Amanda considered herself capable of stomaching a lot of things. It came with the territory of being a hunter, as well as a little sister to Ashley and pretty much every hunter. The young blonde had, for her age, stared down more than her fair share of monsters. When it came to tracking ancient beasts on the prowl, slaying bad guys twice her size, and fending off her big sisters teasing, Amanda was rock solid. She was a firm believer in living by your own rules, something Miles had greeted with open arms. Sparky and his band of misfits had given the young hunter something she had sorely been missing: someone in her corner. When her dad questioned her life choices, when her mom cast her usual calculated judge stares from Olympus (you have no IDEA how much of a pain it was to do stuff when your girlfriend when the moon is staring holes in your back), when her sister wondered aloud how easily Amanda scoffed at any sense of normality as she ran off to slay some new monster run amok, her big brothers in the North were there to welcome every wild decision and headfirst plunge into insanity with the kind of firepower every little sister dreamed of. She was the Princess of the Wild, guardian of the wilderness, slayer of every ancient beast you could name and some you couldn't, taker of names and kicker of asses. Very few things in the world shook Amanda.
A steaming brass explosive projectile spiking its way through Camp Half-Bloods magic shields, crash landing inches from the front door of the cabin meant to honor her mother, and the only place in camp where Amanda had been able to make herself at home? That was apparently one of those few things.
"MY HOUSE!" The blonde exclaimed as she took off at a full sprint back to the cabins. To anyone who had heard such an exclamation, they probably would have assumed Amanda was referring to her family home back in Oakland. After all, that was a house. Cabin 8, for almost its entire existence, had served ceremonial purposes only. There had been no children to house, because Artemis had no children. That of course, fell apart when considering the existence of Amanda and her sister. While Ashley had done her best to abscond from her heroic duties in favor of…well not a NORMAL life but as close as a demigod could get, Amanda had chosen to ingrain herself fully in the demigod lifestyle. And when that wasn't roaming the world in search of legendary beasts, fulfilling her duties as Miles right hand girl/best friend/queen of awesome, and saving far off corners of wilderness, the young hunter had made herself at home in Cabin 8. The cabin itself reminded Amanda a lot of her mom: stoic and guarded from the outside, maybe hard to understand, but once it was opened up it was homey, charming, and the perfect place to serve as a little home base for 1. And now her cheerful little bungalow had a big stupid crack right in the front porch, and the stairs and most of the front walk were gone.
"What the FUCK WAS THAT?!" Amanda exclaimed helplessly, gesturing at the massive projectile that had rearranged her front yard. It did not seem to occur to the hunter that whatever it was may have been a bomb, though it did explain why the crowd of demigods had taken up a decently sized radius around her. The prospect of exploding did not phase the hunter so much as the conspicuous absence of the only other creature who called Cabin 8 anything other than decorative. "Snowflake? Dude?" Amanda whimpered, suddenly very aware that her companion preferred the front porch to soak up some of the morning sun. Thankfully, right on cue the Arctic wolf poked her head through the double wide dog door Amanda had installed, still looking half asleep as if to say 'This large metal tube is not worth interrupting my nap.' "Oh, thank gods." The blonde sighed as she took note of the crowd. Most of the campers had arrived, staring in shock at the magic piercing projectile. The Ares and Hephaestus cabins had merged together, discussing defusal strategies. Lucas and Roxie had arrived, considerably out of breath. Rachel and Apollo stood beside them, not winded in the slightest meaning the sun god had whisked them here. 'Cheater.' Amanda couldn't help but muse. Reggie had shown up, sword drawn. That didn't surprise the blonde in the slightest. His first instinct when something happened was to stab. All good people. All concerned. But not particularly who she was looking for. Where the hell was-
"What the fuck is THAT?" A voice boomed from the north end of the cabin loop that despite her predicament Amanda couldn't help but smile at. The crowd parted to allow Miles to step through, looking like he was grappling with the current situation about as well as the cabins front porch was with the projectile. "Express delivery explosives." The blonde snickered, and in spite of himself Miles smirked. "I told you not to subscribe to that." The leader of the North retorted. "What can I say, I love a discount." Amanda shrugged as Miles wrapped his arm around her. "So, before we go about figuring out…. why. Just why? Is there anything I'm noticing that you noticed? About where it landed." The son of Zeus offered as Amanda chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. Then it hit her. "That's my spot." The blonde responded, trying and failing to sound unbothered.
Like a lot of people, Amanda had her habits. Little things she did to put a better spin on the day. When she was at Camp Half-Blood, one of her usual rituals was now she started her mornings. Wake up early, find coffee or whatever energy drink was at her disposal, pet Snowflake and finally make her way out to the front porch to watch the morning. The spot in question was Amanda's favorite. From her little vantage point on the stairs, the hunter could watch the camp rumble to life, see everyone emerge for the day, and take in as much of the natural wonder as she could see. It was one of her favorite spots. It was HER spot. And as Miles had pointed out, the projectile had crushed the little alcove specifically as its point of impact. "That seems…personal." Miles mused as the blonde couldn't help but agree. After a moment Reggie made his way over, placing his hand on the hunters' shoulder. "That's fucked up." The commander offered, which was about the nicest thing he could say given Amanda's fierce attachment to her things. "It is. But probably for more reasons than just the current ones." Amanda agreed, and after a moment she walked closer to it. "Dudeee." Reggie warned her, but the young blonde had no qualms. "Let's just see." The blonde murmured as she gently reached out and touched the shell. As if on cue, the outer casing of the artillery hummed to live, flashing lines of purple light encompassing preset paths until it formed the outline of a glowing stag. The stag gave way to the inner core, and after a moment a prerecorded projection sprung to life, featuring the glowering face of Malenios, looking frazzled and sporting a black eye. "Greetings you miserable lot! I hope you enjoyed the delivery!" The crazed former king bellowed, displaying besides his lack of tact a new missing tooth. "Who did a number on his face?" Miles wondered aloud, though his answer wasn't far behind. "At the time you receive this message, it will be exactly 12 noon! Which means from this moment, you have 5-AGH!" Malenios retched as from off screen a plume of water whipped him in the face. "Will you STOP THAT!" The king roared, and though not visible the voice that retorted sent a beam of hope through the crowd of demigods. "I WILL RIP EVERY FUCKING TOOTH OUT OF YOUR MISERABLE MOUTH AND MAKE YOU SWALLOW THEM YOU USELESS FUCKER, AND THEN MY BOYFRIEND WILL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!" Dani screamed defiantly, as angry as anyone at camp had ever heard her. Some were shocked. Some were concerned. Lucas? Lucas had never been prouder.
"KICK HIS ASS PRINCESS!" The shapeshifter cheered as he scrambled to get a better view of the projection. Malenios was on the move, snatching whatever he was using as a camera and refocusing it on Dani. The daughter of Poseidon was practically rabid, undeterred by the restraints keeping her arms chained to the wall. The crowd watched as she almost dislocated her shoulder fighting to get closer to the cage bars that separated her and Malenios, hands pulsing with sea green energy. "I thought I told you to shut up and stay quiet while I do this!" The king growled as Dani heroically spit in his face. "And I told you to eat shit! Get in this cage and let me get even you prick!" The blonde shouted, straining every muscle she had in an attempt to rip herself free. "Fight all you want girl, it'll do you know good! By the time your miserable friends get here, you'll already be someone else's problem!" Malenios laughed as he panned away from Danielle, who's choice words about the situation did not go unheard but were otherwise ignored by her captor. "Now then! As I was saying before I was RUDELY INTERRUPTED, in 5 day's time, the lord of darkness will pilgrimage to my fortress, conduct whatever rituals he needs, and consume the life force of this little runt!" Malenios declared as he refocused the camera, this time training the lens on Hailey. "Hails." Miles whispered as the 10-year-old stared into the camera, silent but clearly enraged. "I happen to like this one better. She knows to SHUT UP!" Malenios roared back at Dani. "However, she seems to have opted against…partaking in my hospitality." The king mused, gesturing with his other hand to the various foods surrounding the blonde. "A shame to see such a delicate young flower wither away, eh? Perhaps Erebus seeks to hasten her life, but I could be persuaded for…an exchange."
After a moment Malenios pointed the lens back at himself. "This message is for the hunter. You have 5 days to surrender yourself at the foot of my castle, unarmed, in exchange for the girl. Should you fail to comply, I will be forced to hand over the girl to Erebus and his colleagues, hastening the destruction of the Olympians and life as you know it. I'll expect you. Bishops Palace. And as for the other one…well, if I avoid skinning her alive for another few hours, she'll be a guest of a friend of mine in the maze. I'll see to it she's…well kept." Malenios laughed as the transmission flickered out, now replaced by a portable mechanical timer bearing exact measurements: 4 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and now 47 seconds. "What the hell was that?!" Lucas growled, perturbed by…well a lot of things. "4 days to get to a castle in Texas? Does Texas even have castles?" Reggie mused. "And what about Dani? What maze, and who the hell is he giving her to?!" Roxie interjected, and the conversation seemed to quickly devolve into a panic from the crowd. Or it did, until Miles made himself known. "Okay SHUT UP." The son of Zeus commanded, and whether they wanted to or not the crowd fell silent. "All of those, are questions that need answers. But there's one that I need a fucking answer to. Why is my best friend expected to surrender herself to that sniveling cock, and what is her involvement in ANY of this?" Miles asked, and after a moment all eyes fell to the three most well versed in Mythos: Chiron, Dionysus, and Apollo. "Ah. Yes, that uh…that would make sense." Apollo murmured, seemingly displeased about the situation. "What about it?" Amanda asked as the god looked anywhere and everywhere besides at his niece. "Apollo…tell the girl." Chiron prodded. "Yes, do tell Amber how she's become mixed up in all of this." Dionysus agreed, snapping a Diet Coke into existence to calm his nerves.
"Malenios, is many things. A ruthless tyrant, a murderer of innocents, and a thorn in the side of Olympians since the early days of Greece. Athena loathes him, Aphrodite won't even look at him, my stepmother Hera cursed him every day of his mortal life, even Ares and Hestia detested him, and they never agree on anything. Every Olympian treated that wretched king the way you might treat a dog turd your neighbors pet left on your lawn. Except for one, who's hatred ran deeper than anyone's." Apollo mused, and suddenly realization dawned on the blonde. "Mom." Amanda whispered, and the sun god nodded. "Malenios has been a mortal enemy of my sister since the very beginning, when the Hunters were in their infancy as an organization. Malenios believes that women aren't just subservient to men, that they are property of men. He never married, he kept a stock of women in his palace to use an abuse as he saw fit. He claimed they were his wives, but everyone in Athens knew they were his slaves. Artemis was the one who named his palace back in Athens. She called it the Castle of the Damned, because any woman unlucky enough to pass through its gates was eternally doomed." Apollo continued, the story getting harder to tell. "Sure but…what made it personal?" Amanda couldn't help but ask, and the look her uncle gave her told the blonde she truly didn't want the answer. "Amanda please, this isn't- "Apollo pleaded, but the look she game him silenced him. "What. HAPPENED." The hunter demanded, unknowingly glowing with a fierce white energy has the blessing of Artemis threatened to obliterate anything around her. "On…on some nights, Malenios would be dissatisfied with the women he kept. He would leave the palace and roam the streets, looking for any woman he pleased and…taking them. By force. When the women of Athens learned to stay in after dark, he had to expand his search. Dryads, naiads, traveling women, anyone he could find. Malenios was insatiable. And one night, that search took him to where your mother had staked camp. It took him to a hunter. No older then you." The sun god continued, seeming to turn sickly as the story unfolded. "She tried to fight, bless her spirit, but Malenios was too strong for the poor girl. He was…awful to her. Artemis was away from her hunters that night, and when she found what Malenios had done…nothing in Olympus or Tartarus or the void of Chaos would have stopped her." Apollo said. "What did she do?" Amanda asked, and the sun god grimaced.
"She shattered the front doors of the palace. Vaporized everything within the walls besides the mortals. She destroyed everything she could find, whether it belonged to Malenios or not. By the time she had found the throne room, it was the only part of the palace not engulfed in flames or utterly destroyed. Malenios was a coward, he hid for as long as he could hoping Artemis would be satisfied with the meager offerings of destroying his home. But nothing would have saved him that night. She stormed the throne room, obliterated his seat of power, and she would have killed him where he stood but Malenios wouldn't be that lucky. She cast indestructible bonds and toyed with Malenios for hours, maybe days. My sister was mad with vengeance then. Cuts on every inch of his body, she broke every bone she could find, removed his manhood with the blunt end of an arrow just because it took longer. And when she was finally ready to kill him, not because he had suffered enough for his crime but because he was bleeding out, Artemis made him look her in the eye. And he begged the old gods and the new to kill him where he stood. And my sister said to him….'No god would do you the mercy of killing you so swiftly, and not even in the eternal fields of punishment in the darkest corner of Hades will you know peace. Every day you will live again, and every day you will die anew, screaming in agony just as you do now. Should you ever escape, I will hunt you to the ends of the Earth like cornered prey, anywhere you think is safe will never hide you from me. You will bleed each day from every cut I leave you, living or dead, because the only mercy you will ever know is the mercy I granted by letting you live long enough for me to curse you.' And then, only then did she kill him." Apollo admitted. "Did Hades honor her curse?" Amanda asked, more out of morbid curiosity than anything else. "Oh, he did. Malenios has spent centuries buried in the darkest pits of the underworld Hades could find. His bonds never break. He never knows peace. The hunter he attacked stabs him each and every day. Every night he dies, and every morning he wakes again. Even in this new life Erebus granted him, he bleeds to death every night. His very being and soul Artemis cursed." The sun god explained. "…And that's why he wants me." Amanda muttered.
"It's true. Malenios swore vengeance against Artemis. He said that one day he would find a way to ruin her the same way she ruined him. Subjugating her daughter and subjecting you to even a fraction of the cruelty he showed the women of Athens…. it's something no Olympian would subject anyone to." Apollo grimaced, his words hanging heavy in the air. In that moment, Amanda felt more vulnerable than she ever had when Artemis had taken her immortality. And as if reading her mind, Reggie and Miles each had a hand on her shoulder, pulling the girl back from the void. "And it won't ever happen. Not as long as I'm still breathing." Miles said, as serious as he had ever been as Reggie nodded. "Thanks guys. But that's not important now. Hails and Dani need us." Amanda sighed, weight lifted from her shoulders as she adjusted to Apollos musings. "True. We need to find a way to save Dani from…wherever the hell and whoever the hell Malenios gave her to, and get to Hailey before that creep consumes her or whatever." Miles agreed. "Well we've got an idea I guess? He didn't give us much. I doubt he stuck Dani in a hedge maze." Roxie grumbled as Chiron spoke. "Not a Hedge maze. And not just any maze. THE maze. He speaks of the Labyrinth." The centaur explained. "I thought that was sealed off after Apollo and Meg beat the Triumvirate?" Lucas asked. "It was. Fickle thing with evil. They LOVE the Labyrinth. Every time we seal it up, some new force reopens it, from outside or within. Cursed maze." Apollo groaned. "Alright. Just an ever changing, unnavigable maze full of monsters and pure evil with some unknown bad guy holding my girlfriend hostage. When do we start?" Lucas declared sarcastically. "Formerly. Unnavigable." Chiron interjected. "Sure, but are we really gonna drag Rachel through that again?" The son of Hermes asked as the Oracle smirked. "Not me. Not anymore at least." Rachel teased as Roxie raised an eyebrow. "You have a second mortal on hand just for this purpose?" The girl asked. "Not quite. Our Chief navigator and strategic mind is in charge of that. She also made the map your uh, commander was so impressed with." Chiron explained, allowing himself a wry smile. "You're telling us a DEMIGOD mapped that thing? She really must be something." Miles snickered, and for the first time all day Apollo smiled. "Oh, more than you know little cousin." Right on time, to the west of there they stood the ground began to rumble and shift as it gave way, sloping down to a walkway to allow the person using it to exit. The girl was lean with a runners build, no older than 16 and just under 5'6". Dressed comfortably for the weather in ripped jeans, sneakers and her camp shirt, she could've passed for any teenage camper. Head down, wavy red locks down past her shoulders and writing something on her arm, she didn't even appear to notice she had wandered out of the ground. But as she looked up, she locked eyes with Miles, storm gray orbs flecked with gold like a sunset after a thunderstorm, they were unmistakable, and he knew she was not just any camper. "Ah, there she is." Chiron beamed as he trotted over and pat the girl on the shoulder. "Sky, this is the team of questers we spoke of. Lucas, Roxanne, Amanda- "He said, but the girl finished his thought. "Reggie and Miles." The redhead murmured, her gentle accent a strange mix of southern drawl and somewhere from the Midwest. "Well would you look at that. Not everyday something like this happens huh Chief?" Reggie mused, smirk a mile wide as Miles couldn't help but grin. "No. No it does not Reg." The son of Zeus agreed. "Wait what's happening? Who's this?" Amanda asked, interest piqued. "Uh, Amanda this is Sky. My…. uh we we're…I guess she's my- "Miles fumbled for the word he was looking for, but the wayward explorer found is first. "I'm his ex. And his best friend."