Hey guys sorry for the wait, we are finally here, the climax of the story. That sounds like it is coming to an end, and some people thought that I said I was going to end it, but no, this is just the beginning; there are at least 15 chapters to come... I just didn't know what else to call it, because like this is where the action begins. However, this is not going to be the most exciting part of the story. So please do not get let down or disappointed that I called this the climax, there are going to be far more exciting chapters than even this one. (Even though SOME of you probably think chapter 9 was the most exciting looking at you Dmoney!)
There is not much left to say, just get firmly seated in your seat because if I did it right, this is going to knock you off of it.
I have the war planned out, but I will just let you all know right now that in the future there will be fight scenes... I am not going to claim to be good at them, because I know that I am not. You guys might not like the way that I write fight scenes, and it is probably going to be a unique experience.
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Taylor 3rd person
Taylor was not happy that she now had to train these campers with Percy, she certainly did not like him and even less so that this was a punishment for what she did to Alissa. So when they got out to the field they were split into the teachers, Atalanta and Alissa for daggers, Thalia and Phoebe for spears, Artemis for archery, and Percy and Taylor for sword fighting... She was not very happy, she wouldn't tell you that she mumbled under her breath and spit on the ground, but that is basically what happened. You could argue that Alissa got the same punishment, but it is much different, Taylor has to consort with a boy and Alissa has to teach with her mentor instead of being the student, it is so unfair.
That little bitch is just like her mentor too, the way she avoided her strikes and dodged her punches had Atalanta written all over it. Zoë had been an excellent fighter, and that is of course where Atalanta got her skill from. In her later years Zoë never once lost a sparring match with another hunter, and it was due to her strength and agility that she could always keep the upper hand. Atalanta doesn't have that special strength, but she is extremely quick and agile, and that is why she is so good, and she teaches Alissa the same techniques. Tire your opponent out, conserve your own energy and then strike with quick, agile attacks. She of course also has her magic, and her favorite spell to use in combat is this blast of air that knocks you off balance, or knocks you off your feet altogether. She claims she can't read minds, but sometimes she seems to be able to roughly anticipate what you are going to do, it is really incredible... Taylor would never admit it, but it is like Atalanta has become an entirely new person after Zoe's death, she never used to be this good.
"What are you scowling about, Taylor?"
"Nothing for you to worry about, boy." She snapped and Percy just raised an eyebrow.
Really? This again?
Arty had always told him that there is absolutely no tolerance for infighting amongst the hunters, and Taylor attacking Alissa had been a huge violation of the rules and the only reason that she had not been kicked out is because she is an Elder Hunter and the hunt's recruiter. In Percy's opinion he would have voted that she got kicked out, he has always been great friends with Atalanta and attacking Alissa was attacking Atalanta. Plus he did not really know Taylor, because she was never around.
Alissa had become Atalanta's apprentice shortly after Zoë's death, and they had quickly become close friends. Artemis teaches these girls everything she can, but it is the relationship and the bond between them that makes them champions... Zoë taking Atalanta under her wing and the latter doing the same for Alissa is a tradition. Every girl learns their own skills, and the tradition of taking apprentices is what makes the future generation of hunters so much better than the last. Those skills that Zoë had picked up, were taught to Atalanta who discovered her own and improved upon her mentor's, and then passed it all down to Alissa who will do the same. Then when Atalanta is gone, Alissa will continue the tradition and just like the seasons, the cycle will begin anew.
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"So, how do you plan for us to do this? Same as usual?" Alissa asked her mentor as they walked to the farthest station, they trained just a few hundred yards from the wall that bordered camp Jupiter.
"Yes, of course." Atalanta spoke back elegantly, kneading Zoë's dagger in her right hand nervously. She had had bad feelings all morning long, ever since the lightning she has been on edge, and pouring her heart out to Percy had not helped her confidence. She was very old, sliding into the top 3 oldest 30 years ago, and now being the 2nd, had put some stress on her for sure... She was very wise, and incredibly skilled, and she knew when to be on edge and ready for anything, and she was today.
"Something bothering you?"
Atalanta hesitated for a moment, but looked to her side and said something she has said to her best friend many times before... or something close to it, at least.
"Don't let your guard down, the air does not feel right."
8 hunters had gone with them, many of them being eager to learn from the best, everyone admired and looked up to Atalanta who learned directly from Zoë and now carries on her legacy. She never defeated Zoë in a duel, but she got close a few times. 9 hunters had gone with Artemis, but she always likes a lot of hunters to go with her for demonstration purposes. 5 hunters went with Percy, and the rest had gone with Phoebe and Thalia. Not to learn the shield and spear, but how to defend against it.
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Phoebe does not like Thalia, there is nothing that they have in common. When Lady Artemis assigned her to teach the campers how to use a spear, it was fine, but then she had to do it with Thalia and... Ugh.
There is nothing that Phoebe likes about the free loading Lieutenant, Phoebe has worked and served her whole life and still not gotten Lieutenant, but this daughter of Zeus gets the position for free? She was an outsider! And she could never fill Zoë's shoes.
She loves Percy and defended him at any opportunity, and thwarted many of Phoebe's pranks. They did not get along at all...
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Artemis would have preferred to have one of her Elder hunters to help train these campers... But she had to have a teacher for daggers, and Atalanta was the best fighter in the hunt so it had to be her.
She took a bunch of the hunters with her though, to demonstrate things, all of the campers that went with Artemis were mostly children of Phoebus. Some were children of Minerva, and some were there just to learn something new. Her hunters had been the best they had ever been recently, and it was very surprising that that was the case because Zoë was gone... It seems like the case would be the opposite because why would Thalia be able to motivate them more than Zoë? Atalanta had a vast improvement since her death, that is to be expected though because she was her apprentice, now that she is alone it would make sense that she is the best self that she has ever been... But why the whole hunt? Maybe it's Percy, Percy and Atalanta that are motivating and encouraging them to be the best they have ever been, yeah that seems like it makes sense.
She was very impressed by how well Percy has integrated himself into the hunt, and how well he has been accepted. But maybe she should be surprised that it took so long, almost 2 years because with Atalanta being so close with Percy since day 1, it is hard to imagine that the others wouldn't follow her example almost immediately. She supposed that everyone has the capacity for change, but sometimes it may take a couple years.
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"Alright, I want you all to find a partner and practice the parry techniques I showed you all yesterday and then in a few minutes I will show you the more advanced set." Percy told them, and they broke up into partners. He had shown them just about everything except parrying more advanced things like talons and tails, and how to pirouette.
The sounds of sword against sword was like music to Percy's ears, he went up and down the line of demigods and legacies correcting things here and there. Taylor was not a good teacher, just like Arty said, she did not do a very good job showing the campers what Percy was trying to teach them because she didn't understand it herself. Another thing was that she used a curved and not a long-sword, in a way she was like Atalanta with the way she chooses to fight, choosing speed and accuracy of attacks over strength and defense.
"Come on Taylor, show me what you got." He said, unsheathing his Moon Blade that he received from Chaos. The beautiful hilt was like it was made just for his hand, he had not yet picked a name for it, he had a name in mind but he needed to consult someone about that first.
"I thought you would never ask," she said, drawing her curved, silver sword, grinning like she had been waiting for this. He responded by giving his signature grin and leveling the long blade at her in a defensive stance. Something about Taylor that Percy had not known until recently is that she is a legacy, a legacy of Athena. Which is hard to believe because she certainly is not very smart when she is going around attacking other hunters.
She didn't waste any time immediately starting with a sharp stab that he would have never expected from the huntress. He didn't need any time to prepare though, because he easily parried and then countered with a stab of his own, but when he did it all he hit was air. The huntress dodged to the side with a twirl and followed up with a downward cut, he deflected the blow and countered with a bash attempting to disorient her for a brief moment but it did not work. She sidestepped and slashed at his leg but he brought his sword down to deflect it in mid air and shoved off, she spun around and took another slash for his side but he parried with his sword and then he grabbed her wrist and twisted, making her scream and drop her sword. He swept her legs out from under her and she fell to the ground, he leveled the point of his sword to her neck and kneeled to pick up her curved sword.
(If you have ever watched Game of Thrones, just picture Viserys II Targaryen's sword from the first season. Or just search that up if you have not seen that show, but like really, who has not seen Game of Thrones?"
"Yield," he told her firmly, and she put her hands up in mock surrender.
"I yield," she yielded and he lowered his sword, stepping back and giving it a twirl in his hand... He was really starting to love this blade, it fit him so well, and it was so light for a sword of its length and stature. He sheathed it and offered a hand to help her up but she batted it away and got up on her own, she looked at him expectantly and held out her hand, nodding towards her sword in his hand.
"Not so fast, little lady, this is a nice blade... I confronted Atalanta about her special weapons, now it's your turn, then I'll ask Phoebe about her spear and I can say that I've talked to all three Elder Hunters about their histories." He mocked and let out a light hearted laugh.
"For what? You looking to conquer the Elder Hunters like you did our-"
He swiftly cut her off.
"You wanna know how Phoebe finally came to like me? I kicked her ass as I did yours just now, the difference was I only had to do it once to get Phoebe to show respect, so do I need to do it for a third time to get you to follow her example?"
Oh he pissed her off now!
"Fuck you!" She snarled, and he smiled.
"I thought you didn't want to?" He asked, grinning, he was such an ass sometimes.
She looked very confused for a moment, and then her face got so red with anger that he thought she was going to start having smoke coming out of her ears. He wished Atalanta was here because she would be laughing her ass off right about now... Unfortunately neither her anger, nor his wish got to grow into fruition because just as she opened her mouth to say something harsh and no doubt vulgar, the ground began shaking.
"What the fuck is that?" One of the hunters voiced from the line of campers, they all stopped and looked to the ground as if the answer was suddenly going to sprout from the grass.
"EARTHQUAKE!" Someone else shouted and Percy cringed, he tossed Taylor's sword back to her and she caught it by the hand and slid it back into the sheath on her back. Suddenly sirens and horns shouted out from the city and the field where they all were.
"Lord Poseidon must be pissed off about the way you spoke to me."
"You wish," she snapped, crossing her arms.
"Monsters!" One of the watchmen yelled and suddenly horns shouted all across the field causing some panic.
"Wha-"
BOOM!
Suddenly one of the loudest thunderclap Percy had ever heard blasted through the air making a few people stumble from the concussion. He looked into the air and saw debris flying, rocks and... and even a few human limbs flying across the field, or battlefield. Then Percy looked and saw that there was now a gaping hole in the outer wall and monsters were pouring through, the demigods and campers that were closest to the wall were forsaken by the gods. They had no chance to prepare before some were killed instantly from the blast and the monsters that poured through.
"What are you doing standing there, Taylor? Help me get the hunters together, we have to regroup with Artemis." He ordered and they immediately ran to group up with him, he had a different job for Taylor.
"Taylor I need you to go get reinforcements, Reyna is in her office in the middle of the city, she needs to know what is happening if she doesn't already." He ordered her and she looked at him as if she was going to protest his authority; but then she must have remembered the oath she swore an hour ago and nodded her head as she ran off.
He prayed to Artemis in vain that Taylor would return with the other two cohorts, they were going to need them.
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When Artemis saw the wall fall her greatest fears were realized. She was angry and felt dread in her heart. When she heard the lightning this morning she should have known that it was an omen, a warning, but she had let herself blow it off as nothing. She was scared, scared for what was to come of Camp Jupiter, scared for her hunters, and scared for Percy. Thalia and Phoebe had been close so they had regrouped with Artemis along with the few hunters with them. Percy had returned with his group and told her that he sent Taylor to get help from the praetor. She was worried though because the last group, Atalanta's group, had not returned... They had been the closest to the wall, she expected that she would start getting prayers soon. She was so scared for them, but she knew that it took more than a few monsters to kill Atalanta and her prodigy.
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Atalanta had never seen anything like it before, how the wall just exploded outward and monsters poured out.
"We have to regroup with the others, we have to get out of here." Atalanta told Alissa as she fired another arrow, her bowstring making that signature Pwang as it left her fingers. The silver arrow struck a cyclops in the middle of the eye and as it fell over, it disintegrated to gold dusk before it could hit the ground.
"Where do we go?" She asked, ducking under a rock thrown by another cyclops, they fought back to back, fighting together and if they died, they would die together.
"Follow me," she said and the other hunters followed her and Alissa. They could never hold off the entire swarm but they had tried and so far they had succeeded but there was no way that they could keep it up. Everyone from their group was either fighting, dead, or wounded. They had already lost 1 hunter to the blast, and two others had wounded arms or legs. Alissa had gotten cut across the face by an empousa and blood was all down the left side of her face. Atalanta was unharmed, she had done everything she could to prevent Alissa from being slashed by that empousa but sometimes even the greatest are too slow.
She had told the twin sisters to go with Percy so that they could get to know him better. The 2 girls loved Percy, but they did not know him very well. She just hoped that they were safer and doing better than her group was.
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"My Lord, the intelligence reports were wrong, the hunters of Artemis are here after all." The girl said to her master, it had been 15 minutes since they broke through the wall and the hunters had already slowed their progression into the roman city.
"WHAT?!" The man screamed in outrage, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WAS WRONG? YOU DID IT YOURSELF!"
"Please forgive me, Master, I never laid eyes on the hunters, I had no idea they were here!" She got out frantically before he grabbed her by the neck and lifted the girl up like she was a sack of potatoes.
"You will bring me those hunters' heads, or it will be yours." He growled at her and dropped her, she hit the floor and let out a gasping breath for air.
"Y-yes, My Lord."
"Do not make me have to do it myself, now GO!"
Little did he know the real, powerful and unimaginable reason for why the girl had not known.
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The hunters had now found their feet and made a firing line, firing arrows into the oncoming monsters making golden dust litter the ground. It was a horde by all definitions, everyone of them they killed seemed to be replaced by 5 more. A Laistrygonian giant had killed three demigods with the swing of his club, afterwards being taken down by two of the hunters, the killing blow being a dagger through the eye. The roman campers banded together and united against the horde, they struggled to stay strong being outnumbered... they needed the other two cohorts, even with the hunters it wasn't enough.
Artemis had watched two hunters die right before her eyes from a Drakon before Percy killed it by spearing Riptide and the Moon Blade through its skull, and a silver arrow from Artemis's bow through its eyes. It had been so long since the last war that she forgot how devastating watching one, let alone two, of the women she calls her daughters die before her eyes. Watching Zoë pass, and what she said before she passed, crushed Artemis, she will never take her hunters' lives for granted ever again.
She fired an arrow straight at the head of a cyclops and it struck the monster with so much force that the head burst like a watermelon. Artemis watched Percy cleave a dracenai, and next to him Phoebe dispatched three Empousa faster than she could blink. Watching the two of them fight side by side was incredible, especially after everything that has gone on between the two of them.
They had no idea where Atalanta and her entourage were, but they prayed that they were alright.
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Dodging a spear thrust with a spin to the right, Alissa pulled an arrow out of her quiver stabbing it through the neck of the man that attacked her; cursing him to drown in his own blood. She then ripped the arrow out and knocked it on her bow, firing it at a hellhound that was running across the field. The arrow hit it in the heart and the beast fell on its face, turning to dust.
"Alissa! Come on!" Atalanta yelled to her, beckoning for her to follow as they started moving again, she had cleared a path for them to continue moving forward.
"Follow me!" She yelled out, and started running; everyone else followed her, and Alissa followed right behind her with her bow in hand and an arrow nocked. She mimicked her mentor who also ran with her bow at her side and an arrow knocked, Alissa was a good learner. She was a good student and one of the closest friends Atalanta had in the entire world.
She did not know what caused her to look far to the right, but she stopped, and gasped.
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Unknown POV
I had no idea how I got separated... How did I get separated? I don't know, one minute I was with them the next I was surrounded by monsters swinging my sword for my life.
I went with Atalanta because she, she and that hunter that is always with her are very pretty, I heard the hunters don't hate men anymore... But really I went with her because she seems like she is just about the wisest non-divine person you could ever meet. I never had any idea that I would get separated from the group, I would die here, but-
What I was going to say left me as a Dracenai smashing into my side knocking me to the ground. I screamed in pain, my leg twisted painfully and it was ripped open by a sharp rock jutting from the ground. I picked up my sword and threw it at the empousa that leaped at me, it pierced the monster through the chest and it dispersed to golden dust. I groaned in pain looking around, I gasped when I saw that cyclops that was running towards me all menacingly. I grabbed the bow off my back, but I gritted my teeth at the pain it caused me shooting up from my leg. I shakily drew the bow and knocked an arrow, I aimed for the eye but at the last moment before I went to fire my shoulder gave out and I collapsed to the ground. I closed my eyes waiting for death, I thought of all the people that had done me right and prayed to the gods to shelter those people.
I felt the cyclops long before it was over top of me, the booming of its feet as it ran along, it stopped over top of me and raised its club. I reached into my belt and grabbed the throwing knife that was there, I threw it with my left hand, my off hand and it missed the mark, sinking into the cyclops shoulder instead of its head... I knew it was over, I closed my eyes again and a tear fell down my cheek, I never got to be the man that I wanted to be. Never got to be a husband, a father, just a mess and a failure to everyone that I know, everyone that never loved me.
The cyclops roared in rage when my knife dug itself into its shoulder, it raised its club to bring down on me. But before I could hear the sound of metal sinking into flesh, the beast roared in pain and felt dust on my cheek mixing with the tears.
I hesitantly opened my eyes and I saw a pretty woman when I did, she kneeled down and put her hand on my leg.
"It's alright, we've got you."
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When Alissa had made sure that for the moment the coast was neutralized or clear; she came and kneeled down beside Atalanta to inspect the young boy. Atalanta did a motion with her hand like a music instructor, and when they came down they glowed a faint yellow. She moved her glowing hands over the hurt leg and a worried look came over her.
Alissa looked at her hands with obvious amazement; she knew of Atalanta's healing abilities, and she had seen her do it before... but seeing it always made her amazed.
"Alissa, his leg is sprained and obviously lacerated..."
"Can you walk, boy?" She asked him, and he looked up at her with concern. He tried to stand up, but when he put pressure on the leg he fell back in pain.
"He can't walk on his own, and we need to stop this bleeding; whatever caused this cut must have hit an artery."
She looked around, down at herself, and over to Alissa... Then she spotted something that she knew could help them with the situation.
"Are you an archer, boy-"
She stopped, the earth started to shake and she thought that it was an earthquake, or another explosion. She gasped and smoke swirled around them, Atalanta put her hands out and formed a shield around them. It whirled around them in flashes of black and red, when it dissipated she quickly stood up and drew her bow. Her and Alissa both looked on in wonder as another smoke cloud whirled not far from them. Five figures emerged from the smoke, 4 boys with bows drawn at the two hunters, they separated and another figure walked up between them.
"Well Hello, Atalanta-"
Atalanra never thought that she would ever see the girls face again after she betrayed the hunt and broke her oath she was cast out as a whore. Never have been liked by anyone and always been a trouble maker, all the hunter's had hated her and no one had been sad or surprised when she broke her oath.
"Nitrixes,' she snarled back.
(nigh-trix-ease)
"I knew you were nothing but a cowardly traitor, what did they offer you? Money? Immortality? All the boys you could ever want?" Atalanta teased, drawing back further on her bow just slightly.
"First you break your oath to Lady Artemis, and now you betray Olympus, you truly are lost." Alissa added on the side.
"Wow, Lanty, I'm sur-"
"You're a common whore is what you are, Nitrixes."
"You call me a whore, but yet you risk your life for this boy, how's that?"
"Unlike you we huntresses have morals, we have better reasons to save a boy than to fuck him."
"But that's exactly what Artemis did, did she not? Helped that bastard by bringing him to the hunt, and now she's fucking him."
"How dare you speak that way."
"And now you defend a slu-"
Tisk
Atalanta made a sound with her tongue and both her and Alissa let their arrows fly; being caught off guard, two of the four boys died instantly with an arrow through their necks. Cursing them to choke on their own blood, instantly being nothing but a concept, because their fate was sealed as soon as the arrows hit them.
"Kill her!
Atalanta grinned
Nitrixes must have gotten smarter because in the moment of hesitation between when she gave the command, when she noticed the smile, and when the two boys fired she yelled "Wait!"
Too late
Twang!
Twang!
The Elder Hunter dropped her bow and thrust her hands out in front of her in a stopping gesture, her hands glowed purple and the arrows that were fired from the two boys instantly stopped. Engulfed in a purple haze, Alissa gasped; she was completely dumbfounded, absolutely amazed at what she was seeing. Nitrixes looked on in horror, remembering the power that Atalanta possessed from her time in the hunt.
She closed her palm and the arrows switched directions, pointing back towards Nitrixes and her two remaining goonz. Nitrixes backed up slowly and the two boys were just so horror struck that they had no idea what to do, and when Atalanta opened her palm and let the arrows fly they were reminded of that when the arrows killed them, leaving just Nitrixes. The arrows had propelled themselves with such velocity they went clean through the two thugs necks.
Atalanta lowered her hands but she stumbled back a step; Alissa helped her steady herself. She knew that Atalanta could do some powerful and miraculous magic, but the tax on her was great as well. She had to fall to one knee because she couldn't stand up at the moment, her knees felt weak. Alissa kneeled down and got a piece of ambrosia out of her pocket and gave it to her mentor. She ate it and almost immediately she was able to stand back up, she would not be able to do much more magic though.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, where is-"
"So the great Atalanta falls to her knees like a common whore after just a light show like that?"
Atalanta laughed and kneeled down to pick up her bow, slinging it over her shoulder to holster on her back. She was not going to have anymore of this shit, she was tired of seeing this bitch.
"Whore? I'm going to open you up from your loose cunt to your brains and find out what whores are actually made of." She promised and Zoë's daggers appeared in her hand as if they faded in on Google Slides.
Nitrixes drew the curved sword from her sheath and the dagger at her belt, she used them as a combo just as she had when she was a hunter.
Alissa chuckled and drew even further back on her bow. They both started slowly moving forward toward Nitrxies, Alissa was trained onto the traitor with the tip of her arrow and Atalanta was poised in a defensive stance. Nitrixes had never been a good fighter, not even as good as Alissa, but they can never be sure what has happened with her treachery. Two Primordials are coming for Olympus, you never know what could happen.
Atalanta was the first to strike, as she usually is. She cast a quick blast of air and caught Nitrixes off guard and she lost her balance from the force of it. As soon as she stumbled a bit Alissa released the arrow that she had been kissing for the past two minutes and it sailed so fast it was less than a blur. Nitrixes dodged it in time though, and she got her balance back.
(It's AARD from The Witcher, guys.)
"I see you haven't improved since the last time you fought Alissa."
"I see you still use your magic tricks to compensate for your lack of skill."
"Not my fault you can't predict what I was going to do."
Suddenly she leaped at Atalanta and took a swipe at her head, she backed away and countered with a swipe at Nitrixes legs. They open for everyone else so Atalanta should have no trouble, but Nitrixes jumped over it and made a jab with her sword toward Atalanta's head but she was already spinning to the left of Nitrixes to dodge her counter. Alissa watched on in amazement as her mentor grabbed Nitrixes arm and twisted, making her drop her sword.
Nitrixes was stunned from the pain of Atalanta twisting her arm, breaking her wrist and spraining her arm. The huntress then, fast as lightning, slashed at Nitrixes neck, slicing her jugular and then leaped away.
She attempted to attack Atalanta again by rolling toward her and taking a stab at Atalanta's legs but she hopped over it and kicked her in the face. Blood was pouring everywhere, and Nitrixes was broken on the ground, her jugular cut and arm broken. Atalanta stood over her and laughed, flexing her arms in satisfied glory for her first fight in a while.
"You're nothing, Nitrixes, the price for betrayal is death."
She was starting to get really pale, Atalanta's dagger had cut deep into her neck. She turned away to walk away, but then she heard something that she never thought she would hear again.
"Sister killing Craven" Nitrixes croaked out as she was reaching the point of no return of blood loss.
Atalanta stopped, she was an Elder Hunter, Zoë's former apprentice, she would not let this whore anger her.
"You're no sister of mine." She spat over her shoulder and continued walking, but she knew that that is not what Nitrixes had been hinting at. When she came to stand back in front of Alissa, who had put the arrow back into her quiver and the bow on her back, they looked each other in the eye.
"You handled that well, she didn't have a chance."
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, you should have let me come to help the boy alone."
"'If we should die tonight, then we should all die together.'" Is something I remember you telling Zoë a long time ago, don't you?"
Atalanta looked at her for a few moments after she reminded her of that, and then a smile broke out on her face and she hugged the younger huntress. Nothing could ever separate them, and she was absolutely right, Alissa would always be by her side and Atalanta would always be by her side; they were a pair.
"Using my quotes, you really are listening."
A few moments passed and they hugged again, reveling in the victory and savoring the fact that both of them were still alive and unharmed after the fact.
"We need to help the boy." Alissa told her, and her mentor nodded and turned to walk over towards the young boy. Atalanta had taken on Nitrixes alone because Alissa stayed back to protect the boy in case anything happened. They couldn't let anything more happen to him than has happened already. If he died because both of them wanted to get back at a ghost from their past then they would have failed.
"How are you feeling now?" Atalanta asked him, kneeling back down to examine the leg. It didn't look like it was getting better, he had lost a good amount of blood. Atalanta made a motion with her hand and they started to glow again, fainter this time though, she must be pretty taxed from earlier.
"It doesn't feel any better, but without you two I would be much worse though."
That's sweet of him to say, Atalanta thought and then frowned.
"We do our best," she said, "What do my hands over the wound feel like?"
"It feels warm, like a low heat lamp."
Alissa was still standing and watching the surroundings with her bow drawn and an arrow nocked waiting and ready to protect them from who knows what anymore. Alissa had no healing powers like Atalanta did, she should be paying attention because Atalanta is teaching her how to be the medic but it takes time; however, she needed to be guarding them because it was literally chaos. They had no idea which side was winning but their priority was to get this boy back to safety.
"Alright, I am going to temporarily bandage the wound and then we will try and get you up? Alright?"
"I'm ready."
"We don't have enough time to stitch up the wound right now, we have to get you out of here so I am going to tie a tourniquet around your leg to stop the bleeding for now... This is going to hurt."
He nodded, Atalanta got out a special looking tool, a small band that looked like it could clamp itself together. She took it and wrapped it around the upper part of the lower half of his leg about 3 inches from the laceration. She looked into his eyes and he nodded then she pulled really hard and you could hear it tighten. The boy gritted his teeth in pain but the blood started to slow down, she was growing more and more concerned that it had cut an artery.
"That should stop the bleeding long enough for us to get you out of here, I am going to tie some bandages around the cut and then we will try and get out of here."
Atalanta took off her hunters jacket, leaving her in just her undershirt, she then took one of Zoe's daggers and cut a large piece of the fabric off. The boy really tried not to stare with interest, and instead focus on the pain in his leg; however, it was very hard not to take a few peaks at the Elder Huntress's curvaceous form, especially since she ripped off half the shirt and showed off her extremely toned stomach.
If she noticed his gawking she didn't seem to show that she cared.
Much to his dismay she took the piece of fabric that she took off and set it on the ground beside her, then she put her jacket back on. Atalanta took the piece of fabric and rolled it on her arm, stretching it out. The huntress then put it on the boy's leg, wrapping it around twice and then pulled it together in a knot. He whimpered at the pain, even though she had not tied it nearly as tight as the tourniquet, it still hurt a lot.
"Ok boy, that should be good enough for now. I can do a better job when we get some place safe, but for now that is going to have to suffice."
"Alissa," she suddenly said looking up to her prodigy, "help me get him up."
Alissa nodded, she had been listening to them and was trying to pay attention. She put her bow down and they both got on either side of the boy, they got him up and he leaned onto Atalanta for support. Her arm was around her shoulder and she held his arm to keep him to her while her hand was around his waist. She tried not to blush at how close they were, and she just knew that Alissa noticed how close they were and was thinking something similar.
"Don't put any pressure on the leg, just lean on me. Alissa will protect us while we get you to safety."
The boy was not bigger than Atlanta, he was basically the same size. He had nice muscles, but he was not any taller than her. He was taller than Alissa, but Atalanta was too, so it was better for her to be the one to be helping him walk and her prodigy to be the one guarding. The Elder Huntress was not really content with how big he was, because he had lost a lot of blood... The amount of blood that he had lost she guessed was just about as much as he could lose without having serious issues, she was very concerned and very anxious to get him back to safety. If the need arises she would give him her own blood if it would save his life. In her extremely long life of being the hunt's medic and doctor, she has many a time stuck the needle in her own arm to give her own blood to the hunter that she is trying to save. Demigods do not have DNA, but they do have blood types, most demigods have universal blood. The hunt is usually always on the move, so they do not have a blood reserve. However, if a hunter is in really bad shape they take her to Apollo.
They truly hoped that they would be able to get the poor injured boy back to safety, they had just sworn an oath to defend any and all allies of the hunt this morning, if they failed... They would never forgive themselves.
X_X_X_-_\_X_X_X
When Percy left the bedroom this morning, he had not expected to be in the middle of a battle fighting for his and the hunter's lives. He personally had not wanted to leave; he would have much rather just stayed in bed with Artemis all day... He would certainly rather be doing that than this, he had lost track of how many monsters he had killed. The blade that Chaos had given him was extremely nice to use, it was perfectly balanced almost as if it had balanced itself to his exact form. The sword was long and had a large handle, it was big enough to use two handed, but small enough to use with one and still be able to have incredible control. He had considered dual wielding the two swords and had tried it and found out that it was pretty awkward for the first time. The two swords were over a foot different in length, Riptide was only three feet long where the Ethereal Silver sword was four and a half feet long. He needed a name for the blade, it was the most beautiful and elegant sword that Percy or Artemis had ever seen.
The handle was a foot long and the blade three and a half. The brown grippy handle was cut in two by a metal ring which gave it the ability to be a perfectly effective weapon to be used with two or just one hand. It had a wicked cross guard that came out of the handle in a V-shape with small spikes at the end that pointed toward the blade. At the hilt of the handle was a four headed wolf, fairly fitting for a guardian of the hunt. The blade was long and of the purest looking silver you had ever seen. A little over 6 inches down the blade it got a little thinner and in the middle of the second section was a thinner patch that gave it incredible balance.
(There is a picture in the Announcements channel on my Discord, I highly suggest that you join and see the picture, it will definitely help to improve your immersion into the story.)
There were so many monsters to kill, they just kept coming. They had seen everything you could think of, Percy had killed a Drakon, and the hunters killed another. Artemis was side by side with him fighting along with him, they were always together in everything. He started to notice today just how much stronger she was now than before. She was slightly faster, and now the arrows from her bow were like ballista bolts, destroying anything they touched. She wielded her symbol of power the hunting bow and sent arrow after arrow down range at the horde of monsters. The hunters were standing strong, nothing could get past them as long as they were working together and being a wolf pack. The hunters that had gone with Atalanta and Alissa, and the demigods and campers that they were training had also returned... Except for four demigods and one huntress that died in the initial attack, a huntress named Ruby, she had been such a kind soul. He had just seen her at the breakfast table this morning laughing and talking with her sisters. Atalanta and Alissa were also unaccounted for, one of the hunters said that they had run off somewhere to do something. He had no idea where they were, but he hoped that they would be alright. He knew that it would take quite a lot to kill the Elder Huntress and her prodigy. That is what he told himself at least, but deep down he knows that if anything happened to them, he would never forgive himself. The Elder Huntress had been his best friend all through his rough time in the hunt, she had always defended him and been there to help him.
Before Artemis there was no one that he trusted more than Atalanta, Zoë's apprentice had devoted her time to helping him from the moment that he arrived in the hunt. She told him that he was there to see her mentor die, so she would do everything she possibly could to assist in the preservation of her legacy, and he was part of that legacy. Each of them held a piece of her in their hands every time they went into battle, Atalanta her daggers and Percy Riptide.
"Percy look out!" He suddenly heard and he just barely had the time to notice the longsword coming for his head, he instinctively raised Riptide and the sword hit the blade so hard that it sounded like a thunderclap. The owner of the sword was a huge man, almost two feet taller than Percy, he had so many muscles that he thought he was basically looking at Arnold Schwarzeneggar2. He gasped, pictures flashing through his mind... A dragon, one with many heads; a huge weight, a weight so great it would break someone that does not have the will to hold it; pretty girls tending to a garden and a beautiful girl dying on the ground, two daggers laying at her side.
"Atlassssss." He snarled and twirled Riptide around in a circle as he circled his opponent.
"You're going to pay for what you did to Zoe, your own daughter, you monster." Artemis threatened, circling in the opposite direction of Percy with her daggers out to her sides.
"And how do you plan to do that? That wretch was no daughter of mine, she was nothing more than weak."
"Zoe was the most skilled and honorable hunter to ever live, she knew she would die on that quest, and she was poisoned by Ladon when she fought you. You call her weak and think yourself strong for killing someone that was already weakened from a dragon's poison."
"HA HA HA." He laughed, a large and loud bellowing sound that shook the ground.
"That pathetic excuse for a girl was always weak, it's to be expected."
"I'm going to cut you open from your flat balls to brains and see what fuckers made out of, and show you what a huntress not poisoned by Ladon can do."
"Come and try, little girl."
Artemis lunged at him with her daggers, he swung at her with his sword, but she dodged it. Percy attacked with her after he made his attack at Artemis, he swung for his side but he parried it effortlessly and then took a swipe at his legs. Percy jumped over it and took a swipe at his head, he dodged it but roared in pain as if something hit him from behind. He quickly swung his arm behind him in an arc and he saw the Titan's fist hit his girlfriend like a truck, she staggered back, and Percy ran to shield her from the follow up blow that Atlas was going to launch. The Titan raised his sword and went to cleave the goddess in half, but Percy parried and countered, kicking the Titan in the chest and making him stagger back.
"Thank you, Percy." She said and got her feet back under her, she didn't look so good, he must have hit her really hard.
"Look at you two, coming to each other's rescue. Enjoy it while you can Artemis, lords have no use for you now that you have been defiled. They'll kill you and your pathetic excuse for a companion and make the hunters sex slaves, the masters are coming for Olympus and- Chink! Gluck! Gluck! Gluuuuu!
The evil Titan was cut off and Percy was sprayed with golden blood when a silver arrow shot out of nowhere and impaled the Titan's neck. Ichor poured out of the wound and then suddenly another arrow joined it, a figure appeared behind Atlas and drove two daggers into his back. Percy gasped; it was a hunter!
The Huntress jumped into the air and a blast of air knocked into the Titan's back, making him fall on his face.
"Stabbed in the back, that's not even a fraction of what Zoë felt when you killed your own daughter."
The Titan tried to speak as he rolled over onto his back but nothing but Ichor came out. The Huntress drew her bow and nocked two wicked arrows on the bowstring.
"A huntress is not a slave," she spat and let the arrows go, embedding themselves into Atlas's eyes. The Huntress turned around and he was met with the eyes of his best friend, Atalanta. She smiled at him and then looked up into the sky, he didn't understand what she was looking for at first but then he realized she was looking up at Zoe who was looking down on them. She had avenged her mentor and he was sure that the huntress was looking down at them, at her, right now with the biggest grin and the proudest smile. All around them cheers went up, and he saw a huge wave of demigods and a girl in shining armor leading the charge on the back of a Pegasus with two metal dogs at her side. The other two cohorts had arrived with Reyna at the head leading them into battle, he drew the Moon Blade from the sheath on his back and pumped it in the air and shouted a rallying cry to the hunters and anyone that could hear him. They all cheered in response, and he realized something-
They had won.
XXX((-_-))XXX
THERE IT IS! THE BATTLE CHAPTER! I hope you guys enjoyed it, truth be told this was very stressful to write because I have never really written a battle chapter before, this was a new experience. Writing in battles is very hard and I was very stressed doing it, I really hope it is good even though it is so different than you all probably expected.
I tried to give Atalanta a spotlight in this one above the other characters, she is going to get a big part in the story and will be the main character for the next chapter or two.
Nyx is going to get back in the picture probably in the next chapter, I know you guys all want to see our incredible Primordial back in the picture.
The thing about the blood I just kind of made up, I don't know much so I just winged it.
There are always foreshadows in every chapter, I wonder if you were able to pick out these ones?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me what you feel about this so far, I NEED FEEDBACK FROM THIS!
This is the time that if you want to suggest anything, want anything to be added to the story, or have any ideas as to what to put in future chapters TELL ME NOW!
I cannot even begin to tell you how important the reviews on this chapter are going to be, please tell me what ideas you have for things in the future. THIS IS THE DEADLINE!
I have some of the story planned out from this point on, but I need ideas for content, I know that amongst my thousand readers you guys have at least a few ideas as to what you might want to see in the future so, PLEASE TELL ME!
Thank you all so much, the next chapter is gonna be around the same length maybe a bit shorter. Depending on school I will either get it out in two weeks or a month so please hang in there.
Thank you all so much, please give me feedback.
