AN: If had the option to share images, I would ask you to check out Artemis above, as I did on Wattpad.
Time: A few months later
The Hunters of Artemis were under orders from Zeus to track down two rogue demigods. These demigods, sons of Dionysus, and Hypnos, had been on the Giants' side during the Second Gigantomachy. They had somehow avoided capture after the War, and were now trafficking young demigods, selling them to monsters and mortals alike to use for their own immoral purposes.
The Hunters, led by their patron goddess, Artemis, sped through the deserted highway, chasing after a black truck, with an unusually long trailer. Despite its behemoth size, the truck sped along with equal speed, giving the Hunters a tough time chasing after it. They could barely make out the truck, no thanks to the dust cloud it left in its wake. A disadvantage of such a dry climate.
After only a day searching, Phoebe, the Hunt's third-in-command, had found a lead on the demigods. They had followed the lead, which had led them onto a dilapidated shack, where they had taken shelter. Inside the shack, they had found plans for their journey through this highway, on their way to sell some demigods to high bidders at an auction somewhere.
Artemis' trained eyes, and sharp hearing could see everything, though.
The beauty of the place was undeniable. The road wound through red sandstone cliffs, as found in the Grand Canyon. Small bushes lined the dusty road, and occasional trees swayed in the strong wind, looking cool and inviting, providing much-needed shelter from the heat and dust. Every once in a while, they would pass a distant isolated house, or a roadside shop. Besides these, the Hunters and the truck were the only signs of life on the long winding road. Endless grassland, and cliffs stretched out as far as one could see, and the highway just went on and on.
The Hunters had not seen any signs of habitation for the past hour, when they approached an intersection, where another, smaller road entered the highway. The demigods in the black truck sped past it, not giving a second glance at the Red and blue truck, the armoured army vehicle and the sleek, black and green car, that passed into the highway, from the road.
"Quite a strange combination, in my opinion, Milady. Is it not so?" Artemis turned her head to the side to see that it was her lieutenant, Thalia, who had spoken. Even after such a long chase, when they were sweating and panting profusely, she had time for such things.
"Yes, indeed." Artemis couldn't help but agree. "Do you think that they are allied with the two demigods?"
"I don't..." Thalia was cut off when the demigods slowed down, before coming to a stop. The Hunters stopped, too, seeing as they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. They could see the rogues get out of the truck and shout heatedly at each other, though they could not distinctly hear anything, despite their enhanced Hunter's hearing.
Unnoticed by the demigods, the red and blue truck, and the sleek car sped past the truck, before turning around, and forming a blockade on the side opposite to the Hunters, while the armoured army vehicle skid to a stop before the black truck. It was almost as if they were surrounding the demigods, preparing for an attack.
"Or protecting them." Phoebe chimed in, eyeing all the vehicles assembled.
However, Artemis could tell that it was the former option.
"No. They...must be some mortals. They aren't allied to the demigods." Artemis voiced her opinion.
"How..." Phoebe started, but was cut off by another hunter, Atlanta.
"Look at their faces. I can almost smell their fear from here." Atlanta grinned evilly at her fellow hunter.
Artemis turned to the Hunters. "Halt! We will see how it plays out."
The moon goddess was half expecting mortal authorities, maybe some soldiers to get out of the armoured car.
Instead, with a metallic screech and several clinking sounds, which reminded Artemis of Hephaestus' forge on a busy workday, the armoured truck shifted to form an enormous metallic man...robot, whatever.
The truck and the car mirrored him, transforming into two enormous metallic men, easily rivalling the Giants in size.
The Hunters were having trouble picking up their jaws from the floor.
Thalia was the first to recover. "Milady, we should advance. There is no way in Hades that these... robots are mortals."
"No, Thalia. We must wait and see, if they are allied to us, or otherwise. Gathering information is more important than engaging three probable opponents, who may be much stronger than us."
After Artemis' little speech, the Hunters eyed the three warily, taking note of the looks of abject terror on the faces of the demigods.
The armoured vehicle had transformed into a twenty-two foot tall olive green man. He wore a military helmet, and most of his face was hidden by a scraggly beard, which by the looks of it, was mostly wires of all kinds. He was almost round though, and Artemis could not understand whether it was because he was naturally fat, or because of all the guns, bullets, pouches, bombs, and medkits strapped onto his body. A cigar glowed red, where the man held it, in the corner of his mouth.
The sleek car was now an eighteen-foot tall man, who would have been quite muscular in human form. However, it was quite hard to determine that, because... you know, he was completely made of metal. He was wearing what seemed to be an unbuttoned green trench coat, and a military helmet, similar to the first man, except the goggles propped up on them. He was holding two guns, one in either hand, pointed at the two demigods who were now on their knees on the ground, quaking with fear.
Lastly, the blue and red truck had shifted into a twenty-eight-foot tall giant, easily dwarfing the other two. He was wearing what seemed to be armour, covering his chest, shoulder blades, and legs. An equally enormous sword, with the same colour scheme, was sheathed on his back. His mouth and nose, if there was even one, seemed to be covered by a metallic plate, which Artemis could only assume to be some sort of guard.
He seemed to be the leader.
Enormous Giant/Robot #3 spoke in a deep commanding voice. "Hound, free the prisoners."
Enormous Giant #1, now revealed as Hound, grumbled something under his breath. The Hunters noticed how his beard quivered, as he spoke.
Hound punched the back door of the trailer, making a decent fist-shaped dent in it, and pulled the door. It was ripped clean off its edges, revealing a group of young teens huddled inside.
Hound flung the door, and it landed in the middle of a clump of trees, far away.
EG #3 knelt before the door, and spoke as gently as he could with his booming voice. "Demigods, you are safe now. You can come out. I swear on the Styx that none of us will harm you in any way."
The teens apparently knew about the mythological world, because they filed out without a word.
"I would love to take..." EG#3 started, but was cut off by Hound.
"What Optimus wants to say is that we only take boys, so the boys will stay with us, while the girls will have to go the Hunters. I don't think that the Camps is an option for you, though; you have endured enough." Hound said in a gruff voice, surprising the Hunters when he rose to his full height and pointed, straight at them. Everybody followed his gaze to see the relatively large group of silver-clad girls standing in the middle of the desolate road.
Thalia was blushing. "We look so silly." She said in a small voice.
The girls of the group, apparently having already heard of the Hunters, started walking towards them, while EG #3, now revealed as Optimus, boomed, "Lady Artemis, Lord Perseus sends his regards." The three Giants bowed to her, though EG#2 kept his guns trained on the two demigods.
Artemis frowned, already knowing about the all-boys group Percy had decided to start. Zeus had told her about it. To say she had been angry, would be an understatement.
And if this was the members of his group, then the Hunters would have to struggle to compete.
It looked quite strange, three Giant men, each around twenty feet tall, bowing to a twelve-year-old girl.
"Thank you... whoever you are." The Hunters genuinely looked surprised when Artemis said that, and so did the three men. "We will now take over the two, to be brought to Olympian justice for abuse and trafficking of young demigods."
"Thank you, Lady Artemis." The three men transformed back into their respective vehicle forms with the same amount of noise, and the boys rescued from the truck trailer piled into the cars, arguing as to who got to ride the sleek green car, or the armoured army vehicle.
"See, Optimus, no one wants to ride you." Someone said, Artemis couldn't tell which. It was hard to tell in cars.
There was no response.
Finally, after a few minutes, all the boys were inside the three vehicles, and the girls had reached the Hunters. The two knocked out rogue demigods were lying in a bundle at Thalia's feet.
The Hunters watched as the three vehicles sped off down the road, leaving large clouds of dust in their wake.
Time: A few weeks later
A few weeks later, the new girls that they had recruited after the 'rogue demigods' fiasco, had settled in beautifully.
The Hunters were sprinting along a railway track. This particular track led to one of Lady Artemis' favourite hunting spots, in Utah. As usual, the Goddess herself led the group, with her faithful lieutenant by her side.
The tracks were dusty as ever, and as far as the eye could see, a vast expanse of red flat land stretched.
Nothing else to say, really. These mortals had stripped the land of its vegetation, and now it was nothing but a desert.
Anyway, back to the Hunters. Yes, the hunting grounds was the primary reason they were here, but something else had caught their attention.
A jet fighter plane, which looked nothing like the regular ones, sped before them, it's pilot, if there was even one, oblivious to their presence. It had somehow managed to pique the Hunters' interest.
Firstly, the fighter plane looked much advanced, futuristic, alien, out of this world, whatever you wish to say. Secondly, it flew too close to the ground for it to be some mortals. Lastly, Artemis had said that it gave the same... aura? As the three giant men of Perseus' group. There, end of the argument.
The jet hovered even closer to the ground as it reached a barrier on the track. The barrier declared that works were still going on in the bridge, in bright red letters.
But there was no bridge. The railway tracks crossing the cliff had blown up in a terrorist attack a few months back. Mortals.
So, it was really a death trap for any train coming that way, seeing as it was the only track.
The Hunters hid in some bushes near the track, but still some distance away. How such a large group, almost fifty strong, managed to hide in the bushes, I have no idea.
Finally, with several clinking sounds similar to the ones the Hunters had heard just a few weeks ago, the jet transformed into an ENORMOUS man, which completely dwarfed anything they had seen before.
Taller than the Giants, and the Gods, only a few Titans reached that height of thirty-five feet. Muscles bulged everywhere, slightly reminding them of Ares. Except these muscles were pure metal. He seemed to be wearing a warrior's kilt. An enormous and wicked-looking sword rested on his back, while a futuristic gun/cannon, was fitted to his right forearm. Shining silver armour plates with spikes protected his shoulders, while a red streak running along the right side of his face reminded Artemis of the Spartan soldiers of old.
Two curved pieces of metal, resembling ram's horns, curled around the side of his face, which shifted to cover his mouth, forming a guard similar to Optimus.
However, he was anything but. While the earlier ones, with there beckoning blue eyes reminded Artemis of her annoying, but friendly twin, Apollo, this one's blood-red eyes reminded her of the warmonger, Ares.
He tapped the side of his head, where his ear would have been, and spoke, in a gravelly voice. Artemis could only think that he had an earpiece.
"Megatron to HQ. Can you remind me as to what I am to do?"
Someone spoke from the other end, for after a short while, Megatron continued. "Okay, okay, jeez. So, there is a train on this track, whose breaks have failed, and I need to stop it. Remind me why I have to do these things again?" He did not wait for an answer, though, as he immediately cut the connection with another tap to the side of his head.
Megatron kneeled on the tracks, similar to how rugby players kneel before a game. The Hunters struggled to hold in gasps as they watched his whole body shift, becoming even larger, and more muscular, though the metal was constantly shifting, as if he was struggling to maintain that form. The cannon on his right arm shifted back, so that it would not get in his way.
Guess Megatron just promoted himself from Ares to Atlas.
Everyone held in breaths as they waited for the arrival of the train. They didn't even have to wait for ten seconds, before the train swung round the corner, into their line of sight. It was coming with unbelievable speed, and Megatron himself didn't look so sure if he would able to pull off the feat.
Nevertheless, he maintained his position.
The Hunters did not have time to blink before the train crashed into Megatron's enormous form, and he went back forward with the train, crashing through the barrier, and on the last stretch of track, before the cliffs.
His metal feet screeched against the tracks and the ground, sending off sparks. A look of intense effort was plastered on his face, as he desperately tried to stop the train. The metallic screeching and grunts were deafening. All of a sudden, the Hunters watched slack-jawed, as Megatron's body shifted again, jet thrusters coming out of his back as he threw in extra strength, extra power in trying to stop the train.
Before the Hunters could completely grasp the gravity of the situation, the two were mere metres from the cliff.
Showing unrivalled bravery, and letting loose a last burst of strength, Megatron screamed as he pushed the train of the tracks, onto its side. His muscles burned with exhaustion, and his breath came in short, raspy gasps. He could faintly see Lady Artemis and her Hunters standing off to the side, watching.
However, it was not enough. Although the train was safe, Megatron was flung off the cliff.
Artemis could only watch. Here was a male, one of Perseus' group, who had just sacrificed himself to save a train. He had saved hundreds of mortal lives. Perseus had taught them well.
Thalia was overcome with guilt, as she realised that she had watched on helplessly as this boy single-handedly saved hundreds of mortal lives, though he died in the process. What would Percy say when he came to know that she had just watched as one of his boys plummeted to death?
Again, the Hunters did not get time to organise their jumbled thoughts, before a supersonic boom shook the earth. A jet zoomed out of the cliff, travelling at supersonic speeds, not slowing down even a little bit as it sped into the clouds, heading to gods know where.
Everyone facepalmed.
Thalia had not felt sillier in her whole life.
Time: A month later
It was Artemis' birthday!
And she hated it.
Like every year, this year too, Apollo Iris Messaged her, in the wee hours of the morning, when she was not even completely awake.
Artemis yanked up he covers to her chin, before shouting, "What the fuck, Apollo!"
"Geez, little sis, calm down! We have the annual race, today! But this time, instead of chariots, we will be doing... cars!" Apollo whispered towards the end, as if it was some secret.
Artemis could only nod numbly, before she fell back asleep.
Let me back up a bit at this point. To commemorate the twin archers' birth, every year, a ball is hosted at Olympus, which neither Artemis, nor Apollo attended. Apollo had sacrificed his fun just for his sister. It was probably the only sensible thing he had done.
A few millennia ago, Hermes had found out. He was now like a second brother to Artemis, always overprotective of her. And owing to Hermes and Apollo's passion for racing, Artemis had to concede to the idea that they race each year, in the mortal world.
As usual, Apollo would be bringing his sun chariot in the form of a car. But, Artemis was not similar to her sibling. Far from it, actually. Fearing something might happen to her chariot, she had to go down early in the day, and get herself a vehicle for the race.
And somehow, her lieutenant, Thalia had found out about it three years ago, and she had accompanied Artemis ever since.
After a few minutes of tossing about in bed, trying to go back to sleep, Artemis got up. Apollo just had to ruin her sleep. She got dressed and went out.
No one was up yet. Except... Thalia.
Artemis sighed, resigning herself to fate. "Come on."
Thalia smiled innocently, and grasped her hand. "Where to today?"
"There's this car dealer in Manhattan. We will get a car from her, and then meet up with Apollo and Hermes at the Italian dining place opposite to the Empire State."
The two flashed away.
They arrived at the car dealer's place. This early morning, it was almost deserted. The one storey shop with red signs looked shabby, almost dilapidated, in the neighbourhood with tall skyscrapers. The park where all the cars were kept was almost deserted, and so was the shop. Different tools and car parts lined the shop window. A grotesquely painted car was graffitied on one of its windows. A woman in her mid-thirties, moved about in the shop, wearing a grey suit, which did not go at all with her white sneakers.
The bell tinkled as Artemis entered the shop, followed by Thalia. The woman hurried to greet them. "Good morning, ladies! How can I help two beautiful young women like yourselves today?" She honestly sounded as if they had just entered a cosmetics shop.
"I want to buy a nice car, that will help me win the races."
"Ooooohhhh" The woman seriously resembled Aphrodite. Artemis was beginning to regret ever coming here.
"We would like to check out those cars, over there. Thank you." Thalia interjected, gesturing to the cars outside. Her tone made it clear that she did not want to waste time.
Although hesitant, the shopkeeper held the door open for the two maidens, following after them.
"Sooooo. .. are you taking part in the races..." The woman was cut off by Thalia.
"We would like to see this." She was standing in front of a car.
Artemis gasped when she saw the car. The car stood alone at a corner of the park. Futuristic looking, it made all the other cars present in the park look like bullock carts. It was a black and orange Lamborghini Centenario. Although Artemis would have preferred if it was black and silver, but still it was better than the alternatives. The sleek car was almost streamlined, and perfect. Artemis laid a palm against the window, and the car seemed to hum with approval. She could feel a slight connection to it. The insides were equally high tech, with various coloured knobs and buttons.
"So, this car has..."
"We don't want to know what it has, or how much it costs. We want this one." Artemis handed the shopkeeper her credit card.
I know they could have manipulated the mist, but cheating was not Artemis' way. So, she had this credit card for mortal transactions, and it never ran out of money.
The shopkeeper nodded, and went back in. When Artemis entered, with one last look at the car, she had already swiped the card, and was holding it out for the moon goddess to enter her PIN. Artemis punched in the numbers, and the shopkeeper handed her the car's keys and her credit card back.
Artemis went out to Thalia, who was still admiring the car's design. Artemis sat in the driver's seat and gunned the engine, while Thalia rode shotgun. The car hummed into life, not giving any sign that it was running, other than a steady hum. It was not like some cars that made a lot of noise, and shook uncontrollably, but was very comfortable. Artemis thought that even if she kept a glass of nectar on the dashboard, it would not fall. Her fingers fit perfectly around the steering wheel.
The two reached the Italian dining place without any problem. Everyone stared at the car as it passed by, going from rest to 120 Km/h in under three seconds.
The restaurant was a two-storey black building, and managed to look graceful, despite the crowds. The second storey had a glass wall through which one could see all the couples dining inside. Over the gate was an enormous sign in green stylized letters, which spelt out its name. Several sayings in Italian, which Artemis did not bother reading, decorated the polished black walls.
Artemis parked her new and awesome car in the car park, and looked around for Apollo's car. Thalia had gone ahead to the restaurant, but she wanted to know if Apollo had already arrived. Apollo's obnoxiously golden Ferrari was hard to miss. It was park between an old-looking vehicle, which belonged to Hermes, and another obnoxious pink car, which made her retch. Aphrodite was here. This was NOT going to end well.
Artemis met up with Thalia, who was waiting in front of the counter. "Two reservations under Grace."
The receptionist checked something on his computer, and waved them towards the stairs to the second floor. "Second floor, table no. 19. Your companions have already arrived, Miss. Have a nice lunch."
With a nod of appreciation towards the woman, the moon goddess bounded up the staircase, followed by her lieutenant.
At table 19, they met Apollo, Hermes, as usual, and... Aphrodite. Artemis groaned, to which the love goddess giggled.
"Hey, Artemis, I have already placed your orders. Venison pasta with a martini, right?" Artemis smiled at her brother. She went to reply, but was cut off by Hermes.
"Wow, Artemis, is that black car yours?"
Artemis went out to the window to see that Hermes was indeed pointing towards her new ride. She nodded.
"Wow, man, Apollo, you gotta check this out! Dude, where did you find it?"
Apollo came to stand beside the two, and frowned. "Hey, isn't that...that looks like... never mind." He went back to his seat, still with the frown, and seemed to be thinking furiously, before he shook his head, and stretched.
Artemis scowled. A serious Apollo was never good. What...
The moon goddess was jolted out of her thoughts by the delicious aroma of her food arriving.
Thalia, who sat next to her, said, chewing her mouthful of pasta. "What is Aphrodite doing here?"
Aphrodite squealed, making a couple of other customers cover their ears. "I came because there is love in the air! Someone has a little crush!" She twirled her fork around in the air.
Both Thalia and Artemis blushed, and looked away. Artemis looked out of the window, at the road and car park, while Thalia went back to her food.
Let me back up a bit, and tell you why they did so.
So, Artemis may or may not have-
1. Crushed on Percy since the Atlas fiasco.
2. Spied on him whenever she was at camp
3. Stolen a few of his shirts and boxers to smell his intoxicating scent
Thalia blushed, because she may or may not have-
1. Been jealous of Annabeth, and extremely happy when they broke up.
2. Taken more than a few nude pictures of Percy
3. For Thalia's no. 3, please see Artemis' no.3
Apollo frowned at them. "WHO IS IT?" He whisper shouted. Hermes mirrored his expression. "I will kill whoever it is!" The messenger God added.
"No, I won't tell you who it is, because you will go and tell him, and then he will think that I am a creep." Artemis blushed furiously. She was already perverted, when it came to him. More than a few times, she had dreamt of being ravished by him, his muscular body, and woken up with soaked panties.
Apollo smirked. "You forgot, that I am the god of knowledge." He closed his eyes, immense concentration contorting his features temporarily, before he gasped, becoming normal again. He smirked at Artemis' pale face.
"Who is it?" Hermes demanded.
Aphrodite answered this time. "It's Percy! Both of them are crushing on Percy!" Thalia and Artemis looked at each other, and blushing furiously, looked away again.
Hermes frowned even deeper. Two of his sisters, who he was overprotective of, were crushing on his cousin and best friend. Most of all, they were crushing on the same person.
Aphrodite tapped her flawless chin in a thoughtful way. "Why do I feel like...Percy's right outside, in the car park?" She went back to look at the car park, out of the window, but not seeing anyone there, she shook her head. "Must've been the alcohol."
"Vindictive bitch." Thalia muttered under her breath. Artemis couldn't help but agree, with her lieutenant.
The small group finished their Italian lunch, and went back outside. "Where to, next?"
Hermes asked grinning.
"The races." Artemis rolled her eyes, while Thalia added. "They are going to start in four hours, and we have a long way to go, to Vegas. Also, let's be honest with it, I want to get as far away from Aphrodite as I can, and so does Artemis."
"Hey, can I just, check your car?" Apollo was suddenly serious.
"Yeah, me too," Hermes added.
Artemis groaned in annoyance, but obliged nonetheless. Apollo got into the driver's seat, and closed the door. When the window was up, the others could not hear anything, going on inside the car.
Apollo laid his hands on the steering wheel, but jerked back immediately, as if he had gotten an electric shock. Artemis watched on in worry, as Apollo seemed to be arguing with an invisible man inside. After a few minutes, the door opened, and Apollo got out. Rather, he seemed to be kicked out of the car by some invisible force.
Hermes did not seem so enthusiastic about it, after that, either.
However, when Artemis and Thalia got in, there were no problems. And being the sassy Hunters that they were, they rolled their eyes, and mocked the two now embarrassed gods, about being kicked out by a car.
No sooner had Artemis drove out of New York, leaving the others far behind, than Thalia decided to turn on the radio. Music, which, to either of them, seemed more enchanting than the sirens poured from the radio. Artemis' hands went limp on the steering wheel, and she could no longer drive. By some miracle, the car did not crash. Her mind went detached from the present, indulging itself in nostalgia, her memories on Delos, and love, every time, she thought of or saw Percy. Thalia vaguely remembered it being 'Iron', by Woodkid, as she was immersed in a state of limbo, similar to Artemis.
In the radio, the drumbeats carried on, and Wood kid's melancholy voice continued to sing.
(I know, songs have been done a lot of times, quite stereotyped, but this is a nice shortcut, as I don't want to write about the drive to Vegas.)
(Instrumental)
Deep in the ocean, dead and cast away
Where innocence is burnt in flames
A million miles from home, I'm walking ahead
I'm frozen to the bones, I am...
A soldier on my own, I don't know the way
I'm riding up the heights of shame
I'm waiting for the call, the hand on the chest
I'm ready for the fight, and fate
(Instrumental)
The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head,
The thunder of the drums dictate
The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead
From the dawn of time to the end of days
I will have to run, away
I want to feel the pain and the bitter taste
Of the blood on my lips, again
(Instrumental)
This deadly burst of snow is burning my hands,
I'm frozen to the bones, I am...
A million miles from home, I'm walking away
I can't remind your eyes, your face
(Instrumental)
As the song continued, time seemed to warp, everything blurring around the two. Artemis did not realise when, but they had reached Vegas. Not only that, but she realised that they were already on the racetrack. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, and Thalia looked equally confused, sitting beside her. Apollo, Aphrodite, and Hermes were in front of her, at the starting line.
A sluttily dressed girl walked up to the starting line, her jaw working constantly on a piece of chewing gum. Artemis wrinkled her nose in disgust. The girl was wearing booty shorts, which barely covered her ass, and a tank top, which only covered her breasts. Thalia smirked at her expression, and gestured to Apollo and Hermes ogling her. Artemis mock retched.
A blue car pulled up beside Artemis' ride, and the window was rolled down to reveal a male.
Artemis did not need to hear his next words to decide that he was disgusting.
I don't think I need to describe the male. Artemis has said enough about the wannabe Smelly Gabe.
"Hey hottie, say we race to my bedroom. That chick beside you can come, too. My dad..."
Artemis did not hear any more as she had rolled up her window. Stupid mortal males, picking up women, and treating them as objects. They did not even have the capability to pick them up with their own influence. She snorted, and this time, Thalia mock retched.
The male scowled. He did not like that. And when there was something he didn't like... He grinned as he produced a knife, and scratched Artemis' car door. He was also jealous of the perfect and futuristic car she had. Somehow, Artemis did not notice it.
Artemis did not know why, or how, but the radio turned on of its own accord. Heavy metal, and extremely loud music blared out, as if the car itself was angry. What an assumption!
Thalia's attempts to turn it down were futile, and the two of them brushed it off as a technical error.
Artemis had not turned the ignition key yet, but the car already hummed with energy, as if it was desperate to start, and leave the others eating dust.
Whatever the girl at the starting line said, was drowned by the music blaring from the radio. The only sound Artemis heard was her gun going off, signalling the race had started.
She did not know what she was doing, or if it was even her that did it, but her car shot forward, and just as she had predicted, it left the others far behind. Artemis just managed to see the slack-jawed look on the others' faces, before they disappeared as she sped past them, the car going from rest to 300 Kmph in seconds.
She just gripped the steering wheel, but did not drive. She did not even know what the racing track was. It was as if the car knew the track, and was driving of its own accord. And it intended to win.
Before she could realise anything, the car had sped past the city, through the forests, and was now driving by the sloping cliffs. They were almost halfway through.
But Artemis was hella scared. Yes, you got me right. The Goddess of the Hunt was scared.
She had already pulled the handbrake, and was desperately pressing down on the brakes. However, the car did not stop. It did not help that Thalia was screaming her head off, right in her ear.
But, it seemed to be working. Slowly, the car seemed to be slowing down. From 300, it had gone down to a mere 60 Kmph.
Artemis' windswept hair was all over the place, a few strands plastered to her face, thanks to the sweat, which was pouring down her face. Her clothes were drenched. Thalia was not faring any better. Her voice was hoarse, and she gripped the leather seat belt tightly, tightly pressed to her seat. But she was slowly calming down, and seemed to be relaxing, melting into her seat.
Apollo and Hermes had floored their respective cars, and were about to catch up to Artemis. They turned the corner, just in time to see Artemis' black and orange car get hit by a blue one that burst out of the forests. Artemis and Thalia went tumbling down the cliffs, along with their car, while the blue one sped off. "ARTEMIS! THALIA!!" Apollo exclaimed in horror, pulling over beside the spot where they had gone down. However, in the darkness, he could not see anything, despite him being the sun god.
"Apollo, the monster's getting away!" Hermes brought him back to his senses, and the sun God rushed to tumble 8nto his golden chariot, before flooring the accelerator.
Overcome with anger and rage, Apollo and Hermes chased after the blue BMW, hoping that Artemis would be alright. Whoever that was, could've been a threat to Olympus. Apollo would've given anything at that moment to go back in time.
Earlier in the race, he had seen the same car turn off into the forest, brushing it off as a mortal, who sought a shortcut. And now, here he was, injuring his dear sister. Oh, how the driver would suffer.
Back to Artemis and Thalia, a funny thought had crossed Artemis' mind. 'If Percy can transform into a car, then maybe, this is him. And if it is so, then am I sitting in his lap?' She blushed furiously at the thought, and seemed to become conscious of how the car seat hugged her perfectly.
Artemis was jolted out of her thoughts centring around her love, when a blue car slammed into her car's side.
Now, the two maidens just stared at the bottom of the cliff as it rushed up to meet them. Helpless, trapped in the contraption. In the mess, all thoughts of flashing away had been obliterated.
That is when she heard it.
A series of clinking sounds echoed through the car's interior, and it transformed into an enormous metal man, similar to the ones they had seen earlier. However, in the darkness, Artemis couldn't make out his features clearly.
The two Huntresses were flung out in the open air, before an enormous arm shot out, clasping them in a firm grip. Artemis' now very scary, and sentient car used his free hand to clutch an outcrop on the cliff, and swung to the ground below, landing safely on his feet. He let out a slight grunt as his knees bent from the force of the jump.
No sooner had his feet touched the ground, than he transformed back to a car, again. Just this time, Artemis and Thalia were in the back seat, strapped to their seats by several seat belts. They couldn't even guess how so many belts were there. And, they couldn't free themselves.
Thalia looked at her, and screamed. She then seemed to notice that no one was in the driver's seat, and shouted in abject terror- "NO ONE'S DRIVING!"
"THE CAR'S DRIVING!" Artemis retorted.
They looked at each other, and screamed together, "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
But, thankfully, they didn't.
If they did, then I would've had to stop the story right here, right now.
The car drove perfectly, swerving through the dusty track that led through the cliffs. Although it had added an unnecessary ten more miles to the racetrack, the car put on speed, and soon, it was back on track. Apollo and Hermes looked in wonder as Artemis' black vehicle sped past them. They hadn't been able to catch up to the BMW yet. Nor did they notice that there was no one in the driver's seat, thanks to the black tinted windows.
Aphrodite wondered why she was constantly feeling Percy's presence, but was unable to spot him. She was pulled over on the side of the road, as she had chipped a nail. Had she known that this would've happened, she would have never had come here.
Soon, Artemis' black and orange Lamborghini was catching up to the blue BMW, that was now first place. And the two Huntresses were still screaming, trapped in the back seat.
The mortal male currently leading the race in his blue metal contraption, slammed down on the accelerator, but in vain. He gritted his teeth as the orange car overtook him.
But to his surprise, whoever was driving the car slammed the breaks, swerving in a circle in the middle of the road in front of him. The rear part of the vehicle slammed into the hood of his car, sending it flying over the edge of the cliffs, with a decent dent in its hood.
They really shouldn't hold races in such dangerous places.
Again, Artemis' vehicle transformed into the monstrous giant. However, this time, Artemis and Thalia were released, and they landed on their butts on the road. Thalia let out a groan in relief, and promptly passed out.
A slight drizzle had started to fall, finally granting Artemis relief from the heat and dust, and the hectic events of the past few weeks. The cool embrace of the water droplets relaxed her, and washed away all the sweat and tension. The dust settled around her, and small streams of water cascaded down her forehead. After this, Artemis was barely hanging onto consciousness. She wanted to be like Thalia, who was now passed out in a bundle in the middle of the wet road.
The footstep which shook the earth, and sent tremors down Artemis' very being, brought her back to her surroundings. She glanced fearfully up at the towering metal man, who was peering down the edge of the cliff at a car wreck below.
Artemis took a moment to study him.
He was much shorter than the ones she had seen previously, standing only at sixteen feet. He looked much larger though, due to her close proximity. Artemis decided that he was definitely muscled, with a broad chest formed by the car's hood, and a tapering waist. A circular orange disc-like thing protected what Artemis presumed to be his mouth, while two more orange plates ran along his jawline. His lower legs were also orange, and his thick arms, which seemed to be protected by some sort of plate, were too. A futuristic looking gun rested at his waist, blinking blue, while his somehow cold, blue eyes penetrated the darkness.
Artemis heard his voice for the first time, when he spoke then, with a pronounced French accent. "You scratch my face..." The wrecked blue BMW at the bottom of the cliffs burst into flames. "I scar yours." The man finished.
He then turned to glare at Artemis. She noticed how his blue eyes rotated, coldly and mechanically, and she shut her eyes, bracing herself for impact.
However, to her surprise, it never came.
With the same clinking sounds that she was becoming increasingly familiar with, the man shrunk back into the black and orange Lamborghini Centenario, which she had purchased just that morning, and drove off into the darkness, leaving Artemis and an unconscious Thalia to get wet in the rain.
Artemis herself could not stay awake any longer. She felt the relaxing embrace of the cold fingers of Sleep, grasping her in its clutch. Her eyelids drooped, and she swayed for a moment, before collapsing to the ground, with a splash.
The last thing Artemis saw before she blacked out was Hermes' worried face, while Apollo stared off into the darkness, the way her car had gone.
It was raining cats and dogs by now.
Time: Next week
This time, the Hunters were sprinting through a narrow winding path, running between two cliffs which rose high to the sky.
What's with so many cliffs?
There was not a tree in sight. The Hunters were the only human beings for miles around. A lizard scurried into a crevice, hiding from the girls as they passed. Enormous red cliff walls rose beside them. Jagged faces, and cold rocks flanked them, reminding them of a desolate battlefield. The road wound through the cliffs, with many twists and turns in its path, not allowing the Hunters to see what awaited them at the next turn.
Nevertheless, they were the Hunters, who could bulldoze their way through any obstacle on their path.
Such thoughts in mind, the lieutenant, Thalia, ran alongside her leader, Artemis. Her legs strained as she tried to keep up with their leader, and her breath was heavy. The wind buffeted her face, fanning her choppy hair, which she had let loose. It reached to her shoulders. Artemis, however, had not even broken a sweat yet. The others were already complaining, and stumbling. A few had to stop to help the others along. Since the incident at the races a week ago, Apollo had gone silent, Hermes was as clueless as ever, while Artemis pushed the Hunters to their extent.
They had been running field for some time, when something changed. All animals had gone silent, the only sound being the complaining Hunters.
Artemis made a sharp turn at the corner, and skidded to an abrupt stop. The other Hunters stopped behind her, while Thalia, who was right behind, almost crashed into the moon goddess.
Before the group of fifty or so girls, lay an entire army of monsters. Hellhounds, empousa, and dracenae stretched as far as the eye could see. There were some powerful monsters dotted here and there, like Generals. The Minotaur here, the Lydian Drakon there, you know, the usual. At the head of the army stood... Artemis had to shield her eyes against his bright armour. Hyperion, the Titans of Light, was back. He looked almost like her brother, with blonde hair and blue eyes, except he was taller, more muscular, and his eyes had a cold edge to it.
Artemis chuckled, even in the dire situation. "Looks like the tube light is back from being a maple tree. You know, you looked better as the tree. At least then, I could look at you without turning away in disgust."
Hyperion's face was red with anger. He bellowed, causing some rocks to cascade down the cliffs and crush some of his own army, which he did not seem to notice. "Puny moon goddess! A new age is going to begin! And you, goddess, will be its first sacrifice! My master has granted me a power boost, with which I am unstoppable!"
Artemis raised her eyebrow. "Who is your master? Kronos?"
"No...Master is... I can't tell you. He will kill me." Hyperion looked around, as if searching for somebody with a scared look on his face. He must not have found whoever he was looking for, cause he then sighed with relief.
He was going to say something again, but was cut off by a booming voice, which echoed through the cliffs.
"I have heard enough!" It was a male voice.
Artemis squinted upward, and her Hunters followed her gaze. Crouched on top of a cliff was a male, judging by his body structure. He was wearing a black hood, with orange linings, which covered his face, allowing only his mouth, and the tip of his nose to show. The hood was joined to a cloak, which was thrown over his left shoulder, while a silver shoulder piece glistened on his right. Other than that, and the two leather vambraces on his wrists, he did not seem to be carrying any weapons, nor wearing armour.
This new figure jumped off the cliff, before grabbing an outcrop on the cliff face, and swinging down to the ground. He landed on his two feet, knees bent to absorb the impact, and straightened himself immediately afterwards.
It eerily reminded Artemis of her haunted car the previous week. She shivered as she remembered that night's events.
Hyperion seemed afraid of this new figure.
"Is this his master?" Thalia whispered from her side, and Artemis noticed that almost all Hunters had bows drawn, with arrows notched.
Almost as if to answer his question, the figure flipped back his hood. Artemis' sucked in a sharp breath as she realised she was looking at the familiar handsome face of the newest Olympian. Percy's sun-kissed, tanned skin glistened with sweat in the heat, and his piercing sea-green eyes glanced at her. That mere glance was enough to let Artemis know that he was the one in charge here. It held such a smouldering aggression and dominance that Artemis just wanted to submit to him, and let him whatever he wanted to her, right then and there.
Artemis shook her head. This was NOT the right time to be having these kinds of thought. She glanced at her side to see Thalia trying to keep a calm composure. If she hadn't known better, Artemis would have said that she even noticed a wet patch on Thalia's camo pants.
The rest of the Hunters just scowled at the newest arrival. They weren't happy that his group was competing against them, though it was just just a one-sided competition.
Percy drew a curved Celestial Bronze Egyptian khopesh from out of thin air. Artemis frowned at the fact that he was not using Anaklusmos anymore. He flexed his left arm, and a shield materialised out of nowhere, letting off red hot sparks in the air.
He pointed the khopesh at Hyperion. "Come on, tube light."
Hyperion was stuck between two extremely powerful entities. Although he had an army, being sandwiched like this. ...he gulped audibly. "Attack the Hunters." He let out in a squeaky voice.
Guess his master's power boost did not affect his confidence as well.
Artemis raised an eyebrow army his decision. "Hunters attack!" She waved her arm forward, signalling them to fire at will, before she drew her own bow and started shooting arrows into the fray.
Artemis then realised why Hyperion had told them to attack her. At the back of the army, Percy was a monster in himself, decimating large numbers of monsters in mere seconds.
He slashed a Hellhounds in half, before ducking a thrust from a dracena. He then swiped her legs out from under her, and stabbed her with his khopesh, before dodging a Hellhound lunge. The son of Poseidon threw his khopesh, impaling the Hellhound, before he kicked back a cyclops. He kicked up a fallen empousa's spear, and stabbed the cyclops in the shoulder, before using him as a shield to block another cyclops. Cyclops #2 bashed his brother's head, and as his brother burst into golden dust, he found himself stabbed by a spear held by Percy. The Olympian left the spear in the cyclops' chest, and ducked a swing from an empousa, before he grabbed her arm, and bent it, stabbing her with her own sword. He then sidestepped the Minotaur's charge and held him in a chokehold, before he slit the monster's throat with his khopesh, which he had somehow retrieved unnoticed by Artemis.
Artemis tore away her eyes from this fearsome display of power, just in time to dodge a hellhound's blind lunge at her throat. She then shot him with an arrow at point-blank range, and turned to look how her Hunters were faring.
Thalia bashed the Lydian Drakon with Aegis, before stabbing the dazed monster with her spear, and electrocuting it for extra damage. The Drakon burst into golden dust. However, from the way the daughter of Zeus was panting, Artemis could tell that the fight had lasted for a while. Meanwhile, the Hunters were picking off a few stray monsters, and Artemis joined them. Overall, there were no casualties, thanks to Percy taking out half of the army by himself.
Finally, the final monster fell to Artemis' arrow, and all who was left was Hyperion, who had stayed passive this whole time, for some reason. On closer inspection, Artemis saw that the Titans of light was firmly bound to the ground by earthen bonds.
But who was uncontrollably these bonds? It then dawned on the moon goddess that Percy was the god of Unknown Domains, so maybe, he was the one controlling these.
Her suspicions proved to be correct when Percy stalked towards the bound Titan without a worry in the world. "Who's your master? Who set you up to this?" Percy smacked Hyperion with his own spear.
"I...I can't say. Master will fade me." Hyperion squirmed in his bonds.
"If you don't, I will." Percy threatened.
However, Hyperion did not budge.
Percy smirked, making Artemis look over at him questioningly. "Well, then, it's fortunate that I have my own ways of finding out." Percy sighed in mock relief.
Hyperion's eyes widened as the Olympian stalked closer. Artemis looked on curiously.
Percy put his palm flat on Hyperion's chest, making the Titan squirm, and cower away from his touch, almost as if it were burning him. Artemis went to stay something, but clamped her hand over her mouth in horror, as Percy dug his hand into Hyperion's chest. Her eyes widened. It was a good thing that the Hunters were not here to see this. Seeing as the two Gods had Hyperion under control, they had gone to set up camp, and tend to those injured.
The prisoner screamed as Percy felt around in is chest for something. Then, with a triumphant look on his face, Percy pulled back his hand. Artemis noticed that he had a purple crystal kinda thing in his grasp. Hyperion screamed again, and rolled in the dust, in pain. Although his bonds had dissolved, he remained on the ground, lacking the strength to get up.
"What is this?" Percy asked in a low, threatening voice, crouching to hold the crystal close to his face. "What is this?!" He screamed again as Hyperion whimpered, not answering.
"I'll tell you what it is." Percy steamrollered on, not waiting for the Titan. "This. Is. Dark. Energon!" Percy said, punching the Titan in the face with the crystal as he spoke each and every word. Hyperion screamed and groaned and whimpered, but Percy continued to pummel him.
His fist was golden with immortal ichor, and so was the crystal and Hyperion's face. His nose was broken, he was missing a few teeth, his lips were swollen and eyes shut. He looked horrible, and Percy punched him one last time, almost as if to end his suffering.
Hyperion screamed, and burst into black dust. He had faded.
Artemis clamped her hand over her mouth to silence any screams that might have escaped at Percy's display of savagery and might.
Percy stood up, and wiped his ichor stained hands on his trousers before glancing at her. He then looked over at the direction of the Hunters' camp, from where Thalia was coming.
He crouched again, and from the earth melted another crystal, similar to the first one, only this was blue in colour. The Son of Poseidon tapped the two crystals together, and they melted into a single blue cube, with strands of purple. Artemis could only look on in awe, and wonder what else the God of Unknown Domains was capable of doing.
Percy held out his hand with the cube. It took Artemis a moment to realise that he was offering her the cube. She accepted it timidly, holding the crystalline, luminous cube at a good distance from her person. "Take this. Tell Hephaestus to forge weapons, preferably knives from this, and get every hunter one. Just, keep this away from mortals, or even mortal demigods. They can die if they come into direct exposure of this energon, but the Hunters' partial immortality will keep them from harm. You will need it in the upcoming few months. We are fighting against a brand new enemy." He said, spreading his hands in a dramatic flare towards the end.
"Yeah, but what does it do?" Thalia snatched the words right out of Artemis' mouth.
"Oh, nothing much, I'm afraid." Artemis raised her eyebrow, before Percy continued. "It just fades any immortal, or monster who is killed with it. Like our late friend." He gestured to the black ashes, which were all that remained of the former glorious Titan of Light. Artemis eyes widened.
"Bye. See you soon." Percy began to walk away as the other Hunters came to Artemis and Thalia, curious about the cube that their mistress was holding.
Percy rounded a corner, so that he was no longer in view of the Hunters, and flashed away.
Time: A few weeks earlier
The Pit was in an uproar. Recently, after the death of Gaea, the Primordial Tartarus had fused with what remained of his wife, to form a new deity.
This deity, in his smallest form, dwarfed Tartarus. Bulging muscles everywhere, he stood at forty-foot tall at his smallest. His eyes were a monochromatic purple, and much colder than Khione herself. Two large horns curled from his head, making him look like a typical children's monster. But he was anything but. A well-kept moustache hid much of his face. Oh, and did I forget to mention that he was completely made of rock? Not any rock, though, he was made from the last of the Primordial Granite, which was a dull brown in colour, but harder than Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze.
And currently, this figure sat on a throne made of darkness, with a crown made of darkness on is head. Surrounding him were armies of kneeling monsters, Titans and Giants, making him look like the Empire State in an outdated Canadian town with a population of a hundred people.
In other words, he was enormous as compared to the others.
A monster made its way forward to grovel at his feet. All others looked up to see who was foolish enough to do so.
It was the Minotaur.
Beef head.
"Milord." The Minotaur grunted, speaking the common tongue of monsters. "We are ready to invade."
The figure boomed with laughter, making all the monsters within a mile radius burst into golden dust, and die.
"Yes, but not now. We wait, and we attack when the time is right." He looked thoughtful for a moment, before he stood up.
He faced the dark skies of Tartarus, covered with a red mist, and shouted in his booming voice. "Be ready, Primus!! A new age is to come on Olympus! The Age of Unicron!!"
Miles away from Tartarus, Primus heard him with a stone face. He was ready to take him all on.
AN: Woah, long chapter, done!! Sorry for the late update. What with this Coronavirus pandemic going on, I had to help out with domestic chores! Imagine the horror! Oh, and after I was evicted from my hostel, I had to stay for three days at the airport. On the night of my birthday, I had to sleep at the airport! Imagine!P.S: I just remembered that all my laboratory samples for college exams, that I had accumulated over the year, are going to rot and get spoilt without anyone to keep changing the apparatus, and keep the electricity running. *Sigh*One year of college wasted!P.P.S: Last year, I got a chance to go to Harvard for my internship, but was unable to, due to my ailing grandma. Now, America is one of the most affected. *Sigh in relief*Stay home stay safe.
What I mean is sleep, eat, play video games all day, and jerk off to bat shit crazy porn.
Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)
