The soft crackle of a fire filled the room. Perseus stood in the middle of the gloomy hall, looking around at the eight figures looming over him, and he couldn't stop the fear welling up inside of him – barely anyone escaped a council with the First Hierarchy. These eight were the Princes of Hell, and each governed a Circle of Hell except for the Ninth, where the Devil – the Dark Made Flesh, the Crooked One, the Eldest child of the Creator – himself was trapped.
On the far left of the grand hall sat a man surrounded by bees, wasps and flies. His face was non-existent, only being a swarm of flies and bees. This was Beelzebub, a Demon Prince of the Seraphim, and one of the most powerful of all Demons, as he and the other seven Princes were fallen Angels. However, he and Leviathan were the first Angels to fall along with Lucifer after they had taken a mortal as their wives and had children – the Nephilim, the Abominations.
Next to him, was Leviathan himself, another Prince of Seraphim. He sat upon a black marble throne and a torn cloak obscured his face other than his long, dark green beard. He reeked of stagnant water and the monsters of the deep. He was the father to the eldest species of monsters, and he along with Michael and God had destroyed them and scattered the remains across the daunting mountain of Purgatory – the Realm between Hell and Heaven, where the non-believers go.
Asmodeus was next, the third and final Prince of Seraphim. Not much was known about this demon, other than that he was someone who was not to be trifled with. His face was dark with soot and covered in scars, his long, greasy hair drooping low. His arms were heavily muscular and his eyes seemed to glow a harsh red, offsetting to Perseus.
The Prince of Cherubim, Berith, was next, one of the middle thrones. His eyes were wild, darting around the room as if searching for something. His mouth was curved down slightly as his head often twitched, making him turn around extremely often. Perseus knew not much about him, but he did know that the Demon got off on homicides – screwed up, but it is Hell.
Astaroth was one of the centre Princes of the First Hierarchy, and was oddly enough, female unlike the rest of them. She was the first of the Princesses of Thrones as was far by one of the most powerful of all Demons, making her a force to be reckoned with. Her, Beelzebub, Leviathan and Azazel were far-by the most powerful being in all of Hell. However, Azazel wasn't a Prince of the First Hierarchy. He was actually the self-proclaimed King of Hell.
Verrine was also a Prince of Thrones, and was just below Astaroth. He is not as powerful as the First Prince of Thrones, but he was impatient. Like now, he looked ready to go up to Earth and smite some mortals due to this long wait.
Gressil was the third Prince of Thrones, who has an uncanny ability to tempt men with impurity. He and Sonniellon were the weakest of the eight of them. And last and least powerful is Sonniellon, the fourth and final Prince of Thrones, who would tempt men to hate.
"Perseus Jackson, come forward." Astaroth spoke quietly, but her voice echoed off of the walls. Percy felt weak at the knees as the wave of power crashed over him. But he walked forward, none-the-less. These people were not people you would want to disobey.
"Alistair, we have taken interest on your concerns for this candidate. If he fails, he will be exterminated. But, we will not take to such measures as making him trek to the Ninth Circle and return with the head of one of the five heads of Lucifer's wives." Leviathan glowered, glaring at the Torturer of Hell with a murderous glint in his eyes.
"So is he getting let off again? I must apologise, My Princes, but this little runt has shown enough weakness to be killed many times over!" Alistair glared at his superiors, clearly not scared of them.
"Silence or your consequences will be severe. Now, of you would be kind enough to leave us with Perseus; I believe that our plans for him are suffice." Verrine cracked his knuckles, his non-existent patience wavering.
Alistair nodded in respect for the First Hierarchy before taking his leave. Massive stone doors flew up from the ground as Astaroth waved her hand. Now, eight pairs of eyes were focused on the ten-year-old.
A flash of flames appeared before Perseus, causing him to jump backwards. As the flames died down, there stood a man of at least 7ft with long salt and pepper hair pulled into a pony tail. His face was marred by a single scar on his jaw line, and his skin was ghostly pale. His eyes radiated power, like liquid gold swirling around – but there was no pupil or irises, just the golden sclera.
A name burned itself into the inside of Perseus' skull: Azazel.
"Now, let's get down to business." The demon cracked his neck to both sides before drawing a pair of swords made from a hideous dark metal that shifted colours fairly often from dark purple to dark green and yellow, and then black.
Perseus remained silent out of fear that he would be smitten for answering.
"Now, I have an idea I have been planning for a while. And this could be Perseus' only chance of redemption. Is anyone willing to deny that we do this?" Azazel turned to the members of the First Hierarchy and all shook their heads. "Good, now, Perseus Jackson, I believe that you qualify for this. As of now, war is brewing between us and one of those pathetic pagan gods." He spat onto the ground.
Beelzebub rose from his seat. "What did you do this time, Azazel?" He snarled accusingly, flies and wasps flying over to the yellow-eyed demon.
"Olympus started pissing me off, and I acted accordingly. Now, Perseus here will have a job." The demon grinned like a mad man at the boy. "He will slay the Hunters of Artemis. His main target is their Lieutenant – and then the goddess herself, Artemis. Without the Hunters, the Demigod spawn of theirs will be useless. Then, we can make our move to ultimate power once more."
"This is preposterous! Insane!" Leviathan roared, leaping out of his throne too, summoning a spear. "Do you realise that we have just increased the risk of another Civil War, the Angels declaring war once more and even worse: the Dark Made Flesh himself breaks his bonds and his five wives and himself take over Hell once more! You complete and utter imbecile!"
"Ah, but we could simply say that we were attacked. A heightened number of Nephilim and Cambions worldwide are dying. Along with the heightened number of Magicians and Demigods dying as well, we might as well take this chance upon us. Think about it: Hell once more the most powerful force on Earth, before we take on the Heavens themselves! We would be even more powerful than we were in the Dark Ages after those pitiful Romans fell due to their greed and lust!" Azazel reasoned with the council. A few members nodded, while the rest just retained their grim expressions. "As I was saying before I was interrupted by those ignorant three individuals," the yellow-eyed Demon glared pointedly at Leviathan, Astaroth and Beelzebub, "I recommend that we send Perseus to where the Hunters of Artemis reside, and he slays them. Any others we believe are not progressing as well will accompany, preferably around five or six of them. Any recommendations?"
Perseus just stood there, blank faced. He knew that the mission was going to be pure suicide. The legends of the eternally beautiful Huntress Artemis reached all the way down to the Ninth Circle from what he had learnt. She had never missed a kill, not even Orion could escape her wrath after raping one of her Hunters. She would most definitely kill him before he is even within a mile's range of her from what the legends told. Same could be said to her younger twin brother, Apollo. And Artemis' deep hatred for males would most not defiantly play in his side of the court.
"Right; so, Perseus, are you ready to be a legend all throughout the universe? So great, that even this council will never doubt you again?" Azazel turned to Perseus. His tone said one clear message however: turn this down and I will torture you for all eternity.
"I will accept in order to retain my place in the Trials." Perseus stated in monotone, like a robot.
"Good. Complete your trials, and return here to attend your mission. We need you to be worthy and not some weak-minded piece of scum not worth to be on the bottom of my shoe. Go and complete the Trials of Enoch and earn your place in the many Grimoire and Liber Noctis Aeternae Obruat."
Perseus bowed his head in respect. "You are dismissed." He didn't need to be told twice, and he quickly left the council of the First Hierarchy. He now had some time to plan his death scene with the Hunters of Artemis.
The Demon Rites
"Now, you are extremely lucky to have made it this far, children!" The voice of Azazel echoed off of the walls of the large hall. He and the Demons of all three Hierarchies stood upon a stage, while the ground level was a sea of boys and girls, all aged from twelve to fourteen.
Percy was in the middle of the sea, and was fairly to lose. He was fairly short compared to many of these people. Most of the girls were even taller than him!
Only two years had passed, and these were filled with agonizing long sessions of brawling and beatings. Many of them had died – only around a thousand of them were still in the Trials, while the rest had been killed. They had either stepped out of line, fallen into out of their quarters or they just simply vanished into thin air. Still, 9,000 of them were gone, and it was frightening. And nobody ever left this final trial the same.
"The final challenge is almost upon you, and as you probably know, not all of you will survive! This Trial will push you to your limits, stretch what is left of your emotion! You will be the new Knights after this – better than even Cain, the Father of Murder! Pack your items wisely, and your trial will begin at sunset. Oh, and remember to wear something warm! You will leave trough this Gateway to Hell and enjoy what could be your final days. Go shopping, get laid, we don't care. Just don't run. We will find and kill you – slowly." Azazel announced, and a fiery portal opened up behind them all. All of the children filed out into the portal and onto Earth.
Everyone went off in small groups – everyone except for Percy. He was simply looking around at the city around him in amazement. Tall buildings reached up to the slowly lightening sky, the Moon large as it slowly descended towards the horizon. Woodland lurked around behind him, and the sound of the birds chirping enchanted the boy. The wildlife seemed peaceful up here, on Earth, unlike Hell. He couldn't believe that this place would one day become a battleground.
On his own, Percy wondered into the woodland. It didn't take him too long to get lost in the forest. It seemed that the further the boy trekked, the denser the woodland became, making the forest a lot more difficult to navigate. A rabbit darted between his legs, and made a hard left. Out of pure curiosity, Percy decided to follow the nifty animal. Decent food was rare in Hell, only getting a "Bargain Bucket" from some KFC once every six months when some of the older candidates went on little detours to the outside world due to them being on Alistair's good side – which was extremely rare for someone to be even acquainted with the infamous Torturer of Hell.
The rabbit had a distinct scent to in, and Percy often lost sight of it as it darted through the undergrowth. But the overwhelming scent of the wild creature was captivating for Percy. To make matters worse for him, the sun seemed to be rising quickly, causing beams of sunlight to break through the thick canopy of leaves, giving the forest a queer, yet soft, glow. A sound quite different to the birds chirping and other different forms of the various animals that inhabited the woodlands communicating with one another reached Percy's ears – the sound of running water.
The rabbit was drinking from a narrow stream, probably about knee-deep for Percy. A twig snapped under Percy's foot and the rabbit's head rose in alarm, and looked around before running off to the right – upstream, possibly to where its burrow was or other rabbits.
The sound of a bow string being drawn reached the ears of the twelve-year-old. He closed his eyes and mentally cursed in Enochian – the Ancient Tongue of the Heavens and Hell. A light breathing was felt on his face, and he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes instantly locked with a pair of enchanting silver eyes that swirled like quicksilver – purely beautiful. She was young – around his age – and his height, a bit taller if not. Her scent was purely intoxicating, of pine trees and the various forests and wild flowers.
It was so different to Percy, only really knowing what rotten flesh, blood and burning hair smelt like. And the odd food they were given 90% of the time. It intrigued him so much, everything about her seemed to cause his heart to suddenly leap and spin in circles.
"What is a boy doing in the wilderness all alone?" She asked, cocking her head. The world boy rolled off her tongue like poison, all the hatred she could muster put into the word.
Something about her screamed to Percy that he could tell her anything – and even trust her with his life. It was so... so... so strange... He actually had a strange sensation running through his mind, as if he would happily die for the girl before him. So, he said something. And it was fairly intelligent, for his current mindset.
"I got lost after looking into this place. I've never seen or heard of such of a place, and it just captivated me." He answered, before a question crossed his mind. "But what are you doing out here? You look my age!"
The girl gave him a suspicious look. "Never seen a forest; or any wildlife?" She seemed intrigued about this boy. He sent off a strange vibe. As if she and he were to be close in the future.
"No. Now, why are you here? You seem to know your way around this strange place, and obviously not normal with that bow and arrow." Percy arched an eyebrow, curious why she even carried such an old-fashioned weapon.
"I live in the wildlife. I am Artemis, and you are?" She said coolly, taking a step away from the boy.
"Perseus Jackson, a pleasure to meet you, Artemis." Percy offered her a nod of mutual respect. Artemis returned it, unable to shake the strange sensations running through her mind. Even her heart felt strange, as if it was beating faster within her chest.
"Perseus Jackson..." She said slowly, a strange ringing sensation running through her mind.
"Yes, but I do prefer Percy." Percy offered her a small lop-sided smile, and she returned the kind gesture with a small smile.
"Okay then, Percy." Artemis nodded. An awkward silence stretched out between them.
"So, uh, do you know a way out of here, Artemis?" Percy asked, and the auburn-haired girl nodded.
"Yes, follow me." She flicked her head to the side, and began to walk downstream. After an hour or so, they reached the edge of the woodland, where a road cut through leading to the same city Percy had seen beforehand.
"So... Uh, Artemis..." Percy stumbled for words as they slowly walked along the side of the road, towards the city.
"Yes, Percy?" She turned to face him.
"Do you want to get some... uh... lunch with me? You know, to thank you for helping me out of the forest." Percy stammered out, and Artemis looked fairly shocked. Was this a... date or something?
"Y-yeah, sure, why not?" She answered quickly, not stopping the words from rolling off of his lips.
"Uh, so... where? I'm not familiar with this place." This was completely different to Percy. He was extremely nervous, not understanding the tingling sensations fluttering throughout his entire body.
"The forest is my home; I do not usually venture these cities, Perseus." Artemis turned to him, a steely look in her eyes.
"Oh... yeah, right," Percy said, looking down at the ground. He wasn't even hungry; he just wanted an excuse to talk to Artemis. She seemed nice, and a complete opposite to what she was described to be in the myths.
Then, Artemis looked up at the sky. "Five. Sun's going to be setting in a while." She commented, and Percy's eyes widened.
"Oh... crap..." He muttered, turning to Artemis. "I've uh... got to go home. My carer's will be extremely angry if I don't turn up. It was nice meeting you, Lady Artemis." Percy smiled at her, and Artemis froze when he called her that. He defiantly wasn't mortal – she knew that much.
"Oh, and we from below are not all as you think. Some of us just lose our ways, or just feel like this is the only tie they have to keep them alive. Goodbye, and hopefully next time we meet will not be on the battlefield." Percy said for one last time fore he broke off into a sprint towards the city's border, the Gateway was located. The sun was just about to touch the horizon when he dived through, and the portal slammed shut behind him.
The Demon Rites
A girl in a silver hunting uniform flashed into a room of gold and marble in a shower of silver.
"OLYMPIANS!" She summoned her bow and pulled back the string, firing the recently formed arrow into the air and it exploded above the Throne Room upon the eternal city of Olympus. One by one, the eleven other Olympian Gods and Goddesses flashed into the throne room.
All sat down upon their thrones, and a bearded man in the largest throne of solid gold turned to Artemis. "Why have you called a meeting, Artemis?"
"I encountered a male today. Twelve, and appears to be in the Demon Ranks." Artemis remained stoic, glaring at Zeus.
"Did he hurt you?" Apollo instantly asked, on the edge of his seat.
"No. He was... peaceful. Going on about the beauty of the wilderness, and how he had never seen anything remotely like it before. It was only at the end he stated that he knew of my title as a goddess, and then revealed that he would rather not meet on the battlefield. I believe that he is genuinely not on their side." Artemis explained, smiling slightly at the thought of him.
Of course, a certain goddess picked up on it.
"There's something else niece, isn't there?" A man said from the left of Zeus. He sat in a fishing hair, his beard long and raven black, his eyes a vibrant sea green – just like Percy's.
"His name rings a bell in my head. Perseus Jackson, his name was." She nodded, before telling her uncle.
The colour dropped from his face. "No..." Poseidon muttered, instantly standing up, trident in hand.
"What's wrong, uncle P?" Apollo asked, looking at his usually chilled back uncle look angry, scared and sad at the same time.
"Percy... My daughter, Sally Jackson, had a son called Perseus Jackson and he went missing at a month old. Six month before his birth, the father was killed in a house fire." Poseidon explained, and the pieces fell together for Artemis. She had just stumbled upon how the demons were gathering their ranks.
And a legacy of them was a member of their ranks.
"I must tell my daughter. She will need to meet with him soon." Poseidon vanished in a column of sea water.
The Demon Rites
Nine hundred boys and girls stood in line. The rest had actually had the guts to try and leave the Trials, but it went wrong... A few mangled bodies were carried back by Hell Hounds, other just dismembered arms and a few heads. It was pretty bloody to be exact.
"Now, it is time for your final challenge!" Astaroth announced. "And for this challenge, you will trek to the Ninth Circle and achieve the target we gave to you! Your target is pretty simple, children! You will be told the second you fall to the Circle!"
All of the candidates nodded their heads in acceptance. This was most likely going to be their final moments alive.
"Your mission is to retrieve the Sword of Enoch! Kill all enemies that stand in your way! The first wielder of the sword shall be a Knight of Hell, along with the Father of Murder! Good Night, Good Luck!" All of the demons stomped once, and the floor opened beneath the children opened up into an endless abyss of freezing cold air. Their cries of surprise were all that was left in the air as they plummeted down towards the Prison of Satan...
The DemonRites
Okay, so this is chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews guys! I know Artemis seemed a bit OOC... Okay, VERY OOC, but I think she's better this way. More awesome, if not.
Anyway, I'm going to try and keep these A/Ns to a minimum, so yeah! Thanks for reading, and I hoped you guys enjoyed!
I'll see you next chapter, which will be about Friday or Saturday!
Until next time!
~The Prince of Souls
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS! THE SERIES BELONGS TO RICK RIORDAN, THE AUTHOR WHO COCKED UP THE ENDING TO THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS (no offence Rick)! Oh, and the demons – they belong to themselves, who live downstairs.