The Hunter's Heir

Chapter Twenty-One: We Run into the Girl Scouts

"We can't stay here."

The others looked at me like I was crazy. "Really?" asked Melony. "Why not?"

"It's been two days," I said, "if Artemis should happen to stop in and see us here, she'll be pissed."

Jay and Mel exchanged a look. "She won't, you know, kill us, right?"

"She might. We stole from her, and are living in her own little hidey-hole. Odds are, she'll be pissed." Especially if she finds out I'm here, her little bastard abomination. She probably thought she'd never hear from me again, and that I'd die on some quest and nobody would ever bring me up again. It brought me a small bit of pride to put a damper on her, but still. "Which is why we should leave. It's unlikely she'll chase us down, provided we don't take anything of value."

"What do you suggest?" Jay asked.

"We take a few things—some weapons, medical supplies, and clothing. Nothing she'll notice right away. Then we head for California. But we need to keep moving." I told them about my vision; of Niobe with her brothers and the werewolf king.

When I was done, Mel heaved a sigh. "How many were there?"

"Two dozen, I think, plus Niobe's brothers. But they aren't traveling with Lycaon, so I think we'll be safe from them for now."

"We?" Jason asked. "Sounds like it's you they want, not us. Maybe we should go to California, and you can go anywhere else."

"Jay!" Melony hissed.

"What?" he asked, raising his hands. "You really wanna get involved in whatever's chasing him? Mel, we could get caught in the crossfire."

"So what?" she said, defiant. "We're a team; we don't abandon each other just because we might get hurt."

"But—"

"But nothing! Jay, we'd be dead if not for Hunter. Don't forget, he could've left us on that train and left as soon as it was convenient. But he didn't. He didn't leave us, so we don't leave him."

Jay's jaw tightened, but he said, "Fine. I'm gonna go wake Daphne up," and stalked off, glowering.

Mel sighed through her nose. "Sorry 'bout him. I don't know why he gets like this."

"I have an idea," I said.

"Oh yeah? What?"

Maybe he doesn't want you to get hurt, maybe he cares for you more than you think. Instead I said, "He thinks this'll slow us down; he wants make sure you get to California."

She hummed. "Maybe. But we're all going to California. Like I said, no man left behind."

"I smiled. "Good. Hey, you can control fire, right?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, holding up her hands. Red-white flames danced along her fingers, whirling and flickering. "But not for very long."

"Good. We'll probably need that if we run into Lycaon along the way."

"Can't we use silver?"

"All I've found are some silver daggers. Unless you guys can close the distance without getting skewered, they won't do much good."

She ran a hand along the silver knife at her side. "Good point."

Just then Jay and Daphne entered, yawning. "Jay says we're leaving?"

"Mm-hmm," said Mel, smiling. "We need to leave soon, so why don't you help me pack up everything?"

"Okay. Where are we going?"

"California."

The little girl's eyes lit up. "Disneyland?"

"Uh, no, not Disneyland. But close! Won't that be fun?"

"Oh. I guess."

Mel laughed. "We'll still have fun. Come on."

Once they were gone, I turned to Jay. "Let's go see if there are any extra weapons we might've missed."

He sniffed. "Fine."

We took two swords, four spears, sixteen knives (five of which were silver), one stygian iron gauntlet, and three hunting horns in case we ran into trouble.

"Daphne," I called as we were leaving.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking back.

"Catch." I threw her one of the many silver bows that lined the wall of the armory.

She caught it with both hands and looked up, eyes bright. "For me?"

"You know it, kiddo. You're gonna need this too." I handed her a matching quiver and helped her tie it across her back. "When using a bow," I said, "accuracy above speed, okay?"

"Okay."

"Repeat it back to me."

"Accuracy above speed."

"Good." I stood up. "You guys ready?"

"Oh, yeah," said Mel, smiling. Jay nodded, solemn. Daphne giggled—the happiest we had ever seen her—and said, "Next stop, Disneyland!"

-o-

After catching a bus that took us as far as it could go (about a half hour outside a small town on the Colorado-Utah border), we hiked for about three days, following a highway that led us through an orange, rocky mountainside and a dry, cracking plain. We made due by eating some of the on-the-go foodstuffs we took from Artemis's bunker and filling our canteens in any rest stop, pond, lake, or puddle we could find.

"Can we please stop now?" asked Daphne, riding on Jay's shoulders. The poor girl was sweating profusely and burning from the sun. Jay was turning a little pink too, and Melony and I were peeling. All in all, we were pretty miserable.

Hurry up, Percy, I remember thinking one day, I want to come home.

The nights weren't much better; bitterly cold and troublesome. We had taken to huddling together to preserve heat. Winter didn't appear in my dreams, which worried me to no end. What if something's happened? I wondered. What if another giant came and ate her. I didn't really believe that, though; I would have felt it if she was dead.

I raised my hands over my eyes. "Look," I said, pointing. A large forest was growing just under a mile away from where we were. "Come on, guys, just a little bit more." With a new goal in mind, we hurried toward the sweet cover that shade provided.

Melony sighed and flopped down onto her stomach, smiling. Jay dropped his pack and sat against the trunk of a tree, while Daphne wiggled off him and sat on a nearby rock. I opted to remain standing, if only because my legs were so tense I couldn't even bend them.

Just then, a small rumble came from the ground. "Earthquake?" I asked, dubious.

"Uh, no," Melony said, blushing. "I'm hungry."

I laughed. "Seriously?"

She glared and threw a pebble at my face. "Shut up!"

I ducked and smiled. "Well, we have some dried—"

"I don't want any of that crap!" she said, sitting up. "It's dry, and bland, and gross!"

"Yeah," Jay said. "If I need to eat any more of that junk, I might puke."

"Mm-hmm," Daphne agreed.

I bit my lip, thinking. "You guys ever had venison?"

"What?" asked Mel.

"Venison. You know, dear?"

"Know what, honey?"

I frowned. "That sort of joke, seriously? Weak, Melony."

She huffed. "Whatever. No, I've never had dear. You, Jason?"

"Uh-uh."

"Me either," Daphne said.

"I could get some, if you guys wanted."

"How?" asked Jay.

I summoned my bow. "Hunting, obviously."

"How long will it take?" asked Mel.

"No longer than half an hour."

"Alright, then."

"Sure."

"Okay!"

I smiled and slung my bow over my back. "You wanna come, Daphne?"

She looked surprised. "M-Me?"

"Yeah. Might as well; you're a part of this team now, so why not pull your weight a little."

"Oh. Okay." She pulled her bow over a shoulder and held it tightly. "Which way?"

"I'll let you pick."

"Um…this way?" she said, pointing.

"Are you asking me, or telling me?"

"This way," she said, more determined.

"See you guys later," I said.

"Hunter," Jay called, "catch." He threw his spear to me; I caught it with one hand. "For good luck, just in case something happens."

"Good point." I strapped it to my back. "Thanks." He nodded.

"Come on, Hunter!" Daphne called.

"Coming!"

We made our way through the trees, keeping well hidden under the shade. The leaves and grass crunched under Daphne's feet, so I couldn't hear anything over the sound of crunch crunch cruch.

"Daphne," I said.

She turned. "Yeah?"

I caught up to her. "Walk more slowly; you're making too much noise."

She frowned. "Noise?"

"Yeah. Walk to that tree and back, and listen carefully." She did. "See what I mean?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

I waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. It's your first hunt, I don't expect you to be an expert. Remember—walk slowly, and try and avoid stepping on leaves if you can. If deer can hear you, they'll flee before you get the chance to get them."

We continued on, until I saw a groove in the dirt. "Here," I said. "See?"

"Tracks?"

"Mm-hmm. This way."

Daphne took the lead again, walking as silently as she could through the grass…

…until she rounded a corner and a deer burst through the bushes. "Woah!" She readied her bow.

"Wait!" I said, jogging up to her.

"Why?" she demanded. "I had it!"

"No, you didn't. It saw you, saw what you could do. If you made any move that it perceived as a threat, it would've fled. When hunting, fire from the shadows, and make sure you're unseen. Got it?"

"Got it. Accuracy over speed, move quietly, fire from the shadows. Got it."

I smiled, a sudden feeling of pride in my chest. "Come on, before it gets away."

"How'd you learn all this stuff, Hunter?"

"A great man taught me when I was a little older than you."

"Was he your papa?"

"No, though he took me in and treated me as if he was." In truth, for the first few years of my life, I had thought Apollo was my father, until he told me otherwise. "He was a great man, Daphne, and a skilled hunter."

"Where is he?"

Somewhere where he doesn't have to worry about me. "Above us."

She stopped and looked up. "In an airplane?"

I laughed. "No. He's driving the sun chariot."

Now she looked confused. "What?"

"The Greek god of the sun is Apollo, Daphne. He drives the sun across the sky, bringing daylight and sunshine."

"And heat?"

I thought about that. "I suppose so."

"Then he's a jerk."

I had to laugh at that, even though it likely scared the dear away. "Yes, I suppose he is."

Ten minutes later, we came upon a small clearing; a cliff formed a wall stretching across the forest, while trees were packed so close together they formed a perfect cover. The deer was grazing on some grass, oblivious.

"Here," I said. "Get your bow ready."

She did, sliding an arrow from the quiver, notching it. "Take a deep breath," I advised, speaking softly. "Don't think of it as an animal, think of it as food. Pull the arrow to your chin, good, like that. Take a deep breath, and release." She did. The arrow sailed through the air, hitting the deer in the side. It took three steps before falling.

"I did it!"

I smiled. "You did. Come on."

Daphne ran ahead, then faltered as she got closer. "It's…still alive."

It was—the deer was breathing quickly, eyes rolling in terror. I held out my knife. "So it is. Finish it."

"Me?"

"Your hunt, your kill. You need to learn, Daphne. Everyone's afraid the first time. You must overcome that fear, or it will rule you." She took the knife and knelt down, murmuring an apology. She pressed the knife to the animal's warm flesh, but her arm was shaking.

"I-I can't," she said, voice shaking.

"Let me help." I knelt down next to her, and helped guide the knife. The deer let out a shudder, then went still. Daphne pulled the knife out, then handed it back to me.

"Thank you," I said, sheathing the blade. She was staring at one of her hands, which was red with blood. I pulled a piece of cloth from my pocket and wiped it away. "To a hunter, blood means nothing. Everything bleeds, you must learn to filter it out."

She nodded, but didn't look any happier. I put a hand on her shoulder. "You did well, Daphne."

"I couldn't do it myself," she whispered.

"Neither could I, the first time. I cried when mine stopped breathing. Took me another month before I hunted again."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm. Now, we need to—look out!"

I grabbed her shoulder and myself back, just barely avoiding the large man wearing a larger battle-axe. "There you are." Now that he was closer, I could make out more of his features—long dirty hair, a beard, and glittering blue eyes. He was dressed in breeches and a single vambrace on his left arm. "Come with us, Niobe wants to see you."

"No," I said, rising to my feet.

He smiled. "Choosing the hard way, eh? I can live with that." He pulled his axe free, the metal glowing in the sun.

"Hunter," Daphne said. I glanced over my shoulder. The one with the metal shoulder was in front of Daphne, sword and shield ready. He was wearing a black jerkin and golden coronet, his blonde hair cut close. He had sea-green eyes, as opposed to his sister.

"You're not going anywhere," he said, rounding us and standing next to his brother.

No choice. "Go, Daphne. Get back to the campsite, get Jay and Mel, and run."

"No! I won't leave you. We're a family, we stay together."

"Together, then."

The big one laughed and charged, axe ready. "You can have the runt, brother."

"Remember, Broetas, Niobe want him alive."

He swung his axe in a wide arc across his body, and would've cut me in half if I hadn't slid out of the way. My spear shot out, cutting his cheek. He yelled and cleaved downward, but I threw myself to the side and rolled away.

I was on my feet a moment later, flicking my spear out. He pushed the head away with his axe, then cut at me again. I slid backward, then summoned my bow and fired three shots, which he evaded. I had closed the distance and slashed with my spear, but he spun, avoiding the cut. He raised his axe and brought it down, but I tapped my watch and my shield was out, catching the big axe and cutting at him with my spear. He tried to move, but too slowly. My spear left a deep gash in his side. He roared and staggered back.

Across the clearing, Daphne was handling herself well. She and Pelops were going back and forth; Daphne would shoot arrows at him, he would block with his shield, strike with his sword, and Daphne would slide out of the way. She's faster than I would have thought. Pelops was cut in several places, so either she had managed to cut him with her arrows or her knife. Both were good.

"Daphne, to me!"

She ran, slid under Pelops's legs, and hurried over to me. We stood, back-to-back, as Niobe's brothers circled us.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "What does Niobe want with me?"

"Don't know, don't care," Broetas said.

"Come with us, Diomedes, and we'll leave your friend alone," Pelops said.

"What did you call me?"

"Hunter!" Daphne said.

Pelops was running at us, sword raised. I parried with my shield, stunning him. Then Broetas came at us. Daphne vaulted over me, using my back as a launch pad, and used her momentum to bring the big man down. She rolled off him, bow in hand.

I dropped my spear in favor of my knives. I was faster than both of these two, much faster, and I could close the distance. I slid under his sword and came up, knives flashing, landing a dozen small cuts on his body before he could cut at me again. Across the clearing, Broetas's axe was raised over his head, ready to crush Daphne. I threw one of my knives at him, catching him in the back. He screamed and missed his mark. Daphne rolled away, then got back on her feet and fired an arrow that just barely missed me and hit Pelops, who had come up for another attack behind me. Her arrow hit him in the shoulder. He screamed and faltered.

"Nice job, kid!" I said, throwing myself over to my spear and digging the tip into the back of Broetas's leg.

"Thanks!" she said, slamming the big man across the face with her bow.

I put my spear on my back and came on with my knife. (The other one was still in Broetas's back.) Pelops broght his sword down, but my spear caught it and I pushed back, unbalancing him. I cut at his arm and leg, but he moved, leaving cuts too shallow to do more than be a minor annoyance.

"Hunter, behind you!"

I ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated by Broetas's axe. I moved around him, pulled my knife out of his back, and cut him quickly. By the time he swung again, there was a spiderweb of red cuts across his back.

The big man came on, again and again, drive me back toward the wall. My shield caught most blows, but I had to slide out of the way for a few. Daphne was fighting Pelops, catching his cuts with her bow, using her smaller size to stay out of his reach.

"To me!"

We were back-to-back again, watching as the two would-be abductors circled like sharks.

"We're gonna eat you alive, girl."

"Come on, then. I'm right here."

"Focus, Daphne."

"Sorry!"

Broetas roared and charged, axe held in both hands. Daphne and I slid out if the way. I rushed toward him, spear ready. I cut, moved back, then forward, cut, moved back, and repeated. I was constantly moving, always sliding back or to the side, never letting him get close enough to do any harm.

"I'm gonna shove that spear where the sun don't shine!"

"You'll need to catch me, oaf."

"DIE!"

I slid to the side, light as a feather. Speed beats size, was a motto Apollo had instilled in me long ago, and I was proving him right. The big man was bleeding from dozens of cuts, and I was barely damaged.

"Hold still, boy!"

"Maybe you should speed up."

"I will rip your guts out through your throat!"

"You'd still need to catch me."

"ARRGH!"

He charged, and I cut with my spear, but at the last second, he turned, caught my spear below the head, and cut if off with his axe. He cut across his body, and I slid under the blade and jammed my knife into his arm. He screamed and dropped the axe, then grabbed my neck with one hand. He reared his head back like he was going to headbutt me, but then an arrow went flying through his cheek. He let me go, surprised, and I picked up his axe, lifted it over my head, and brought it down on his head, which split like a watermelon.

"BROETAS!" Pelops cried. He looked at me, incredulous. "You…you killed him."

"And I'm going to kill you too." I advanced, axe still in hand.

He dropped his sword and ran, screaming. Daphne raised her bow and tried to fire, but I said, "No, Daphne." She lowered her bow.

"Why not?"

"No point. He's beaten, not a threat. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm good."

I sighed. "Good. We need to go before—"

Somewhere nearby, a wolf howled.

-o-

"Hey, guys!" Mel said as we ran toward the camp. "Wait, what's—hey!"

I grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. "We need to go. Now! Jay, help me get all this stuff packed up. Come on!"

"Wait, hold on," Mel said. "What's happened? Why are you all bloody? Where's the food?"

Just then, a loud howl filled the air, carrying over the trees and grass.

"We need to go," Mel said. "Come on."

About ten seconds later, we had thrown everything back into the backpacks and were sprinting through the trees as fast as our legs could carry us. More howling came from just behind us. "They're getting closer!" Daphne called.

"Don't turn back," I said, "just keep running."

The first wolf burst from the bushes a few seconds later. Mel stopped so abruptly she actually slid a few feet, then stuck her hand out and shot a white-hot spurt of flame at the wolf; it yelped and began rolling around in the dirt, trying to pat itself out.

"Come on," Jay said, pulling her up. "Two more behind us!"

Sure enough, two large black wolves were running after us. Daphne and I turned at the same time and fired arrows, but they went through them like they were made of mist. In response, Mel shot embers at a tree in their way and I caught, lighting up instantly. They yelped and gave it a wide berth, buying us time.

"Got any last-minute escape plan, Fearless Leader?" Jay asked.

"No, thought I'm open to suggestions!"

"There!" Daphne said, pointing. We could see the tiniest glimpses of a town through the trees, oh so close.

"Daphne, you're beautiful! Found our last-second escape plan, guys."

"Will that really help? Wont the werewolves just keep following us?" asked Mel.

"Maybe, but there's no way of knowing unless we give it a try."

"Fair enough."

With renewed vigor, we charged headlong for that tiny little town that could prove our salvation. Behind us, more wolves were howling, and the sound sent shivers down my spine. My legs were burning, and my lungs were sure to burst any second now.

The moment our feet touched the cement of a paved road, my spirit soared, but we didn't stop running. We zigzagged through buildings, down alleyways, through intersections (and almost got flattened by a car or two) before we were confident enough to stop for a breather behind a dumpster.

"That…sucked…" Daphne gasped.

I hit her softly on the arm. "Language," I said, panting.

"She's not wrong," Melony said, winded.

"Yeah," Jay croaked.

We waited several minutes before poking our heads out. "Think they're gone?"

"No idea, Mel. Jay, go check."

"What? Why me?"

"Because I said so. Think about it this way—if you die, your noble sacrifice will buy us several needed seconds."

"A noble end," Mel said.

"A hero's end," Daphne said.

"Go on," I said.

"I hate you guys." Nevertheless, he went. He poked his head out, looked left, right, left, then motioned for us to come out. The sun was beginning to set now, so the town was bathed in orange and pink light. "See?" he asked when we joined him. "Nothing to worry—"

"Hi!"

He screamed and turned, jabbing his fist out at the speaker. There was a scream as the person fell onto their bottom. We all stared in shock, mouths open.

"Oh, gods," Jay muttered.

"Dude..." I said. "You just punched a Girl Scout in the face."

He was milk-white now. The girl was sobbing, cradling her bleeding nose with both hands. Jay knelt. "I-I didn't mea—"

"Get away from me!" the girl shrieked, scrambling back. "Get away get away get away!"

"But—"

"Sarah!" We turned. A dozen girls in matching skirts and sashes were running towards us. Oh, we are so dead. "What happened?" the lead girl—no older than sixteen with honey-blonde hair—knelt down next to the girl. "Are you alright?"

"No!" the girl—Sarah—said, sobbing. "He hit me!"

The scout leader looked at Jay with such revulsion we all took a step back. "What is your problem?"

"It was an accident," he protested. "I didn't—"

"Didn't what? Didn't mean to hit a nine-year-old in the face? What kind of—"

"Run!" Jay said, rushing to his feet and taking off in the opposite direction. We were eager to follow his lead.

"Hey!" cried the older girl, but we had already left her in the dust.

"You just hit a little girl in the face," I said dryly.

"Shut up! This way." We turned down a dark alley behind a Chinese restaurant and hid behind another dumpster.

"You think it's safe now?" asked Daphne, poking her head out. The sun had set by now, and the stars were glittering in the sky.

"I don't know—Jay, go check, and try not to hit another Girl Scout."

"One more word, Hunter, and you're dead."

"Go on. That's two words."

"I swear—"

"Boys!" Mel said. "Can we focus?"

I sighed. "Right. Bigger fish and all that. Let's go."

We stepped out of the alleyway…

…and we were suddenly surrounded by four police cars.

"Freeze!" one of the policemen shouted, gun pointed at us.

We all raised our hands above our heads, eager to not get shot. "All this for punching a Girl Scout?" I asked.

"Hunter, it's you!" Mel hissed.

"Me?" I asked, shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"You're covered in blood and there's a giant axe on your back."

I looked down at myself; sure enough, I was still covered in Broetas's blood, and his axe—yes, I kept the axe—was still on my back.

"Oh."

-o-

"You just had to punch that little girl in the face."

Jay scowled and shot me a look. "I'm not in the mood, Hunter. Buzz off. Besides, you were the one with blood and brains on your shirt."

"I don't really care about what you're in the mood for, we're talking about this. We're in jail, Jason. Do you know what they do to pretty guys like me in jail?"

"Since when are you a pretty guy?"

"Since I was born."

"That is very debatable."

"Will you boys please be quiet?" Mel asked from an adjourning cell. The police had taken us to the local station and were keeping us in two large holding cells: one for guys, one for girls. I'm sure you can guess who's in which.

"You think they'll let us go?" Daphne asked.

Mel sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't think so, Daph."

"Why not?"

"Because Jason punched a little girl in the face," I said. "They'll probably throw us in some maximum-security hole in the ground and throw away the keys."

"I don't think so," said Mel. "I mean, yeah, Jay's going away forever—"

"Hey!"

"—but I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Can't you bail us out?" asked Jason, frowning. Does he ever smile?

"With what?" I asked. "They took our money and weapons."

"Then call someone."

"Who? Daphne, Melony, and I have no one, and your dad—"

"—is out of the question."

"Then we're stuck here. That is, unless you want to break us out."

He scowled. "No. They'd track us across the country if we tried to leave."

I raised my hands. "Then my hands are tied."

Just then a police officer entered, jangling a ring of keys. "It's your lucky day, kids. Someone just posted bail."

We all sat up straight. "Who did?"

"I did," came a voice.

My stomach dropped to my feet. The voice was familiar, and terrifying. Dressed in a white gown, long blonde hair flowing down her back, stood our rescuer, whose eyes held the familiar glint that told me she was silently furious, despite the smile on her lips.

"Hello, sweetness."

I swallowed. "Hi, Leto."

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please leave lots of reviews. Sorry about the hiatus. I just started college and I'm still adjusting. Please be patient, and I'll do my best to upload soon.

Bye!