Artemis

Kluane national park

We've been tracking the manticore for the last two days and so far we haven't had much luck. All I know is that he has probably reached the border by now and we still have another day of hiking before we get there. It's going to be dangerous, a lot more dangerous than father made it sound, especially for me. I'm going to be stepping into the 'land beyond the gods,' and I don't know if he's noticed or not but I'm a fucking god. The implications don't sound too great, but I just have to nod and agree to the king of the gods delusions. I'm not going to put my hunters in any more danger than I have to.

We pushed far later into the night than we usually would before setting camp. We have roughly fifteen miles to the border as far as I can tell from the map. Distance is hard as there aren't many landmarks in this massive forest.

"Alright girls, rest up, tomorrow we will arrive in Alaska. We don't know what's waiting on us. I want three of you to keep watch throughout the night, switch shifts every couple hours or so," I said looking at around at the young faces of my nodding hunters.

"Alright off to bed with you," and with that I turned into my own tent.

Sneaking out shouldn't be too hard..., I thought. While my hunters have abilities far greater than almost any mortal I still worry about their safety, especially in a situation where I'm not at hundred percent. Lucky for me their skills are nothing compared to a god's.

I laid in my tent for an hour or so, never having switched out of my uniform. I got up and slowly crept to the flap of my tent, slowly pulling the enchanted zipper down and looking out.

If I know my girls they probably have two sentries watching the West side of camp, toward Alaska and one watching the East side, back the way we came.

I hopped out of the tent and made my way to the South side of camp after taking one more look to make sure no one has seen me I made a beeline straight into the woods, traveling a mile or so before swinging around back to the West.

The manticore didn't leave much in the way of physical tracks, but what I was following was his smell. The more powerful monsters leave a lingering smell wherever they go. Not a good smell, but one I've become well acquainted with throughout my years of the Hunt.

I pushed through the forest. I checked my map to see that I had crossed the border and I immediately felt it. I felt slow. I felt weak.

Maybe this isn't such a great idea..., I thought debating if I should turn tail and head back to New York with the Hunt.

I kelt walking while having an extensive internal debate when I suddenly came to an open barren landscape. About a mile ahead of me sat a large frozen river in the valley of two sets of mountains.

Whoa. This is beautiful.

Percy

Kluane national park

After a week of strolling through the park of mountainous terrain, with giant sections of forested land with frozen lakes cutting the landscape. I hadn't been this far East into the reserve. Many times I was taken aback by how beautiful this place is. But the valley I stood before was different. It was breathtaking.

Two sets of mountain ranges mirrored each other a mile apart. In the middle ran a jagged frozen river, which is flanked on both sides by boreal forests. Both sets of trees were were about half a mile wide and followed the mountain ranges as far as the eye could see.

To walk along the frozen river would be to expose yourself completely from every direction to everyone and everything within the valley. So I did the the smart thing and set off into the woods on the northern side of the river and resumed my stroll, waiting for fate to take action.

Artemis

Walking through the forest on the southern side of the river, I started getting a funny feeling. I'm not sure if it's the ominous tone of the freezing wind blowing through the branches of the frozen trees echoing off the face of the mountains on either side or something else. It felt like I was walking into something that was meant for me. This was meant to happen, that I was sure of, and I could only imagine that nothing good was going to come of this.

I kept on keeping on, the monster scent growing more and more intense. I was gaining on him. I walked for an hour through the seemingly endless valley before I thought I decided to switch to the other side to look for tracks seeing as the manticore definitely passed through here, but there were no indicators on this side of the river.

I stepped to the edge and double checked both ways like I was crossing a busy road, before sprinting out into the open trying to make up the ground as quickly as possible.

I was halfway across when I when I heard it. THWIPP, THWIPP, THWIPP.

I immediately dove to the right, not before having something impale me in the back of my left shoulder, sliding as I hit the ice. I immediately knew what had happened.

Ambush.

I jumped off and spun to find a cat like silhouette staring back at me with luminous eyes. One brown, one blue. The eyes of a predator. The manticore. He stalked out of the forest on all fours seventy odd yards away.

I cursed myself. He was waiting for me to try to cross. He knew I had been following him. I played right into his trap, in the land beyond the gods.

I reached over my shoulder with my right hand, trying to pull the spike out, "Ahhh," I gasped in pain.

Yep, definitely barbed. Not getting that out.

My godly pain tolerance seemingly wearing thin as I started to feel faint from the venom seeping into my ichor. I did the only thing I could. I willed a hunting knife to appear in my right hand. I couldn't lift my left arm to hold my bow if I wanted to. I felt I was already fighting a losing a battle, a funny feeling for me. I was desperate.

I charged the beast who chuckled at my recklessness.

THWIPP, THWIPP

Faster than I could blink two more barbed spikes were headed directly for my head. Luckily, I expected it and ducked to the left, still in full sprint.

"You so eagerly run to your death?" The manticore asked with a smile devoid of any humor.

Percy

As I walking, I was thinking about my life and what could've been.

Not the time to slip in your 'woe is me' pity party Perc-, my own thought cut off by the scene of someone or something suddenly dashing across the open area trying to get to my side of the river. I pulled out Wisdom running to where whatever was out in the open would enter the trees, ready to intercept it, be it friend or foe. Judging from where I was, I had low expectations for it to be a friend.

As I was nearing my picked spot I heard three rapid noises, like a wiffle ball bat cutting through the air. Then I heard two more sounds of something impaling themselves in the hard, frozen trunks of the trees. Cracking like gunshots in the near subzero dreamscape. Even from this far I was immediately able to place the sound. The manticore, my old pal Dr. Thorn and he was stalking out of the woods on the opposing side, walking on all fours.

I wonder if he's lost that stupid accent by now.

By now I was close enough to tell that the figure on the ice was a person and they were being attacked. Whoever it was, they were fast, incredibly fast. Not fast enough though. They dived to the ice to try to dodge the incoming projectiles but wasn't fast enough as I could even hear the meaty smack of Dr. Thorn's spike meeting flesh and bone. The blow seemed to barely effect them though. The person reached up to try dislodge the weapon embedded in their shoulder, only to moan out in pain.

I bet you won't try that again, I thought with sadistic humor.

They were a female, that I was sure of. I know that the manticore feasts on mortals and demigods alike, but I could guess this was definitely a demigod.

Another great hero sent out to do the gods' dirty work in the name of honor, I thought with a tinge of anger.

Then the girl, who couldn't be no more than sixteen, materialized a nasty looking hunting knife in the hand of her undamaged arm and began sprinting at her attacker.

Welp, never mind scratch that last one. Definitely a god, I thought as I started to come out of the woods only to hear two more noises and two zips of wind went right passed me and struck the trees.

The two forces met each other in the middle of the river. Whatever god this was she was either extremely brave or extremely stupid. They began grappling and the god got in one good slash on the chest of the now standing manticore before she was slammed down on the thick ice and slid across the river unconscious. She came to stop at the snow bank that had formed on the side of the river, right in front of me as I walked up.

Artemis?! Oh gods no.

I immediately pulled out Riptide to wield alongside Wisdom. The glow of the blade alerting my old enemy of my presence in the dark of the night.

"Ohh...would you look at that...a snack before I get to play with my new plaything," the manticore snarled.

I just stared back into his eyes.

Concentrate on the water Perce, Pontus whispered into my mind.

I reached out and felt the familiar tug in my gut, but it was different, I could feel the temperature and so much more. It was like I had all the power I normally had with more control. That was the moment when I knew that I could do so much more than a son of Poseidon.

I reached out towards the manticore and willed the ice around him to melt. Even though I felt the connection and I knew it would work, I was still surprised it did. The manticore fell into the ice cold slush, disappearing completely. When he broke the surface he was obviously on the edge of panic.

Apparently this kitty isn't a huge fan of water, I thought with grim satisfaction.

I slammed my hand closed into a fist and willed the water to freeze around the manticore. Once again it worked. The only part of the manticore above the ice was from his shoulders and up, everything else, tail included, stuck in ice.

I slowly walked up to him and got down on one knee.

"W-w-who are yo-u-u?" He shivered out, his different colored eyes shining brightly in fear.

"Oh so you don't recognize me? You know I take offense to that," I said as I laid the hood of my sweatshirt onto the back of my thick winter coat.

"P-er-rcy-y Jack-s-s-son," he said wide eyed.

"Yes, my old friend. It's been a minute. How was Tartarus? Actually, I know exactly how it is, don't answer that one," I said with a smile. I started to walk towards an unconscious Artemis when I stopped and placed my hand against the ice. I felt the ice melt under my hand, standing up I willed the water to rise and shape into a spike, similar looking to Thorn's and froze it into shape. Without looking I directed it in my mind to fly, not having to check to know that it embedded itself in my old enemy's forehead before he crumbled to dust.

I walked up to Artemis seeing she was blue from the cold, so I took my heavy coat off and placed it over her. I treated the wound on her head as best as I could without supplies before moving onto the spike that was still buried in her shoulder. I was able to stop the bleeding, but the venom would have to run it's course.

Unless...

I placed my hand over her wound and thought back to when I controlled Akhlys's poisons and felt that familiar sensation. I willed it to make it's way to my hand. At first nothing happened, but then I felt it bubbling against my palm, and I slowly backed my hand away seemingly holding a string of excruciatingly painful venom. I slung it across the lake and then scraped so snow up in my hand, letting it melt before holding it in place on her wounds and willing it to heal her cuts and bruises. I stood up with Artemis in my arms, carrying her bridal style and resumed my long journey.

As I walked the only sounds to pierce the night were the crunching of my footsteps on the hard snow and the occasional groan form Artemis. Occasionally I would check on her. She seemed to attract the moonlight, and I couldn't help but notice how extremely beautiful she was. Her light skin and dark haired complimented her already perfect features perfectly. I would never tell her that of course, because I happen to like having my dick attached to my body.

Is this really what fate has in store for me? I asked myself incredulously.

Artemis

In Percy's arms

The last thing I remember is trying a wild slash at the beast only to be slammed on my head and the rest is blank.

I had bouts of consciousness, but was too weak to move, barely able to force my eyelids open. When I looked up I was staring at the focused face of Perseus Jackson. He was carrying me with ease like I was his bride. I couldn't protest, not that I wanted to, but I would still have to kick his ass for touching me after this was over.

One time I woke up and felt we were still moving. I had to resist the urge to use the little bit of energy I had to snuggle my face further into his chest.

Artemis. You are the man-hating goddess and this is the man who has been responsible for your constant frustration for the passed two years, I had to remind myself.

Gods that must've been a hard hit to the head.

Then I slipped back into unconsciousness.

When I woke up again, it was the same situation, but the sun was starting to rise and I could see we were out of the valley. I looked up at Percy to see him staring ahead.

Then he looked down at me and saw my eyes were open and that signature lopsided grin appeared on his face, his sea green eyes, now mixed with a tinge of blue meeting my silver eyes. We held eye contact for a few seconds.

"Good morning... How you feeling?" He asked shyly, but still with so much warmth I couldn't help but act like I fell unconscious once again. Even though I felt my face blush in the numbing cold.

Oh gods, this is bad.

Jeez. Sorry for the late chapters folks. I have a problem with my 'short naps' after work extending into 6 hours of full on sleeplol

Of course let me know what you think! Thank you!