(A/N) This story is becoming very popular and I LOVE it. That's for all of your kind reviews and I'm glad I can entertain you guys. Sorry if it's a little short.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO at all.
Out of the hundreds of demigods that took up residence in Camp Jupiter, Gwen just had to be the one chosen to scout out the forest for any suspicious activity. Technically speaking she had stepped up for the job, one volunteer out of many, but she'd been chosen despite the fact that much more senior and experienced warriors and legionnaires had offered to take on the challenge. She wasn't sure why she was so sour about it; she had, indeed, done this out of her own free will, and it's not like the Praetors just drew a name from a bowl and announced the tribute to be sent to slaughter. But despite this that's what it felt like; the forest was terrifying her, and she felt like a lamb that was wandering around in a lion's den. Normally she wouldn't be scared of something like a silly forest, for she'd seen much worse (Heck, she'd even died once), but this time it was different. The forest seemed more…sinister.
The Praetors had issued this little mission to get to the source of the huge amount of unrest amongst the animals and magical creatures at the camp. The fauns were as paranoid as ever, the Lares were still chattering anxiously, the medical eagles hadn't been seen in days, and now the aurae refused to serve meals. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, due to the fact that without the aurae the legionnaires went hungry, and distributing food by hand without the wind spirits' swiftness took too much time for an entire army. They aurae also refused to leave the dining hall, clustering in the corners and whispering in their odd language, sometimes even weeping. The Praetors were worried, and now here Gwen was, scouting the forest that fauns seemed to fear above all else, even though a few months ago it'd been their happy home.
As Gwen made her way through the trees, she couldn't help but shiver a little at the eeriness of everything. No birds were singing in the trees. No mice or other vermin scurried about in the underbrush. Everything was dead silent, as if the forest was holding its breath. Dead, brittle leaves that were now partially decomposed crunched underfoot, and there was absolutely no foliage to limit Gwen's vision. Therefore, there would be no hiding places, either. The demigod had to admit that it was substantially colder here, and even though Gwen repeatedly tried to blame it on the early January weather she knew that this was December temperature; it was frigid, and her warm breath steamed the air, which nipped at her nose and cheeks in response.
The birds have migrated, she reassured herself, gripping her gladius so tightly that her knuckles turned white. And the mice and squirrels are hibernating in their little burrows somewhere. Dang, I wished I'd dressed more warmly for this. Even though this particular wood was so small it could barely even be considered a forest, Gwen felt terribly lost and isolated. She felt exposed and helpless, though she held a six-inch Imperial Gold sword in her hands, and despite the fact that she didn't know what the enemy was she felt extremely out-matched. She wished she had a partner of sorts, but this was intended to be a mere scouting mission that shouldn't take more than a few hours. To Gwen it felt like years had passed since she'd departed.
Had this been any other day, Deathball would be in full swing, with the cries and whoops legionnaires and sound the sizzling of armor echoing through the valley, however due to the medical eagles' absence that couldn't be the case. Gwen had to admit that she missed being in the legion; hanging out with her cohort, leading them into battle, and fighting in the War Games would all be missed, but she knew that she'd made the right decision to go to college. After that shish-kebab incident, she'd never been the same. During the first few weeks, she couldn't help but think that maybe the dead should stay dead, and that while she was able to live, thousands of others were dying around her, people who were better, people with spouses and children. Several times after the Doors of Death were closed did she contemplate suicide, but then she realized that the blessing would go to waste if she killed herself. She'd be doing the other people a disservice by wasting her life, like a person who'd won a prize and then threw that prize away without even using it.
She was so immersed in thought that she nearly missed a murky shadow flit to her right, the shadow being the hazy outline of what seemed to be a person. Gwen whirled around, gladius leveled in the direction where she'd last seen the silhouette, knowing that there were many humanoid monsters that could be hiding in there. Then again the guards at the front gate would never let such a monster within the boundaries. Perhaps it had spawned within the valley? No, that was impossible; there were wards against that happening. It must've been another demigod.
"Hello?" she called, attempting to use her most commanding voice possible. "Is anyone there?" Silence was her answer, and she began to become quite uneasy; if it were a demigod, why wouldn't they reply? Maybe it'd just been a trick of the eyes, but she wasn't so keep on just letting it go; it could be the difference between life and death. "These woods are off-limits to the general public!" She attempted using intimidation to draw whatever it was out of hiding, but even to herself she sounded quite meek and unnerved. "And as a veteran I command you to relinquish your hiding place!" There was no reply, her voice echoing throughout the silent forest, which only made her grip her gladius even tighter.
She turned and nearly screamed, though that would've been quite embarrassing considering her company. A tall and lanky man stared at her, his black tailored suit gleaming in the light of the dying sun. Small, faint wisps churned in the fabric, forming grotesque faces whose mouths were opened in silent screams. His long black hair fell just below his shoulders, and his coal black eyes were deeply set into their sockets. Along with the milky white skin, he would've looked like a well-dressed zombie, but she knew better than that. The man radiated power, and Gwen was well-acquainted with his son, who was nearly a spitting image of him. This man was Pluto, god of the Underworld and all the riches under the Earth, not to mention Nico di Angelo's father.
Gwen immediately knelt, knowing that that was how to avoid being turned into a rabid mole rat, and the man chuckled humorlessly, "Rise." The demigod did so without question, and she found it hard to escape the man's fearsome gaze, her feet planted on the ground as if they'd rooted there.
"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Pluto," she squeaked, her voice sounded not at all like the confident one she'd intended it to be. This wrenched another dry laugh from the god, and she felt chills racing up and down her spine.
"No, silly Roman, in this form I'm known as Hades," his form flickered for a moment, his suit being replaced by a black toga and golden laurels crowning his head, but then it returned to normal. "And I come bearing a message. Not from Zeus or any other god, but from me. It's a warning, if you will."
"I'm listening, sir," the demigod replied, her tongue feeling like sandpaper and her throat like a desert. She felt like she was withering under this god's gaze, decomposing to become one with the spirits below. Had Pluto, Hades, come to take her back to the Underworld where she rightfully belonged? She wouldn't hesitate to go with him if that was what he desired, but she didn't think that Hades himself would come to take her back. If that was the case, then what did he come here to say?
"There is another living amidst your ranks," Gwen's blood ran cold, though she didn't dare interrupt. "And he is not of godly, titanly, human, or even monster descent."
"Is…is he a threat?" she choked, her gladius trembling. The god smiled, revealing teeth that surprised her; rather than being withered and yellowed, they were a perfect and pristine white, which only added to his eerie demeanor.
"Oh of course, but you needn't worry. He's trying, but I fear that a being as powerful as he has a breaking point." As if on cue an earsplitting roar ripped through the trees, followed by a noise that sounded suspiciously like a tree being ripped from the ground and thrown at least five yards. Gwen nearly melted into her shoes, though she felt at least mildly safe with the god nearby. Even so, gods weren't really known for their mercy and courteous help, especially Hades, so should she really trust him to protect her? She didn't want to find out the hard way, so she stayed alert and kept her sword at the ready.
Her fears were only heightened when Hades cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Come out and show your face, Perseus! Don't be a coward!" His voice seemed to rumble the very ground under their feat, and she knew that Perseus would have to be a brainless ape if he didn't answer the god's call. Then she recognized the name- Perseus. The demon Perseus. The one who's "mother" had slaughtered Dakota and Amalthea ruthlessly, and he'd been living within the camp. No wonder why there was so much unrest; the demon literally radiated raw power and lethalness. If Gwen were a bird she wouldn't want to stick around, but she felt bad for all of the other animals; they couldn't escape so easily, and they were probably all cowering in their hidey holes to evade being devoured. The deer had it even worse.
Gwen's stomach plummeted and her heart relocated into her throat as a teenaged boy seemingly materialized in front of her, following a whooshing sound that signaled he'd moved to his position and hadn't just appeared. It didn't help that blood coated the lower half of his face and dribbled from his chin, coating his hands up to his wrists. He was growing a steady stubble, his green eyes holding a crazed and…was that pained? look to them. He looked like an animal that was driven mad by starvation, and that comparison was confirmed when his stomach gave a low snarl. He crumbled to his knees, clutching his stomach.
"I'm so…hungry," he moaned.
"Did…did he just kill someone?" Gwen yelped, her voice several octaves higher than normal.
"Relax," the demon spat, his saliva tinged red from his last meal. "It was just a deer. I…" he was racked with a spasm that could only be the result of utter famishment, "swore not to eat," another spasm, "a human or demigod ever again." Despite the fact that this monster was a cold-blooded killing machine, Gwen couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. She nearly jumped when Hades spoke up, having been silent throughout the exchange.
"He's seeking sanctuary from his family," the god explained, and she swore she heard a bit of pity in his voice. "Who'll undoubtedly try to kill him if he ever shows his face in the mortal world again."
"But he can't stay here forever. The Lares and the fauns and the eagles…" Gwen's voice trailed off as she saw the defeated look in the demon's eyes. "How can we feed him? Hasn't he been eating animals?"
"Now that's the problem," Hades remarked as Perseus shuddered. "He eats human flesh and blood, but the flesh part is just a side thing. He can easily live off of just blood."
"That is a…problem," the ex-legionnaire managed, swallowing hard.
"So that is why I'm going to travel back to the heart of your camp with you, soldier, and announce that every week the Romans have to sacrifice a quart of blood to me," Hades replied, his form flickering once more until he stood in his Roman form, his black toga billowing around him. Perseus looked up, his shockingly beautiful green eyes widening to the size of saucers. "They will then have to give the blood to you, Gwen, because you are the only one that knows the location of my secret 'shrine'. You will then proceed to give that blood to Perseus here, because without that blood he'll be driven to the edge and start picking off your children." Pluto grinned as if that was the most pleasant thing he'd ever heard.
"Really?" the demon croaked, sighing with relief as Pluto nodded in reply. "Thank you. I am indebted, so if you ever need anything just ask." Gwen was confused for a moment until she realized that, since Perseus was an all-powerful antichrist, he technically could give Pluto anything. The god waved him off.
"I may ask for you in the future, but not in this millennium," the god answered, for once his voice sounding sincere. He looked around, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this show on the road!" He turned to Gwen, his coal-colored eyes flashing dangerously. "And if you ever tell anyone about Perseus' location or this confrontation, I will make sure you are damned to Punishment for the rest of eternity. Kapeesh?"
Blanching a bit, the Roman nodded vigorously.