Hallo, wie gehts? It me, back. This time I use far too much italics, but enjoy!
Ladis11 - There most definitly is a lot going on, but we get the relationship going too. Enjoy!
Cy4nide - Why danke! glad to hear, and enjoy!
Luna - She's clueless. And Percy was having some issues. Enjoy!
Lightning Wave - Thanks, hope you keep enjoying!
HellraiderS - IT here, enjoy!
Ash - He do be having some panic issues tho. and it was flipped on its head. Enjoy!
TM - Yeah, Percys fam is still kickin... for now... Artemis feels like she owes it to Percy to make her happy, and the only way she could think of was ;). Enhoy!
C3W - We shall see. Enjoy!
IHTL - Glad to hear, enjoy!
SI - Now it hit the fan, actually. I dont think its wrong to like that, but Piper's still w/ Jason, so yknow. And it could be, depends where you think its going. Enjoy!
Xerzo - Yeah, she took a risk. It did have some chance, but it was probably a bit too early for it. Enjoy!
RAN - Thanks, brodie
Max - No problem chief. Glad to know you enjoy!
Guest234 - Itll get there. Enjoy!
Anon - Thank you for the review!
ChangeMe - Why thanks, glad to hear it! Enjoy!
Alright yall, Percy goes Sicko Mode, so enjoy! and lmk what you think!
Percy knew he was asleep, despite how lively and real the forest around him looked. There was no life in these trees, merely a slight breeze filling the silence. It wasn't a place he had seen in his dreams before with Artemis, but this felt far too real to be a demigod dream.
Power filled the air as well, reminiscent of Artemis and Pan. Nature in its purest form wrapped around him with the scent of wildflowers, pine, and something he could only describe as the vague smell of greenery. The bright sunlight, another reason he suspected Artemis had no part in this, streamed from above.
It wasn't Artemis, Apollo was still mortal, the other Olympians had nothing to do with the Wild, not that Apollo did either. So who was behind this?
A slight awkward cough sounded from behind him, and he whipped around to catch sight of the only life he had seen yet. He wasn't so happy looking at the familiar figure.
Lelantos looked right back, standing on one of the larger branches of a tree and leaning into the base. Percy tensed slightly as the Titan shifted, but kept himself still.
"I suppose I am not who you would expect to see." He offered, unperturbed by Percy's wordless snort, "I must be honest, this is quite an… interesting ability. To even dip into the shallowest level of an immortal's power is something I had never heard of amongst demigods."
"So I've been told," Percy lied. He suspected he knew the reason behind it, and it had nothing to do with being a demigod. That would be a question to save till he talked to Hecate, "Here to try killing me again?"
"I would rather learn how you managed to do what you did when we fought." He admitted, "I cannot say I had ever seen anything like it."
"Let's just call it a bit of practice." Percy responded defensively, "Not keen on sharing my secrets with a Titan."
"Fair enough." He responded, pausing for a beat, "I have come here today to offer an apology, Perseus."
He seemed to wait for Percy to respond, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Percy, for his part, was too shocked to come up with some snarky response.
Apologies and immortals mixed like oil and water, especially from immortals that had tried killing him at any given point (then again, which one hadn't). Yet, no matter how gritted and forced, that was most definitely an apology.
"I had been deceived, it would seem, the winds here whisper otherwise to what I had been told." Lelenatos admitted with a shrug. Percy's mind ran a mile a minute, and his mouth spoke for him.
"What are you talking about? Someone lied to-" The realization came in a flash, "Whoever let you in. They lied to you about what happened."
"She did," He nodded in response, "Although I still do not like you, I cannot help the shame I feel falling for such a simple lie."
"Who let you in?" Percy asked, demanded really.
"I… do not know her name. She felt not inclined to share it, but I do know she is of the ranks of my niece." The ire in his chest erupted at the new information, and Lelantos glanced at the sky warily, though not so much as a cloud hovered above.
"I feel as though I owe you for my transgression, and I assume when you wake you will be looking for her. I will make sure she knows, the fear on her face will be enough for you to find her." He slid from his perch, and dipped into an informal bow, "I consider us even now, Perseus, and I will take my leave. May we never have to cross blades again."
Percy blinked blearily, the meadow was replaced by a familiar cabin. The one he had learned of his 'ascension' in. Where Artemis had tried…
'Not now' Something whispered, pulling his dream to the forefront. Lelantos. The traitor
'No time to waste,' Another murmured, 'not when the rat still sucks air.'
He lurched from the mattress, prowling through the room. The fire had long extinguished, leaving him in darkness.
The day's light was blinding, stinging his eyes as he walked. He didn't wait to adjust, the whispers were a guide where his other senses failed. Although they still hissed in his ears by the dozens, fueled his ire.
His pace sped up slightly, the world blurring outside his focus until he stood before the Arena. From the lack of clashing within, it was empty. So they weren't there. A shame, the sooner he could find her the less of a chance she could weasel her way out.
"Perseus?" He jerked, and pivoted on his heel to face Phoebe. She had a strange look on her face, suspicion of which he wasn't sure the source. When she cast a glance to the clouds, his eyes followed, the swirling and growing darkness above finally providing an answer for her suspicion.
"Where are the other Hunters, Phoebe?" He grinned, a twitch following the wary shift in her expression. She took a step to her right, and rested a hand on one of her daggers. It told him all he wanted to know, even if she didn't.
"Why are you looking for them, Jackson?"
"Oh, I just want to have a little chat." He gave her no chance to respond, Riptide exploding to length and blurring towards the girl. She dipped below the slash, sending him back a couple paces with a solid punch.
'She is wasting our time.' They hissed, his mind alight with fury, 'Denying our justice. Denying Thalia's justice.'
He slid forward again, slowing just enough for her to raise her blades in defense. Perfect. With a practiced feign, he whipped to the side and planted a foot into her ribs, easily sending her sailing into the trees.
'The Mess Hall' They guided, his legs already carrying him off in a sprint. The clouds above only darkened further, the air chilled in the face of his fury.
It didn't take long, not long at all, for him to catch sight of the main group of Hunters. He could see them staring at the swirling darkness above, all except one.
She was the rat. The way she looked around in a panic, the fearful glimmer in her eyes, how she had placed herself in the exact center of the group. Spite boiled over as her blue eyes finally found him approaching.
"Traitorous bitch!" He hissed, power seeping into everything around him. That drew all the others' attention, silver bows and arrows drawn in a heartbeat.
"The hell are you talking about, Jackson?" One of the ones in the front ordered. He ignored her, attention locked on his target. His prey.
A hunger churned beneath his skin, a need to slash and bite and sink his teeth in. Millions shouted praises in his ears, the world itself stood with him.
"We know what you did," He snarled, the expression replaced with a loose smile, "all that you would risk just to get me."
Ice crunched underfoot as he walked, Riptide a glowing bronze smear in the air as he swung it experimentally. Murky frost spread across the dirt, condensing into thicker and thicker ice.
A lone scream from the mass let him know they succeeded. An arrow shot his way, and shattered with his deflection.
"Too cowardly- too weak to kill me yourself." He mocked. The ice trapping her leg traveled higher with a thought, not even chipping under the first of the frantic strikes.
One of the huntresses sprang from the group, sprinting at him with some form of grace. She lasted seconds within arms reach of him, collapsed and still as he pushed forward.
Another silver arrow whistled his way, and another, and another. On instinct, he flicked his wrist in command, and nature answered.
The wooden shafts flying his way practically vaporized, while those remaining in the quivers grew and twined. Thick, thorny brambles curled from the masses, trapping those too slow to discard the quivers in painful bindings.
They all laughed in his ears as the remaining hunters scrambled between aiding their sisters and defending from the approaching threat. With another flick of his wrist, he gave them no choice. The ice at their feet cracked and curled, hurling them away from his prey.
The fear was palpable in the air, delicious as ever. She desperately yanked at her leg, uselessly striking at the ice. He could see trails of blood marking where she missed and hit skin. Good.
He forced the ice to flatten and smooth back over, giving him a direct path to her.
"We do not forgive so easily, We will not forget. Neither will you, for the rest of your pathetic life." Her dagger came up in defense, though he easily grabbed her hand and yanked it clear of his swing. Riptide bit into soft flesh like butter, crimson blood spraying and splashing as she collapsed to the ice with a piercing scream.
She flailed and kicked back ineffectually, flinging hot blood across his frame. With a single step to wind up, he sent a vicious kick into the bloody stump of her leg. He could swear her scream reached another octave.
"Not that it will be a long one." A wall of ice shot up to his right, blocking an approaching huntress he hadn't even noticed.
'We will watch for you. Make her suffer.' They whispered, his powers flowing thickly in the air and of their own accord. The temperature kept dropping, no matter how Camp Half Blood's magic seemed to protest.
His chest heaved in excitement, every breath becoming a puff of steam as it left his lips. The fury burned bright in his chest. Ice crackled and flowed around them, her very tears freezing on her cheeks.
Her dagger whipped through the air, cleanly arcing from his palm and through hers, sinking deep into the ice and pinning her. The blood beneath his shoes was a thick slurry, in a way he idly compared to a slushy.
"This has been fun, really," They spoke alongside him, whispering and screaming the words, "I'm sure the Fields of Punishment will find you well."
As soon as she processed his words, she devolved into pathetic blubbering, begging for something or other indecipherably mixed with her cries. He brought Riptide up, just starting its descent when a crack of thunder made him pause.
"PERCY!" His head shot up, finding Thalia seconds after her shout. He had never seen her look like that, shocked and confused and dare he say it, terrified. One of his walls of ice was shattered, no doubt by a bolt of her lightning, giving her a clear route to him.
"Thalia." He replied calmly, his eyes shooting over to the Hunters alongside her at the slightest movement and back. She looked better than she had, despite her expression, the lingering stress and dark bags gone from her eyes.
"Stop!" She demanded, taking careful steps on the ice and storming forward.
'She does not understand. She is too forgiving," His mind whispered, a thin frosty wall growing to block her path again. It was right, of course. There was no room for cowards and traitors among demigods, not with how short their lives were already.
Aegis flared to life on her wrist, the blockade not breaking her stride as it yielded to the shield's rim.
"Jackson, I swear to fuck, don't make this shit any worse!" She shouted as his eyes settled on the writhing traitor.
'She is being foolish,' They whispered, echoing throughout his mind, 'Do not let her make this mistake. End this before the rat gets away.'
He lunged, everything around him slowing. The rat stared with wide, teary eyes as the bronze blade arced downwards. This would be done, even if he preferred to extend the suffering.
There was no way to expect what came, as Thalia appeared before him in a flash, Medusa's snarling visage filling his vision. He threw himself away from it on instinct, only a moment of silence before they returned twofold, screaming in indignant fury.
'How dare she?' One whispered.
'Traitor!' Another screeched. He pressed his free hand against his forehead to suppress the sound. More clamored for his attention as his powers flared.
Icy bursts yanked at his clothes and hair, churning moisture turning to barely visible forms whipping around the icy surroundings. Forms that seemed to whisper louder and louder.
"Shut up!" He snarled at the figures. They snarled right back.
'Kill the rat! Kill the rat! Kill the rat!' The clamoring became a single, unified chant, numbing and insistent. He could barely think, and less so in any other line but their chant. He murmured it under his breath, despite himself.
Riptide screeched and scraped across Aegis' surface, the force sliding Thalia back on the slick ice. Though she seemed momentarily surprised by the strike, she managed to force the blade away, if only just.
His next approach was interrupted by a sparking spear, though he managed to swat the point away and pivoted to avoid the shield's edge swinging his way. With a quick, forceful yank, She was sent sprawling. His grip was iron as he swung her around, practically throwing her across the ice.
"No more distractions," He whispered to the girl. She pushed further, disregarding the state of her hand in panic, "Time to answer for your crimes."
In a single step, the world exploded with silver light.
Artemis was there when it faded, of course. It seemed everyone was intent on preventing justice.
"Get out of my way." He hissed, easily disregarding the silver daggers in her hands. The bright flush that had started on her cheeks at the sight of him vanished as the situation set in. Some indecipherable emotion flitted through her expression as she intercepted his attempt to bypass her, before she settled on anger.
"Percy, step back." She growled, "One of you! Go find Apollo, NOW!"
He paused as power slowly oozed from her, strong enough for him to taste it, not that it mattered how much she let off. An overwhelming taste of honey and cinnamon sat on his tongue, working in a beautiful concert with the scent of pine. It was intoxicating, dulling the shouts in his mind.
'No!' They screeched and struggled, whipping around the clearing with more force than before, 'Do not let her stop us! She will take justice from us!'
His hand shook, and Riptide with it, as he struggled to do anything. His body fought his mind's order, taking a half-step back in compliance. No, no, no.
He lunged, though she was ready, silver and bronze erupting with sparks as she met the strike head on. The punch that came next was slowed, predictable, and easy for her to smoothly dodge.
A few steps away, he yanked at his hair because he couldn't do this.
'She has tried to help us,' His mind whispered, quieter than the rest but growing louder by the second, 'She understands our need for justice. She will stand by us.'
They screeched in protest, the frosty figures slowly fading around him. Quieter and quieter, replaced by the soothing tone.
'Do not fight her. She is one with the Wild, as are we. Let her power soothe us.' It echoed, followed by blessed silence in his head. Riptide returned to his pocket, finally letting his body sag in relief. His eyes shot over to the ra- girl on the ground, how deathly still she lay and the pallor of her cheeks. That was a lot of blood.
'Help her.' It whispered, 'Consequences will be far worse if she dies.'
'Damn them all!' Another weakly hissed, close to fading out, 'Do not give her the chance to hurt more than she already has! Kill her!'
"Stop." He murmured, and they blessedly complied. Silence of his mind was all he needed. With less than a blink, the blood stopped spilling from what was left of her leg. Whether he thought death was warranted or not, this would already put a burden on Artemis' shoulders, he shouldn't… play god.
His legs gave from beneath him, soaking his shins in the recently melted ice. He didn't care, merely sat on his heels and waited. It was still unnerving how easy it was to keep her blood in his control. Artemis seemed to relax slightly in his peripheral, only briefly turning to try saving the girl before noticing the lack of blood flowing out.
Help did indeed arrive shortly, in the form of Apollo and what had to be at least half of his cabin. Percy stayed fairly close as they rushed to the infirmary, though Artemis kept herself and a fair distance between him and the gurney. His mind stayed in a fog as they worked to reattach the leg, and get more blood into her veins.
It was probably a lethal amount lost, actually, if he thought about it. Lucky her that he was here to maintain at least some level of blood pressure. And keep her blood in her body, but that felt a little more obvious.
Soon enough, Apollo found him in the corner, and asked him to start pushing blood through the leg. It would work again, apparently, a testament to the skills of Apollo and his spawn. Now though, it was plenty of rest, probably some severe mental issues later, and maybe a bit of physical therapy.
A slim hand wrapped around his bicep and yanked him from the room, dragging him across the hall and into an empty room. He let it, a bright flash of light replacing his environment with a forest. He pivoted to look at Artemis, meeting her glare with a tired look.
"Explain yourself." She growled. His mind didn't like the tone, not one bit. Now it was his turn.
