A/N: I can't believe I didn't notice it, but I accidentally put up Chapter 9 twice (replacing Chapter 8) after doing minor revising. I apologize to any new and current readers that encountered that problem. It is now fixed. If you guys notice this kind of problem, please notify me in the future. Thanks!

I apologize for the late update, but with Thanksgiving on the way, hopefully the next one will be sooner!

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 20: Toxic Addiction

I was currently standing in front of the mirror, adjusting final touches of my suit before brushing my auburn hair in place, my eyes briefly looking at the reflecting panel only when it was absolutely necessary. I looked up at myself one last time before I quickly placed a thin cover Lynetta at last, bought for me the other day over the mirror, obscuring the thing from view. Lappy noticed this strange habit of mine.

Why do you cover up the mirror? Lappy questioned, sitting up on my bed.

I stared at the beagle briefly before answering. "I don't like them."

You mean you don't like your reflection, Lappy guessed. I sighed, not surprised by the canine's sharp intuition, even if he was just a dog.

"Why ask if you already know?" I muttered. I sat down on the bed next to him as I put on my shoes. Lappy settled into my lap so my focus was on him. "You're wasting your breath."

Back before I knew the truth, I detested mirrors so much I couldn't stand the sight of them. Seeing my reflection reminded me of what I was. Maybe that was the reason why I didn't care how good or bad my looks were like most people did. Why I didn't bother to dress 'fashionably' as Lynetta puts it, and why I preferred to look plain and ordinary. I even considered dying my hair once, but I decided against it since that act would be like me screaming out my innermost conflicts in public.

Now, I could tolerate mirrors…to an extent.

You and Artemis have already reconciled, Lappy started. Shouldn't your similar appearance bother you…less?

"It doesn't work that way," I stated. "Yes, we reconciled, but it's still very recent. Old habits die hard, Lappy, and it still doesn't change the fact that Artemis is a goddess and I am a clone who's playing the role of a demigod."

Lappy gave a sad look. I thought you realized that Artemis doesn't see you that way.

"She may not, and for that I am fortunate," I replied, "but seeing can only go so far: Artemis can pretend for her and even my sake that I am something I am not, but I am not so delusional. I am glad Artemis still believes in these fantasies, but she'll wake up sooner or later. I'm fully prepared for it when it happens." I noticed Lappy's eyes lowered, and I rubbed his head with a forced smile. "Don't be like that, Lappy. I'm accustomed to it now. No need to feel bad."

Lappy only grew silent as I finished tying my shoes and looked at the time. "Come on, Lappy. Lee's funeral is going to be starting soon."

The two of us walked out of my room quietly.

-o-

Lappy and I arrived on time at the address Will provided over the phone. I requested Lappy to stay outside until I called for him, and the bloodhound complied silently. I narrowed my eyes at his rather easy agreement before I reminded myself that I had other matters to worry about. I'd deal with whatever Lappy was going through later.

I went inside the funeral home silently. I introduced myself to Lee's mother, a middle aged blond woman with light gray streaks, but still had a beautiful countenance and figure. She seemed very kind, but sad. I could tell she was very attractive in her youth, no wonder Apollo fell for her.

I went inside, and the first known person I encountered was Austin. We shared a bit of conversation before I said some comforting words to the boy, who looked about ready to cry. Later, I asked him where Will went, and Austin told me he last saw him outside in the garden.

I quickly thanked him before I proceeded. I spotted Will soon enough. Even in a crowd, his blonde hair and tall stature made him easy to spot.

"Hey Will," I greeted. Will grew startled before he turned around and noticed me. I frowned slightly at the shadows and redness in his eyes. His face had become ashen, as if haunted.

Oh Will, I thought sadly. Did Lee's death affect you this badly?

I swallowed the lump of guilt in my throat. "H-how are you holding up? I came as soon as I got your call."

Will's eyes flickered slightly to mine before he forced a grin. "Y-you look good in a suit. I've never seen you wear one before. You should dress up more often."

I humored him. "I only dress up if I need to. Suits are stuffy and hard to move in. Not my kind of thing. You don't look too bad either, and you didn't answer me."

Will visibly flinched before he suddenly grew very quiet, which wasn't like him at all. Normally, Will was the one who was optimistic, chatty, and easy-going. Not like…not like this. I heard the sound of his heartbeat speeding up at a rapid pace, and his blue eyes suddenly appeared glazed. The sight of Will looking this grief-stricken was heartbreaking. Will has always been the one to cheer me up in the past, and now…I was at a lost. I didn't think any amount of words would do.

With that thought in mind, I let out a heavy sigh, stepped over and hugged Will tightly.

I felt Will stiffen in my grasp before he suddenly relaxed, his face buried in my left shoulder and I felt his arms hug me too. Despite how uncomfortable I was feeling, I heard Will's heartbeat slow down at a normal pace. I murmured a simple apology, and Will started sobbing when he heard it. I rubbed his back soothingly as he continued to weep, and I was reminded that Will was still very young despite his appearance. I only stood there calmly until Will finally straightened himself out and released me, wiping his tears hurriedly to appear decent.

"S-sorry," he sniffled. "I-I ruined your suit."

"It's okay," I said. "I can always dry-clean."

Will was confused. "H-how can you be so calm?"

"I guess…I just have more experience in handling this sort of thing," I murmured softly.

"Oh." Will mumbled before asking, "d-does it ever get easier?"

I shook my head. "No, it does not." Will let out a mirthless laugh, causing me to look at him funny, startled that I would ever hear such a sound from him.

"You're good at it," he explained with a half-hearted chuckle. "Hiding your feelings I mean. I wish I could do the same."

"Trust me, Will. You are fine the way you are." I said with a forced grin. "I would knock you senseless before you ever decide to be like me."

He cracked a small smile at that. "Aw, Seth. I didn't know you cared that much."

"It's the job of the older cousin to take care of the younger," I smirked. "Show some respect."

"I don't know Seth," Will shrugged, "that seems kind of hard with you shorter than me…"

I huffed indignantly. "I'm taller! I'm 5'10 now and-!"

"Oh, so you're taller than Annabeth now? Congratulations." Will mocked.

"Not everyone can be six feet tall!" I argued.

"Really? Let's see: Beckendorf is 6 feet tall, Percy's almost 6 feet tall, and even Luke is over 6 feet tall…!"

"Luke does not count!" I interrupted. "You just wait: I'm a late bloomer and I will grow at least another 2 inches!"

Will gave a mock yawn and looked at an imaginary watch on his wrist. "I'm waiting. Have you grown any taller, little cousin?"

I smirked. "You brat!" I lunged at him and the two of us tumbled on the grass wrestling each other playfully. By the time we'd decided to call it off, the two of us were red in the face with sweat, our suits in disarray. There were bits of grass stuck in Will's blonde hair as he let out a gasp of air. He placed a hand on my shoulder as he gave a genuine laugh, his blue eyes sparkling with delight. Will was finally looking like himself again.

"You have no idea how much I miss having you around, Seth."

I gave a smile. "Same here, Will. I definitely miss you guys a lot too."

"Where have you been?" he asked, sitting up. "Only Chiron knew of your whereabouts, and it was a hassle for me to get a phone number to contact you. There was this lady on the phone too."

I shook my head. "Look Will, as much as I would like to tell you…it's not up to me."

Will narrowed his eyes. "Okay, fine. But you could have at least told me ahead of time? You just left without saying anything!"

I looked away sheepishly. "Right…um, I guess I was in a hurry to pack and there was a time limit and…yeah." Will folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Too much of a hurry to say 'Good-bye'?"

"Will, I'm sorry. I really am." I insisted. "I'll make sure to tell you and the others next time okay?"

He frowned. "And how soon is this 'next time'? You are planning on going back to Camp Half-Blood with us aren't you?"

I hesitated. "A-actually…." Will gave a look of disbelief.

"You're leaving right after this?!" he exclaimed. "But…but you just got here! What's so important about that place you were at anyway? When are you coming back?"

"Whoa, Will, one question at a time," I said. "I can't answer your first question, and I don't know if I can answer your second. I'm not returning to Camp immediately, but I will soon since I have to drop off some things to Chiron."

"And then you leave right after," Will finished bitterly.

"No, Will," I said. "I'll stay a few days. We'll catch up, okay? I promise."

"You better," Will mumbled, "it's been boring without you. We could do with some excitement."

"I'm honored." I replied sarcastically.

After some more catching up, I got up and more or less, dragged a reluctant son of Apollo back inside the house. Due to injuries Lee sustained during this 'Battle of the Labyrinth' Will briefed me about, it was a closed-casket service. I saw Kayla seated by a grand piano, playing one sad song after another as the rest of us lined up to pay individual respects to Lee's body.

I was the last one in line. There were only one or two people left in the room, and they soon went out the exit, leaving me in private. Will and the rest of Apollo Cabin had already paid their respects and gone outside, probably waiting for me. I let out a deep breath as I gazed down at the polished coffin. There were all sorts of flowers: white roses and daffodils, and even sunflowers. I gently placed a white tulip I picked out prior and placed it amongst the rest.

"Lee," I began in a hushed whisper. "If you are hearing this, know that your siblings and I miss you very much. I hope you are having a good time in Elysium because you deserve it. You were the older brother I never had Lee. I remembered those times when you came out of your way to help me with archery, and even though I didn't realize it then, you and Will were the first closest friends I've ever had."

I paused to clear my throat, my voice became heavy and I struggled to keep it light. "I remembered you teaching me how to craft my first hand-made bow. Do you remember? It was the one made from a Cypress tree, a tree dedicated to your father and Lady Artemis. Too bad it snapped in less than two weeks, but it's the thought that counts, right? You helped me with my second bow too."

I paused again, struggling to say what I dreaded to say aloud, but after closing my eyes briefly, I finally mustered up the courage.

"Will told me what happened to you," I murmured. "Wait, scratch that: I forced it out of him. I can tell he feels guilty, but I know I am equally at fault. I wished I had said something…anything to you before I left Camp. I wished I came back when I was offered the chance, but it's too late now huh? I never even gave you a proper good-bye."

"But enough with the moping," I said. "I know you don't enjoy hearing this guilt crap, Lee. So I'll honor your silent wish. I'll try to look after Will and the rest of your siblings for you- I guess that includes Michael (wherever he is) even if he's a pompous asshole. I probably won't do as great a job as you did, but I'll try to help them just as you helped me."

The room was eerily silent as I concluded my final words to Lee Fletcher, son of Apollo, and previous cabin counselor of Cabin 7.

"May you rest in peace…Lee," I said with finality. I stepped back and exited the empty space, with the soft sound of the door shutting into place.

-o-

"I'll see you all again soon," I promised, kneeling down beside Kayla and Austin. "I just have some business to attend to, and then I'll come to Camp Half-Blood as soon as I'm able, okay?"

"Okay," Kayla nodded, her eyes still wet with tears. I lifted a hand to wipe them away.

I gave a small smile of encouragement, "If you still feel sad, play those wonderful piano songs you enjoy. I heard it's a good outlet to release negative emotions. Did you know about that?" She paused before shaking her head.

"I didn't know for sure," she said quietly, "but I always did feel relaxed after each song. I'll try doing that."

"I'm sure you will, and you too, Austin." I told the older boy. "Will told me about that new guitar your dad got you. The same goes for you."

"Alright Seth," he said.

I gave each of them a pat on the shoulder before I spoke with the rest of their brothers and sisters. Leaning against the car door, Will looked at me crossly before I sighed.

"Seriously, Will," I started, "I won't be gone for long. You have my word." He only nodded silently, before he started ushering his siblings into the car. I gave my regards to Argus and even helped him put some stuff into the car trunk. Soon, they were all packed up and I waved good-bye until the black car vanished from view. When they left, the sun was already setting, with night closely approaching.

"Thus, another day comes to an end," I heard a familiar voice say. I turned around slowly, keeping a stoic countenance as I stared at the goddess of revenge in the eyes.

"Lady Nemesis," I said narrowly. "I wasn't aware of your presence."

"I wasn't here for long," she replied. I noticed how she still kept most of her appearance the same from last we met. Only this time, she had on a waist-length leather jacket and black scarf wrapped around her neck. Her hair was frizzled instead of gelled, and her eyes flashed a menacing red. "It is only right that I greet my new champion every once in awhile."

"You mean you finally found something you want from me?" I rephrased. Nemesis gave an amused chuckle.

Instead of answering, Nemesis gave a wave of her hand and summoned two glasses and a bottle of wine in mid-air. She allowed one of the glasses to settle into my hand while she poured the blood red liquid until each glass was half full. I stared at her coolly as she took a sip, her eyelids closing as if to savor the taste better. I fiddled the glass with my fingers, but I didn't drink any of it.

"How blunt," Nemesis remarked later. "But yes, I do want you do something for me, but I see this task as more of a favor."

I frowned slightly in confusion. "How?"

"Tell me Seth," Nemesis said with a wicked grin that made me inwardly cringe. "How did Lee Fletcher die?"

I frowned. "He…he was struck in the head by a club."

Nemesis prodded. "And what struck him with a club?"

I stiffened, now knowing where Nemesis was heading with this. I felt my silver eyes harden with a renewed hatred- hate that I was sure was Nemesis' doing- as I was reminded once more who was truly responsible for Lee's death.

"It was…a Laistrygonian." I said with a strained voice. Nemesis smiled, satisfied with my answer.

"Exactly Seth," she said; her voice almost sounded like a purr. "And look what the Laistrygonian giants have done to you yet again: they brutally murdered your cousin. As if your late family wasn't enough, they decided to take away another person you deem dear. Can you ever forgive such a vile act?"

"Never," I said through clenched teeth. I felt my body shake, anger building up with each word Nemesis sprouted from her mouth. I should have taken account that Nemesis was the reason why I was feeling this way, but I didn't care, because I saw some truth in her words.

How dare they kill Lee! My inner voice raged. They deserve to die!

Nemesis placed a hand gently on my shoulder as she leaned in, whispering, "there is a gathering tonight. Would you like to take part in that gathering? I hear their leaders are there too, plotting on what to do next. I can take you there to interrupt their little party."

"W-why are you telling me this?" I finally said. "What do you gain?"

The goddess smiled. "Treat it as a celebratory present from me: for the advent of our patron and champion relationship." She held the glass towards me. "Cheers?"

I stared at the glass in my hand some more before I complied, the clashing glass making a cling!

"Cheers."

The wine tasted bitter.

-o-

It was midnight.

I sat in seclusion amongst one of the highest trees, my right hand held Nightwalker while my left hand scraped against the tree bark for support. Sweat poured down my forehead, and my exposed arms felt icky in this humid temperature. My back was bare, having decided to leave my archery equipment behind in favor of better mobility. I leaped down from the branches silently, and I examined the tracks that I have been following for the past hour.

After Nemesis finished her proposition, I had called Lappy and asked him to bring me a new set of clothes from Walt's. He had asked why, but I refused to answer completely, only telling him I needed to be somewhere important. I knew that Lappy felt obliged to look after me since Artemis had ordered him to, but no matter what Lappy said, I insisted to be left alone. For one, this mission's targets were personal. Laistrygonians have always been a sore topic. In the past, I remembered cringing slightly every time I heard of their cannibalistic acts from other campers, and poor Tyson became the unjustified victim of my callous verbal harassment, much to Percy's chagrin.

I made a mental note to myself: if I met Tyson again, I would apologize to him face to face. It was the least I could do.

Lappy reluctantly did as I requested. I quickly changed out of my tuxedo and into a sleeveless black hoodie and sweatpants. Instead of the usual sneakers I wore, I changed into combat boots. Nemesis had told me these giants were meeting in the woodlands, my kind of territory, and so it was best that I wore shoes that provided balance and protection. I already had my daggers on my person before I went to the funeral, and I had tucked a pair of archery gloves in my front pockets. Nemesis was at the agreed rendezvous point and she quickly teleported me to this place.

I'll be watching you…Nemesis had said before she departed.

I darted my head up from the ground when I heard noises. I spotted a herd of animals running away, and moments later, there were loud thumping sounds similar to that of an earthquake. The forest seemed to shake violently as my new targets finally showed themselves. I kept my hood up and hid behind a tree until the giants- five of them- ran past me and after the forest animals.

After I was certain they were gone, I ran after them nimbly. I felt the moon's presence, and I wondered if Artemis was watching me. The moonlight shined on my being, and despite what I was intending to do, I felt a sense of calm and serenity. I felt empowered. I haven't had these feelings since...

I stopped in my tracks. The giants had just slaughtered a couple deer and were currently carrying the carcasses on their backs. I pinched my nose at the foul stench and forcefully kept my 'demigod' aura down to a minimum as they unknowingly passed by my hiding spot. I resisted the urge to gut each of them now, for I knew there were more, and these giants would be the ones that would lead me to the rest of them.

All I needed was patience.

Eventually, the giants came to a stop. I stayed secluded, once again settled in the branches of a tree, giving me a clear view of all the giants present. They were seated in a semi-circle, all of them facing their leader, who Nemesis told me was Antiphates, king of the Laistrygonians.

Huge was the word to describe him. Standing at least eleven feet tall, Antiphates made all the other giants look like regular mortals. He had long raven black hair that went to his shoulders, held in place by a skeletal crown adorned with jewels, and his whole frame was burly and muscular. He was mostly bare-chested, with a pelt of animal fur draped around the upper half of his torso, along with a necklace of skulls. He was seated on a makeshift throne of stone and furs, and his weapon of choice- an imperial gold axe- was stashed beside him.

I remembered reading about Antiphates in the Odyssey, in which he and his people destroyed nearly all of Odysseus' ships and ate his companions. With one mistake after another, I always wondered how Odysseus managed to carry all of those hardships on his own, and still had the strength to return home to his family. I got to admire the guy for pulling through to the end.

I struggled to hear what they were saying. Most of their words were muffled by constant gorging of raw meat. I noticed that the giants were in the midst of preparing the deer they caught earlier. I tried not to vomit at the sight. If I wasn't such a meat lover, I would have turned vegetarian instantly after seeing that. I noticed one of the giants took a large plate of food and offered the dish to Antiphates, who instantly took the largest piece and bit into it.

"Bland," the King said after swallowing. He threw the piece back onto the dish roughly, startling the giant. "ADD MORE SEASONING! Is this the kind of food you offer to a Lord?!"

The giant quickly nodded. "R-right away, my Lord."

"Hurry up!" Antiphates grumbled. "If it's not prepared well, you will be the next course!" The giant instantly paled at his threat and nearly tripped over himself in a hurry to prepare the food again.

While the giants followed their King's orders, my eyes kept its attention on the large blackened pot of cooked meat. I noticed that all the giants had yet to eat their meal. There were too many of them here, too many for a single person to handle. I had to cut their numbers by half.

The pot of food was the answer.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any bottles of toxins on me. I didn't even know which plants were toxic and which had the best effect. That was Clare's field of expertise. I didn't have the time or energy to hunt the whole forest for poisonous plants anyway, so what was I left with?

I sat there thinking for awhile, tracing back everything I've learned since I was under Walt's tutelage. Maybe I could find something useful in the past? I kept reminiscing until I remembered my battle with Lycaon, and then it clicked.

My own blood was poison.

It was a long shot, but I knew my body (and thus my blood) was made of celestial silver. Werewolves feared silver like the plague, and I strongly believed that giants didn't go around eating every celestial metal they found. I didn't have a container, which meant I had to get close enough to the pot to add my blood in, and with so many of them present and right by the pot, I couldn't get close enough unless they left…

"You look like you need something, my Lord."

I nearly jumped out of fright, and I instantly drew Nightwalker at the voice behind me. A dryad, who looked like a young woman in plant apparel, sat at the other end of the branch with a startled, but knowing expression. I sheepishly lowered my weapon.

"What makes you say that?" I said stiffly, not used to being caught off-guard.

"I was watching you," the dryad said, "I tend to watch those who sit in my tree, and you appear very frustrated."

"You're right," I admitted. "You called me 'my lord'. I thought dryads serve Lady Demeter?"

"We do, but we also honor the goddess of the wild, Lady Artemis," the dryad said, giving a respectful bow. "It's an honor to meet you at last, my lord. It's not every day one of us meets the child of our venerated Lady."

"I-I see," I said. I lifted a hand to cover my reddened face. "Please, there's no need to address me like that. You must realize I'm not truly a child of your goddess."

"Yes," the dryad easily agreed, much to my surprise. "We've heard of the unique conditions of your birth, Seth Hunter, and I apologize for the mistake, for you are much closer to Lady Artemis than that of a son."

"That's not what I meant…." I trailed off, shaking my head. I needed to get to the issue at hand. "Alright, I may need your help with something."

I whispered the plan to the dryad. When I finished, she nodded immediately.

"It can be done," the dryad said. "My sisters and I are more than willing to help you rid of these monsters. They disturb our peace day after day!"

"I'm glad to hear it," I said, "when I give the signal…."

"I understand," the dryad said, bowing once more despite my protests.

I asked, "what is your name, dear dryad?"

The dryad blushed, "Madelyn, my lord."

"Madelyn," I repeated. "Just call me Seth. Okay?"

"Yes, my l- I mean, Seth," Madelyn corrected.

"See? That wasn't so hard," I said with a slight smirk.

Now let's put my plan to the test.

-o-

I knelt beside a large boulder and watched the scene unfold.

Madelyn and couple of her sister dryads came out of the edge of the forest, laughing and dancing about. The sound of their camaraderie instantly gained the attention of all the giants present, who turned to the nature spirits with confused looks. Antiphates, I noticed, gave a look of confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Antiphates questioned. "You nature spirits know better than to interrupt our dinner!"

I noticed Madelyn struggled to keep a smile on her face, "My Lord Antiphates, we've heard news of your arrival, and I thought it is only right that my sisters and I grace you with a dance."

"A dance," the King echoed, like the idea was baffling to him.

"You are a king," Madelyn stated. "I'm sure a royal like you must have had his share of entertainment before and during each meal."

"Of course!" Antiphates said, a smirk spreading across his features. "A dance…now I haven't seen one of those for a long time. Very well, dryad, you and your group may proceed."

"Yes, Lord Antiphates," Madelyn said, quietly signaling the rest of her sisters to give a half-hearted bow. "My sisters and I do love a big audience. I notice some giants in the back, the ones by the cauldron. Do you mind if you call them over, King Antiphates? I fear they may not see us clearly."

"You heard her, men!" Antiphates barked. "Come on over!"

The giants eagerly obeyed their King's order, scrambling to get a good spot to see Madelyn and her sisters' performance, therefore leaving the cauldron of food isolated. Madelyn signaled one of her sisters to play music with her wooden reeds and another with a tambourine, while she sang a lovely song. The giants were quickly enraptured by Madelyn's voice, and her sisters soon started the dance.

Once the music started, I quickly made my way to the pot. My feet moving stealthily to make sure no noise was possible. I quickly drew out Darkhacker after I'd taken off my glove, and with a clenched jaw, I made a cut across the palm of my left hand. I let my bloodied hand linger over the pot for awhile, keeping my narrowed eyes on the giants. I renewed the cut a minute after, my regeneration being a pain in the ass this time around. I needed to make sure the amount was enough to take out at least a dozen seven-foot tall giants.

My head was starting to get a bit dizzy by the time I withdrew my hand. I backed away quietly and into the forest, and climbed back up Madelyn's tree. When I reached my previous spot, I knocked on the branch three times. Madelyn locked eyes with me briefly, telling me she knew of my predicament. The dance quickly drew to a close, and all of the giants whistled and applauded loudly.

"MORE!" Antiphates demanded. "I want to see a second dance!"

Madelyn smiled uneasily. "Soon, my lord. But I remember you said you all were having your dinner? How about after my lord and his men settled down to eat? It's not good if the food goes cold."

Antiphates gave a booming laugh. "Do you hear that? Bring out the main course!"

The giants went towards the pot, and placed the servings into separate plates. I sucked in a breath as the giant took the largest plate to Antiphates. The King of the Laistrygonians took a bite, slowly savored the taste, and then swallowed. I waited anxiously. What if the plan didn't work? What if my blood was only effective to werewolves only?

Antiphates let out a satisfied sigh, much to my dismay. "Now this is what I call food. DIG IN, MEN!"

Oh no…

The giants cheered before each of them devoured their share hastily. I placed my head to my bent knees, so filled with disappointment and the sense of failure that I couldn't meet Madelyn's confused gaze. I guessed I'd need another plan after…!

A loud crash interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see one of the giants had fallen forward, his face smashing against his food, dead. Seconds later, a second one fell, and then another, and another…

A delayed reaction?

"What is happening?!" Antiphates shouted, looking at his fallen men in bewilderment. Nearly half of his men had fallen due to 'unknown' causes.

One of his subordinates answered. "They are all dead, my Lord!"

"DEAD?!" he roared. Antiphates got so fed up that he even stood up. Then, as if by an ominous epiphany, Antiphates' eyes snapped in realization. He turned to the dryads vehemently.

"You…" he started, walking towards Madelyn and her sisters, who backed away in fright. "You did something…You did this!"

"Y-you are mistaken," Madelyn said, trembling. Her sisters slowly backed away some more. "W-we didn't! We were dancing, we couldn't have-!"

"Silence!" Antiphates shouted, his eyes drooping slightly. So my blood was affecting him, it just wasn't enough as I'd feared. His size contributed heavily on the poison's effectiveness. At least, that was what Clare had told me before she gone traitor. "You will tell me what's causing this, or we'll tear you apart limb by limb!"

Seeing how the pretense was up, Madelyn dropped the sincerity act and gazed at the Laistrygonian with cold, disgusted eyes. "You and your men are nothing but man-eating animals! An obstruction to the forest! I pray Artemis and Demeter punish you horrendously for your crimes, you foul beast!"

"GUARDS!" Antiphates screamed. "Kill them! Make sure none of their remains are left!"

Before any of his guards could even get one foot closer, I already summoned my bow and arrows, and proceeded to shoot rapid waves at the attackers. Most of my shots killed them instantly, while others were merely injured, but forced to stop their onslaught. Madelyn and her sisters took that moment to flee, and returned back into their natural forms.

I kept firing. At my vantage point, I could kill off each of the defenseless giants at ease. I managed to kill off at least three-fourths of the surviving group (excluding Antiphates unfortunately) before the rest grabbed those troublesome shields and blocked my arrows. I was forced to move when the giants threw their spears randomly at the trees.

"Artemis!" Antiphates shouted, plucking one of the silver arrows out of his arm. I scowled at the address. "You dare defy the ancient laws?! My kin and I have done nothing to warrant this attack! Call off your hunters!"

I scoffed mentally. If only you knew.

I quickly leaped from tree to tree, the rustling noises from my movement caused the giants to swerve back and forth, trying to locate my position. As I neared each giant, I immediately shot at their heads from above. The rest of them tried hard to defend but it was to no avail. My relatively small size allowed me better agility, and accuracy was always my strong point.

Meanwhile, Antiphates was getting extremely aggravated. His face became a bulging red; his eyes so wide I thought he was going to burst open his eyeballs. There were only a couple giants left aside from him, and the remaining giants were all injured from my earlier assault. I quickly changed that fact by launching another five arrows- each of them hitting the remaining giants in the head or neck.

Antiphates was the only one left.

I was startled by how quickly I killed these giants. The poison took out half, and then my surprise attacks halved that number again, and then after moving about and killing them one by one, I managed to isolate my main target. Of course, I wasn't without injuries, but they were minor compared to what I'd gone through, and my breathing was only slightly faster than normal, indicating trivial exhaustion. It also helped that Laistrygonians were stupid, and the obscuring foliage and the dryads' aid were definitely huge favors to me.

I got the upper hand in almost every criterion.

I've gotten stronger, I realized, while staring at my clenched right fist. Thanks to those missions and Walt and Lynetta's help, feats that I had thought impossible in the past were now a certainty. I felt the edges of my lips turn up at that thought.

I positioned my silver bow in attack position, materializing a silver arrow as I pulled the drawstring back. My arrow pointed straight at Antiphates' throat, and I knew that if this arrow hit the desired place, the Laistrygonian King would be dead, and Nemesis' mission would be over. Before I could carry out this plan however, a rather sadistic thought crossed my mind:

This is too boring.

I could choose to end Antiphates now. The fool didn't even bother to take cover in the trees or even grab a shield like his subordinates. I thought he learned by now, but that arrogance of his really pissed me off. He just stood completely open, confident that that large body of his could take on any damage. The more rational part of my mind started to think: Maybe Antiphates had some trick up his sleeve? Was he baiting me? Or was I just over thinking things? Which was it?!

In the end, I decided to test Antiphates.

Instead of shooting a possible death blow, I materialized three more arrows, releasing four arrows at sonic speed towards Antiphates' legs and arms.

At the very last second, the giant moved.

Antiphates swerved that golden axe of his with such speed his axe only appeared as a yellowish blur. He sliced the arrows going towards his arms first before stepping aside and crushing the remaining two arrows to the ground with a huge slam!

"Come out and fight, you cowards!" Antiphates shouted. "Hiding about and using cheap shots—make you no better than an assassin!"

Despite the insults he was throwing at me, I felt my mood lightening with glee. So Antiphates wasn't a weakling after all. This fact, both good and bad, made me insanely happy. Why? Because my dear friends, I love challenges. There's no fun if the opponent was a weakling. Convenient at times yes, but I wanted Antiphates to be strong, because the stronger he was…

The more satisfaction I get for my revenge.

I'd been waiting for this encounter for nearly three years. All of that dormant and pent up anger suddenly surged through me, and then I did something unexpected.

I laughed.

The sound of my laughter startled Antiphates, predictably. I didn't care that I just gave away my hiding spot. My mind and body were experiencing an emotional high equivalent to that of ex-drunk drinking vodka. To a spectator, I was the very definition of a deranged maniac, but unlike most 'maniacs', my mind was clear and I knew then how I wanted this upcoming match to turn out.

Quite confidently, I leaped down from the tree and stepped into the clearing, my hood still up as I gazed at the Laistrygonian King in the face calmly. I smirked at his confused expression.

"You're not Artemis," Antiphates stated.

"Obviously."

"You killed my men!"

I rolled my eyes. "Duly noted."

"Who are you?!" he demanded. "I don't sense anything." He was talking about my aura, which I kept at a minimum, and thereby obscuring my Olympian affiliation.

"My name isn't important," I said, "yet. What's important is…"

I quickly brandished my Stygian Iron daggers in each hand. My smirk disappeared quickly, replaced with cold hatred.

"…is that I get your hide as my new mat!" I hissed before striking.

Antiphates brought his axe up to counter my weapons. We were locked in close combat. True to my observations, Antiphates put up a good fight. He defended well, and used his immeasurable strength to its full potential. If he even managed to get one hit on me, I would be crushed like a bug. Thankfully, I was trained to be fast and agile. My body may not be as muscular as other demigods I knew, but my speed made up that disadvantage.

I leaped high into the air to dodge the giant's swift swerve. I was exhilarated, like I was really living. I haven't felt this passionate for so long that I almost forgotten what it felt like.

As Antiphates threw another wide swerve, I made sure to time it, and the next time it happened…

I crouched low and stabbed my daggers into his feet, forcefully pinning him to the ground. Antiphates let out a scream as I summoned my silver knives and quickly stabbed them deep into his abdomen before pulling them out with a slight twist. Antiphates fell backward, landing flat on his back. His feet remained pierced to the ground, and now I was the one towering over the fallen King.

I stepped on top of him, purposely pushing the sole of my shoes into his wounds. I noticed his right hand still clenching his axe, and so to prevent any troubles, I pinned his right wrist down with my knife. Antiphates let out an agonizing scream, but I ignored it as I dragged the axe out of his reach. Antiphates attempted to take the knife out with his other hand before I sliced a vital tendon and rendered that arm immobile. The giant was spread out on all fours, like an animal stuck in a trap.

I crouched on top of his chest, staring at him with my mask still in place. I took off my hood. "Do you know who I am, Antiphates? Do you recognize this face?"

Antiphates couldn't answer. Of course he couldn't, he wasn't there that night. Some part of me knew that I was heaping all the blame on Antiphates unjustly, but I didn't care. I needed a temporary scapegoat for all the negative emotions I'd contained because my real target was still out of my reach.

"Still don't recognize me?" I said. "Then I'll give you a hint."

I closed my eyes and finally uncapped my aura. The moment I did so, Antiphates' eyes became clouded with recognition.

"You…." he choked. "Y-you are Seth Hunter."

"That's right," I replied. "Your people mercilessly slaughtered my family nearly three years ago. It is also one of your kin that killed my cousin, Lee Fletcher. They are the reason why I'm here now."

"Those deaths have nothing to do with me!" Antiphates argued. "I am not responsible-!"

"What nonsense are you sprouting?!" I interrupted angrily. "You are their King. As ruler, you are responsible for every one of your people's actions! That is what it means to be a leader, Antiphates. To suggest otherwise would be a denouncement to your royal title."

"That is idealistic." Antiphates spat.

"No, it is the ugly truth," I said. "No leader can last long without following through with what I just said. Your kingship is a fraud, Antiphates. You are no King, but a greedy, narrow-minded bully."

"You dare-!" His voice was forcefully silenced when I made a slow, painful cut on his chest. Antiphates clenched his teeth to muffle his scream.

"I've been thinking," I summoned yet another knife, and clashed the two together, as if to sharpen their blades. Antiphates' eyes grew wide with fear. "You monsters always manage to come back at different time intervals. Sometimes it takes a year for you fellas to regenerate, sometimes a month. Other times, it takes a decade. I want to ask you a question, Antiphates. Be sure to answer honestly."

The Laistrygonian only gave me a death glare.

I gave an eerie smile. "Do the times differ because your healing paces are different? Or could it depend on…the severity of your wounds?"

I plunged the knife into the giant's shoulder, Antiphates gave a scream and his agonizing yells only grew louder as I slowly twisted the weapon still embedded in his flesh.

I continued, "you know what? I think I'll go with the second option. By that logic…Wouldn't it be my job to make sure you come back as late as possible?"

That was when I felt Antiphates tremble, his eyes now filled with genuine fear. Tears even started to form in his eyes as I started slashing him this way and that, not caring that my hands and clothes were now stained with blood.

"Kill me!" the giant cried. I momentarily stopped my attacks.

"You want to die?" I questioned. My arms were getting tired. Maybe I should just call it a night.

"P-please kill me!" my adversary pleaded.

Suddenly, I felt drained. I blinked, and it was almost like the scene before me changed. I looked down at my hands…my blood red hands, and then at Antiphates, who was weeping shamelessly.

What in Hades am I doing?

Unable to stand the sight of my broken enemy, I hastily slashed the giant's throat, ending his misery at last. Trembling slightly, I stepped off of the corpse right before it disappeared. I slowly walked over to where my Stygian Iron daggers laid, but before I could even pick them up…

My eyes rolled back, my head faint, and I felt my whole body collapse.

My world turned pitch black.

-o-

Nemesis had been watching.

She watched as her champion mercilessly took out the giants. She watched as he finished off Antiphates in a way so cruel and vindictive it even gave the goddess of revenge a shiver of excitement.

She watched as Seth Hunter suddenly switched from ruthless avenger to horrified teen. The change in persona so swift, it nearly caught her by surprise. But seeing as Nemesis knew what Seth truly was, she had a good idea as to why that behavioral change happened. She watched Seth intently as the boy fell to the ground out of exhaustion.

She materialized onto the scene, her only focus locked on her champion as she knelt beside him. She carefully picked up his Stygian Iron weapons and placed them on his person before she picked him up, her arms wrapped under the crook of his knees and his back.

She gazed down at her unconscious champion, and a smile spread across her features. Seth Hunter exceeded her expectations. She expected a good show, but not that wonderful, unexpected finale her champion gave her. She knew she made the right choice in offering her patronage to him, and she could only imagine his future feats. Her champion was just full of surprises.

One thing was for certain: Seth Hunter would make her proud.

-o-

A/N: This chapter sure was hard to write. I had to debate over so many possible endings, not to mention the drastic transitions of Seth's personality throughout this whole chapter. As you've probably noticed, this is a new side to Seth that I will be developing. So what do you guys think? Do you think Seth is OOC? Please tell me in your review.

Thanks for reading!