A/N: What's this? A chapter only a few days after the last? Yes, well I do have some free time finally so I'd like to get the ball rolling. Prepare for the chapters to start flowing faster, this story is taking a long time and I'd like to make some decent progress on it. So we do start the next god in this chapter, but for the sake of plot that's just what has to happen so I can finally finish this fuckin' story.
Warning, this is a shorter chapter since there's no reason for it to be longer. Expect more chapters of varying lengths, I've decided to drop my self-created rule of forcing myself to write to a certain word length.
Fifteen pyres burn for fallen warriors. Samuel may not have known any of their names, or even liked them in any sort of way, but he has to give them credit for fighting as well as they did. So he'll hold his hands in his lap and bow his head in respect. Not for who the fallen Hunters were, but for what they did to keep everyone, even himself, alive.
He glances at Arethusa, the Nereid still seemingly frozen in place. Shock, grief, self-doubt, he's been there before. Hell, he's basically been in this exact same position before, back when he was the King of the Gargareans and basically lead an entire army to their deaths.
Thankfully before they could all be slaughtered Artemis returned with Valiona to burn out the remains of Diomedes' army before hunting the beast down and spilling his blood down a cliff side. It sucks he couldn't have been the one to do the bastard in, but at the very least Grapes was avenged and Artemis got her vengeance for her deceased maidens. Even Ivy got an honorary pyre, whose death Samuel is sure makes the whole deal even worse for Arethusa since he told her she was going to die.
Sometimes it sucks being so right about everything.
Oh well, it can't be helped. At the end of the day he's not really that bothered with how things turned out. His part with Artemis is finally over, he can go back home and maybe start working on his garden again. Literally any activity in his home would be better than these shitty adventures with his asshole Godfather.
Speaking of, Samson is standing next to him and it is very aggravating. Why the stupid baby deity won't leave him alone he doesn't know, but when all of these bullshit trials are done and over he's going to make damn sure he never has to see him again.
His saving grace came with Artemis returning from her slaying of Diomedes. Valiona's powerful wings comes own onto the scorched ground gracefully, the cmoplete opposite of her brother who seemed to crash into the ground like and asteroid. The dragoness sets down, and the smaller figure of Artemis hops off with Samson's bloody spear clutched in her hand.
She marches towards Samson and Samuel like a proud general, head held up high making nothing short of direct eye contact. Samuel can't help but shiver slightly at the intensity in her gaze. Thankfully she doesn't turn him into a rabbit or something, instead tossing Samson's spear back to him and standing in front of them like they're grunts.
Her eyes turn to the burning pyres for a moment, lingering over the burning bodies before her gaze returns to her interim Hunters. She clears her throat, clearly unused to having to speak with males in anything close to a respectfully, and dare he suggest, impressed way?
"You two have done well, regardless of our Pyrrhic victory. I name your trial complete, and honorably remove yourselves from my service. You may leave."
Samson and Samuel look around, "Uh, we still don't know where we are. How are we supposed to get home?"
Artemis rolls her eyes and snaps her fingers. A swirling portal of golden energy swirls up behind them, Samuel vaguely hearing somewhat familiar voices through the distorted vortex.
The Son of Athena bows respectfully to Artemis, gives her some parting thanks and steps into portal, vanishing from view. Samuel sighs and starts heading for the portal, himself not much of a fan of magical transportation due to the knots he tends to get in hi stomach from what he considers unnatural travel. Before he can step through the portal, Arethusa calls out for him to wait.
Samuel turns around, eyes travelling to her severed stump wrapped in bloodied bandages for a second before meeting her eyes.
"How do you do it?"
He gives her a perplexed expression. She continues, "How do you be okay with it? With knowing people died under you?"
Ah. That's what's bugging her. He simply shakes his head lightly and heads towards the portal calling out over his shoulder, "You don't. It stays with you for good. All you can do is keep leading, you don't stop until you're no longer in charge."
Then he steps into the portal, his purpose having now been fulfilled.
Samson looks around Samuel's mansion as he waits for him to step through the portal. To his surprise much of the hustle and bustle of Hylla's investigative crew has died down. No mass chaos of a dozen Amazons running around, no piles of papers taped to the wall with string pinned between them. Just a regular looking household with maybe a few extra guests.
"What happened?" Samson asks to Hylla as she enters the room with Perry, handing him what looks like a check that he pockets with some sense of discomfort. Hylla spots Samson and almost literally drags Perry with her.
"Ah, good, you're back! Where's Samuel? Perry and I have some good news to share."
Just as she finishes her sentence, Samuel enters the room looking somewhat dazed. He clutches his head and groans in discomfort before coughing fiercely into his hand.
"Crap, I think I'm allergic to something in that forest."
Hylla practically beams with joy and rushes over to give Samuel a hug. Samson swears he can hear Samuel's bones creaking from her strength, and curiously is how confused Samuel looks. Hylla sets him down, and Samuel laughs with an uneasy smile.
"Damn, babe, what's the occasion?"
Hylla scoffs and smacks his chest, making him choke and lose his breath for a second. She hides her face for a second, and though it's only a flash Samson sees her wince. He shifts his head to the side, but decides it's not important and lets Hylla continue what she wished to share with them.
"Shut it! Anyways, Samuel, Samson, we've got good news. Our private eye here managed to bust the cult chasing you guys!"
Samson's gaze snaps to Perry. The Son of Aphrodite has his back to them, drinking from an ornate flask. He just shrugs and makes his way to the door, "I'm good at what I do. I'll stick around a bit and help your girls with a timeline and paperwork."
Hylla's smug smile creeps across her face, "Sure you don't just want to hang around Sarah?"
He's out the door in an instant without another word. Hylla's smug smile is still on her face for a second before turning to the Sam's to further elaborate.
"Perry and Sarah managed to track down the cult to an old warehouse in the slums of New York. I called in my forces and we circled the whole place, unfortunately they all took cyanide pills. We did get their ledger, and currently we're having Mori and Perry translate it."
Samson's brows furrow in confusion, the whole situation seeming just too... complete. He can't explain it, and he has no evidence against it, but something just feels wrong. His intuition and general paranoia makes him feel that this isn't the end of everything. He makes a note to go over Perry's notes and timeline later, just to see if he can put his mind at ease.
"We can finally take some time to ourselves," Hylla practically sings in relief, "Surely the next trial won't be so sudden, so let's take the time to gt to know everyone. Mori's told me so much about you and Max, Samson, and I'd like to know more about Samuel's family."
"Hylla..." Samuel warns. Hylla's eyes snap to meet his, a sharp gleam in her gaze that makes most men tremble. Samuel doesn't back down, his own red eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint. The two stare each other down before Samuel storms off to the kitchen with a scoff. Hylla rolls her eyes angrily and makes her way towards the living room. Samson follows and takes a seat across from her on the sofa.
Hylla cups her eyes on the couch and bounces her leg angrily for several moments. Samson waits patiently, still unsure if Hylla wants to talk to him still of if he should tell her about Max in the first place. Samuel seemed pretty upset, and he's unsure if it's appropriate.
Before he can voice his concern, Hylla and Samuel turn towards the kitchen as they hear the sound of something heavy crashing into the ground followed by glass breaking. They quickly rush into the kitchen and find Samuel face down on the ground. Hylla curses and rushes to his side. Flipping him over she puts her ear to his chest and sighs when she detects a heartbeat, but still worries as his breath is ragged and wheezing. Samson goes to fish a bottle of nectar from his pocket when Hylla stops him.
"Wait! Don't use nectar, I think it's internal and he won't heal right if we use that! Get Mori from outside, we need her magic to see what's wrong!"
Mori leans down to Samuel's side, the Son of Eris having woken up from his faint earlier but winces and groaning with every breath. Mori ghosts her hands around his chest, faint silver energy surrounding her hand and arm. The magic fades and she sighs in some mix of relief and worry.
"Not sure how you haven't realized this yet, Samuel, but your ribs are basically caved in and squeezing your lungs. They're definitely cracked. Good call, Hylla, about not using nectar. It heals wounds, but it can't set bones. His ribs would've healed crooked like this and affect his lungs and heart basically for the rest of the life. Bloody Hell, Samuel, I don't know what magic you're hoped up on, but it's disabled much of your internal pain nerve endings. The fact that you're wincing right now means your body is stupidly damaged. Like, you'd be dead if you weren't a demigod. The Hell have you been doing?"
"F-fought a... dragon. Knocked-knocked into a tree!"
Hylla pinches the bridge of her nose, barely suppressing her urge to punch him in the gut and turning to Mori, "So, Mori, what can we do?"
She tilts her head side to side in thought for a second, "Leave him with me. I've got a bunch of potions and spells to reset the bones without surgery, but it requires time and for him to be still. He needs rest especially, there's so much trauma in his body from these back to back adventures I'm surprised he hasn't collapsed sooner. Samson, get my bag from the van. It has my things in it."
Samson nods and runs off to the front door. He tosses it open, and before he can take a step outside a black, leather bag is suddenly shoved into his chest. He almost drops it from surprise, and almost trips over his feet again when he sees who's standing at the door.
"Hello, Samson," Athena greets coolly, the slightest tug of a smile on her lips, "You'll be needing this."