Chapter eleven: Cold Steel

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

2 days later…

Michael dodged several black arrows as he ran from the camp, a bellow of rage rattling his hearing and nearly deafening him as another volley of arrows raced past him, ripping his pants legs and nearly piercing his flesh. He winced, his right foot having become agonizing as each day passed, but he kept running. A small pain was better than being eaten alive. A bellow of rage, animalistic in nature, pierced the nearby silence of the forest.

"Holy shit!" Michael cursed as he gasped for air, "What the hell did I do to deserve this?!"

Michael jumped up and flipped backwards, his bow in his hands, three arrows notched back to his shoulder before he let them fly. Each arrow flew true and found it's mark into the forehead of a trio of Dracanae, the snake female monsters bursting into the sulfuric yellow dust. Michael landed on his feet, drawing Silverlight from it's scabbard, the silver blade covered in blood. Michael turned his head to look behind him, a legion of monster directly behind him, weapons drawn, eyes dilated in rage, and all charging at him. A Hydra pounced at Michael, jumping straight out of the trees, smashing into the ground behind the primordial Demi-god. Michael ducked under a swipe from the Hydra's claws, narrowly dodging the razor sharp claws from digging into his back but not from getting raked down the arm, a deep, bleeding gash opening down the length of his left arm and all the way to his shoulder. Michael winced but kept running.

"What are you doing boy?!" Artemis shouted, a volley of arrows raining from behind her as her hunters released every arrow as fast as possible. Michael dived past her and rolled on his shoulder to lessen the impact before standing up with his recurve bow in one hand, his sword in the other.

"What does it look like?!" Michael replied, shouting over the road of monsters and battle.

"It looks like you led them straight to us, male!" Atalanta shouted to him, turning around to shoot a Lastrygonian Giant through the mouth, the metal arrow head bursting through the back of her skull before she fell over and burst into dust.

"Didn't I tell thee to scout ahead and wait for my signal?!" Zoë shouted at him from Artemis' side, both girls pulling an arrow from their quivers at the same time and letting go of the string, both of their arrows piercing a Dracanae.

"I would've been in the bushes all damned day!" Michael retorted, arcing Silverlight in a semi-circle, the blade of the silver broadsword slaughtering a horde of monsters. He brought the sword up and shoved the sword through an Empousa's face, her blood splurting from the wound as the sword went in and gushed as the sword was pulled back out, the male Demi-god decapitating the monster with a flick of his wrist and a silver blade. As the monster numbers dwindled and the remaining ones, twelve of the original sixty, began to run away. All except the Hydra who decided to return from the woods and slam down in front of Michael, all sixteen of it's mouths open to show it's razors for teeth.

"Bring it!" Michael shouted, bringing his sword forward. Artemis looked at him like he was insane and opened her mouth to speak but Michael charged forward and stabbed the Hydra in the foot. The hunters all backed away, Artemis included, as Michael was about to get eaten alive. Michael pulled his sword from the Hydra's foot and slid it into the leather scabbard, rolling away as the Hydra brought it's foot down to crush Michael. Aelrindel watched her son's fight with eagerness.

"He's fighting his first Hydra." Aelrindel said with pride as she smiled and wiped a frozen tear from her eye. "I remember my first Hydra." Artemis looked at her.

"Are you sure you don't want to help him?" Artemis asked.

"I am sure. I was his age when I killed my first Hydra." Aelrindel replied.

"How?" Angelina questioned.

"I cut off the heads." Aelrindel stated, completely oblivious to the doubtful looks she was getting.

Michael ducked under a low sweep of the Hydra's tail, stabbing the appendage and sliding between the Hydra's feet and slicing the lowest hanging head clean off. He watched the head hit the snow laden ground, the stump of the head splitting and the severed head regenerated, replaced by two more. Michael didn't see the monster call but he didn't see the Hydra whip it's head towards him, diigning it's fangs into his arm and tearing side to side, ripping up his hand and wrist. Michael shouted as the pain registered and he slashed the Hydra's head off, the stump replaced with two more. The Hydra opened all twenty of it's mouths and shrieked deafeningly. Michael, Artemis and the Hunters covered their ears, Aelrindel choosing to leave her ears uncovered. The Hudra turned and whipped Michael with it's tail, sending him into the snow before kicking him away and straight into Artemis.

"Get off me, you idiot!" Artemis shouted as Michael's body laid on top of her. She pushed against his chest, trying to get him off of her so she could punch him. She placed her hand on his left shoulder and drew her hand back. It was covered in dark red blood. Angelina pulled the unconcious Michael off of Artemis, throwing him to the snow and lifting her Lady off of the ground. Her hunters crowded around her, all asking if she was okay and if they should put an arrow between the male's eyes. Though she was tempted, she declined. Behind her, in the snow, Michael wheezed and tried to stand up, his legs shaking as he bent down and lifted Silverlight out of the snow.

He limped to the Hydra, the monster watching him stand up again. Michael hopped on each step, avoiding putting weight onto his right leg completely. He brought both hands to the hilt of the broadsword and held it to his side, the blade beginning to form with snow and ice.

"What is he doing?" Angelina said aloud.

"He's using the least powerful and easiest skill with his sword." Aelrindel replied. "Nothing special at all."

Michael pointed his sword at the Hydra, taking all of his emotions and fueling the ice: the pain from his wounds, the rage and anger he's felt since his first day in the camp, his hatred, his feeling of abandonment, his hunger, any and all emotions before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, pulled his arms back so that the blade was behind him, the silver blade glazed with ice, before he shouted and swung the blade into a cross shape. The ice left the sword, flying to the Hydra and freezing it completely, the monster a frozen statue of ice. Michael held out his hand, all of his fingers clenched into a fist, before he unclenched his fingers and separated them all so that his hand was straight. The Hydra began to shake in it's prison and Michael's hair became a sky blue before he muttered: "Shatter."

the Hydra exploded into blocks of ice, monster body parts all in each cube. Michael's hair returned to it's dark blue and he collapsed to the ground.