last night," the daughter of Athena said. "We saved Pamela from a razorback." Nico cocked an eyebrow with interest.
"Oh?" he murmured. "What happened?"
"Someone intervened," Thalia said shortly, her tone harsh. "A man, to be precise." Nico's eyes widened and he stopped.
"Was he tall?" the son of Hades inquired. "Well built? Wore a mask? Did he have black hair?" Annabeth and Thalia froze, surprised at the detailed description of their objective.
"How'd you know?" Annabeth asked. Nico gave a thin smile and continued walked.
"There've been rumors going around," he answered. "Rumors of a pair of masked men that make a habit of popping up where monsters are around have been fluctuating throughout the Camps and the Underworld." Thalia frowned.
"We saw only one man," she countered. "But he had a huge black wolf with him." Nico stopped mid-stride and turned back to the two girls.
"Huh," he mused. "And you have to find him and his pet? Is that why Artemis summoned me? To help you two look under every rock and tree in the Cascades?" Annabeth smiled.
"Yup," she confirmed. Nico sighed and turned away.
"This is gonna take a while," he muttered darkly. "I guess we'd better get started." The three demigods began walking again, unaware of the two sets of eyes watching them from a rocky outcropping above them.
Approximately two kilometers north of the Hunters of Artemis Camp…Dawn…
*Yawn* "Morning. Sleep well?"
Grunt.
"You still aren't talking to me, huh?"
Non-committal grumble.
"Was it something I said?"
Negative grunt.
"Something I did? Or didn't do?"
Low grunt.
"Didn't do. Right…hmm… Are you angry that I didn't tell you where I went after that little spat with the cat-thing?"
Affirmative grunt.
"Aah. Now we're getting somewhere."
Irritated grunt.
"Aw, c'mon, Percy. Don't be like that. I had an urgent matter to attend to."
"Suuure," Percy groaned. "You're the nut who likes to check in with Oure after every mission." Leman shrugged and waved his hand in agreement.
"Sometimes," the son of Hephaestus admitted. "But this time, I thought I'd break from routine for once and have a wee bit of a lark." Percy twisted his face into a grimace of interest.
"Who uses 'lark' anymore?" he asked, jumping off one rock and onto another. Leman gave his comrade a blank look.
"Hello?" he said, dropping into a pompous British accent. "Born and raised in London." Percy paused, blinking in surprise.
"You were born in London?" he asked, watching as Leman swung idly from a tree branch. The demigod grunted the affirmative and dropped gracefully to the ground like a cat.
"Me mother was Irish," Leman explained, slipping into an Irish brogue. "She moved tae London after her parents died when she was twenty an' met me father Hephaestus there." The man fell silent as he walked to the edge of a cliff and plopped to the ground, gazing out at the forested mountains ranging below as his legs swung idly off the cliff side.
"After I was born," he continued, returning to his normal timbre, "Hephaestus left, leaving mom to fend for me and herself. She found a nice guy, settled down, and had two more kids; my half-siblings." Percy stared at the back of his friend's head in silence. Over the two years he had known Leman, Percy had never heard him open up like this. It had taken the son of Hephaestus a year to even let his comrade into his living quarters. Despite his lack of knowledge regarding mechanics and machines, he had been awestruck by the constructs he had seen in Leman's workroom. His work rivalled that of Leo's and was incredibly intricate and complex compared to the work of the young Mexican. Of course, Leman had almost 80 years of experience in his field and a keen intellect that astounded Percy.
Percy smiled as he shifted his gaze to the rising sun. After a few moments, his smile broke into a puzzled frown. Two dark shapes were silhouetted against the sun; two flapping shapes.
"Isn't that Huginn and Muninn?" Percy said. Leman frowned and looked up at the son of Poseidon in confusion.
"Pardon?" Leman grunted. Percy pointed at the silhouettes that were drawing closer every second. Leman turned to see what Percy was gesturing at. A smile spread across his face that slipped into a frown as he furrowed his brow.
"What are they doing here?" he mused, mussing his white hair. "I never ordered them out." Percy winced.
"I told them to go search for the other Arlbur," he confessed. Leman's frown deepened.
"The other what?" he queried.
"Arlbur," Percy repeated. "They're one of the new monsters that have been popping up recently. If you had come to the Stronghold with me to talk with Archer, you'd know about them." Leman rolled his eyes and stood, facing Percy.
"Well, now I do," the son of Hephaestus said. "And I thank you for it." He gave a mocking bow. When he straightened, one of the ravens, a medium built bird made of bronze, fluttered down to perch in his shoulder. The grating noise of metal on metal sounded as the raven turned its head to peer at its creator with a ruby eye. It cawed once, emitting a distorted metallic screech. Leman blinked and arched an eyebrow at the bronze raven.
"Muninn says that they found the thing," he explained, pointing, "about a click south of here. It's hiding in a cave under a cliff face." Percy nodded, watching as another metallic raven fluttered out of the sky to land on Leman's unoccupied shoulder. This one was made from iron, giving it a dull gray sheen as the sun reflected off its blade-like feathers. It in turn blinked an eye at Leman. The older demigod turned to look into the iron raven's sapphire eye as it cawed once. A frown broke across his scarred face.
"Huginn says that there are other people near the Arburl," Leman translated.
"Arlbur," Percy corrected. "What other people? Hikers?" Leman shook his head as Huginn cawed again.
"Some teenagers," he replied. "Two girls and a boy. They must want some privacy to get it on." He gave a sly grin. Percy rolled his eyes and snorted in amusement at his friend's humor. They both fell silent when Huginn cawed once more. Leman's face morphed into an expression of blank disbelief followed by a look of grim fury.
"The teens," the son of Hephaestus grunted, "they're being followed." Percy cocked his head to one side in confusion.
"By what?" he inquired. "The Arlbur?" Leman shook his head.
"Not what," he corrected. "Who; Milan and Summers." Percy gaped.
"What are they doing here?" he asked incredulously. Leman shrugged and put both hands into his jacket pockets. He withdrew them, pulling two copper bolts from his jacket and held them up to the two ravens. The two constructs gulped down the bits of metal and nuzzled Leman, croaking happily before they flapped their metal wings and took flight, heading towards the Brotherhood Stronghold to rest in Leman's workroom.
"I don't know," Leman replied finally, "but I have a feeling that it isn't anything good."
Approximately one kilometer north of the Hunters of Artemis Camp…
"Admit it," Nico said, walking away, "you have no idea where this guy and his pet wolf are." Thalia swung around, her eyes flashing with anger.
"Watch it, Death Breath," Thalia snapped. "You haven't been exactly helpful with this little escapade either!" Nico shrugged and flopped down against a tree beside the cave they had stopped outside of to rest.
"Still," he jibed, "we're no closer to finding this enigmatic duo any more than we were thirty minutes ago." Annabeth sighed and sat on a rock near the cave's entrance, tiring of her companion's constant bickering. They had been walking for the last half hour and had found absolutely no trace or sign of the strange man and his wolf. As a matter of fact, they hadn't seen or heard any trace of the local wildlife. As she tuned out Thalia and Nico's growing argument, Annabeth considered the lack of animals in the area. Something had obviously driven them from their habitat. Or had eaten them before they had the chance to. Both were rather disconcerting theories, but the daughter of Athena couldn't think of a single new monster they had come across that would have such a drastic effect on the wildlife.
"Buck tooth!"
"Ghost lover!"
"Sparky!"
"Grim weeper!"
"Thunder thighs!"
"Huh…I kinda like that one. Makes me feel like I can crush a man's head with my legs. Like a sparrow's egg." Annabeth looked up in interest at Thalia who was standing now, mere inches away from Nico. The daughter of Zeus had a snide smirk on her face as she looked up at Nico. Annabeth blinked in surprise, just noticing how tall Nico had grown. The son of Hades twisted his face into a grimace and folded his arms. Just as he was about to speak, a new voice broke in on the conversation.
"Y'think they like each other?" a high voice asked. Another voice chuckled in response, causing the three demigods to look around apprehensively.
"Maybe," the other voice chuckled, this one low. "Perhaps this is their pre-coitus ritual." Thalia cocked her head to one side in confusion.
"What's 'coitus'?" she asked. The voices cackled evilly.
"Ya ha! Seems like they know how to speak!" one giggled.
"I wonder if they'll be able to match us in intellect!" the other sneered. "Only the wolf and the whale have come close."
"Good thing they aren't here now," the high voice scoffed, "else they'd ruin our good fun! Ya ha!" Thalia's eyes flashed.
"Show yourselves!" she snapped, glaring at the surrounding trees.
"We have," the low voice jeered, this time from directly behind the three demigods. Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico whirled, drawing respective weapons as they turned. Crouching above them on the lip of the cave's overhand were two young men, both clad in armored one piece suits. One was broad and tall, his one piece dyed a bloody red. He had a barrel chest and thick arms that could make even Clarisse drool. His face was flat and wide, as if it had been punched one time too many. Cunning dark eyes winked from beneath a heavy brow and a mop of common brown hair. Even without the long-hafted axe grasped loosely in his large hands, he cut an imposing and dangerous figure. His colleague, for that matter, was the complete opposite.
Where the red figure was thick and broad, the other was thin and whippy like a willow switch. His shoulder length light blonde hair blended almost completely into his golden one piece suit and his piercing blue eyes glared out from beneath an arched brow. His choice of armament was a pair of bronze revolvers that were holstered in a belt around his slim waist. Annabeth noted the unusually archaic weapons that tended to be found in the hands of demigods. Was it possible that these two were half-bloods?
A tense silence passed as the two sides faced off, unsure of what to do next. Annabeth broke the silence by stepping forward, sheathing her weapons and held her palms outward in an open gesture of peace.
"Hello," she said. "My name is Annabeth and this is Nico and Thalia." The gold clad youth perked up and peered down at Annabeth with narrowed eyes.
"Ya ha," he muttered in a stage whisper to his comrade. "Don't we know that name? Annabeth?" The red youth frowned in contemplation before nodding vigorously.
"Yeah," he confirmed. "I think she had something to do with the 'Savior' of Olympus." Annabeth froze at the mention of the title the Olympians had bestowed upon Percy after he had saved Olympus a second time. She was certain that they weren't mortal. Maybe demigods…
"Guess we know something she doesn't," the gold figure sneered, leering down at Annabeth. "Something about something!" The red figured belched a laugh as his companion cackled and began leaping from foot to foot.
"Something about something! Something about something!" he jeered in a singsong voice. "Ya ha!" Annabeth glared up at the two teens furiously.
"Tell me!" she shouted. The gold figure moved and appeared before Annabeth before she could even register his disappearance. He placed a finger gently on her lips, silencing her as he smirked at her with a cruel smile on his lips, his eyes dancing with a fiendish light.
"Shh, lovely," he shushed. "All in good time. Uncle Illario will keep the secret until the time is right. I promise you that. Ya ha!"
"Illario!" the other teen called, his voice panicked. "Look!" All eyes turned to the red clad youth and followed his outstretched arm, looking for the source of his panic. The three demigods gaped at the sight the other teen was indicating. Jumping from tree to tree like a massive rabbit was a coal black wolf the size of a jeep, the same wolf that had killed that razorback with almost no effort. Even more surprising was the figure sitting upon its back, a colored mask over his face.
"Rikard!" the figure barked, his voice distorted once more. "Illario! Leave now!" The wolf ruffed in agreement and growled as it landed several strides away from the group, the bronze chain about its neck winking in the sunlight. Now that he was closer, Annabeth could see that the newcomer wore a dark blue one piece suit like the other two men. With a smooth grace that made Annabeth catch her breath in awe, the figure slid from the wolf's back and advanced, walking directly past the yellow man to the cave's entrance.
"What do you want?!" the red figure sneered. "Come to join in the fun?" The newcomer snorted derisively.
"Not the fun you're thinking, Rikard," he growled at the red suited man. "Had you listened to Archer, you'd know what roams these woods." The yellow man, Illario presumably, scoffed.
"And just what lives here that's worth our attention?" he asked, stepping away from Annabeth. Annabeth drew closer to Nico and Thalia, wary of the three strangers before her. They radiated a strange power that Annabeth had never sense before. Again, she didn't recognize the wolf behind her as the one that had taken Percy from her two years ago.
"An Arlbur," the blue figure replied shortly. "I'm here to bring it to Archer. Or dispose of it if I can't accomplish that." Rikard leapt down from the cave's overhang to stand before the newcomer.
"I still haven't forgotten what happened in the entrance hall," he snapped. "I'm gonna get you-"
"Remember what I said about castrating?" the newcomer interrupted, his voice mockingly cheerful. "I passed a Hunters of Artemis camp a few minutes ago. I'm sure they'll happily obliged a request from someone who saved one of their number." Rikard and Illario stiffened, surprised at the threat.
"The Commandants will put you on trial," Illario said. "They won't judge you kindly, even if you're their fav-" The teen was silenced by a swift punch to his nose from the blue figure.
"I'm hardly their favorite," he commented. "But if you keep talking about things you shouldn't, I'll make what the Hunters do to you seem like a picnic in the park when I'm through. Now git!" He shouted the last word as if it was directed at a dog or unruly child. Illario and Rikard backed away from the cave and the blue figure, glowering.
"We'll remember this," Rikard warned, blubbing through the blood that seeped from his nose. The blue figure snorted, not turning.
"I'll believe that when you pose a threat," he scoffed. Rikard and Illario flushed with anger but didn't reply. Instead, they melted into the forest without a sound, despite their loud coloring. Now, only the black wolf, Thalia, Annabeth, Nico, and the strange blue figure remained in front of the cave. Annabeth took a hesitant step forward.
"Erm," she mumbled. "Thank y-" The figure lifted a hand, silencing the daughter of Athena.
"Fenris," he called. "Are you ready?" The black wolf yipped cheerfully and bounded over the three demigods and the strange blue man in one leap before disappearing into the cave. The trio of demigods blinked in amusement at the puppy-like demeanor of the massive creature before the blue figure turned to regard them. Annabeth froze, paralyzed by the stunning emerald eyes that sparkled behind the man's mask. Thalia and Nico sucked air through their teeth as they too were frozen by the man's look.
"What do you want?" the man asked. Annabeth blinked in surprise before answering.
"We were ordered to find you and bring you to our camp," she said. "We want to-"
"Well, you have found me," the figure interrupted quietly. "I will answer your questions back at your camp. When I decide and not before. You should leave now." Then he turned and darted into the cave after the wolf. The three demigods remained still for a moment, absorbing what had just happened. Thalia and Nico broke first, looking to Annabeth.
"Didn't he seem kinda…familiar?" Nico mused. Thalia nodded.
"I got that feeling too," she agreed.
"Ditto," Annabeth muttered.
"Who do you think he is?" Nico asked, looking to the cave's mouth. Annabeth shrugged and turned away.
"He'll tell us when he tells us," she responded over her shoulder. "When he comes to the camp after dealing with whatever beast he was hunting."