Okay, maybe I lied when I said updates would be infrequent. Maybe irregular and unpredictable. I'm enjoying this so far, but I don't know when work will hit me like a train, and I'll be forced to pause for a bit.

Anyways, here's a longer one for you. Enjoy.

The ancient construction that made up Westover Hall appeared immune to the passage of time. Large, stone bricks comprised its walls that were still an onyx black, as if they had been laid only yesterday. Its walls seemed impregnable. Pristine white snow blanketed the ramparts and tower tops and carpeted the grounds surrounding the school. Only the road which passed by the large iron gates of the school remained clear of any debris. The sun cast a intense, white glow behind a thick cover of clouds, which made the sky give off this soft-white-lighting effect you'd see in a photography studio. The school interior wasn't much better; black corridors were lined with lit torches that had to be tedious to keep alight, and the walls were decorated with Medieval European-like flags, banners and standards, with suited knights standing at attention. To think that a place like this would be used as a boarding school. How dreary and depressing, Ivan thought.

As with many reconnaissance missions Ivan had performed in the past, he had ample opportunity to scout the school, its layouts and its surrounding area over the past few days. Enrolling his siblings was easy enough; he spoke to the administrators at reception and explained that his little brother and sister would be attending once the winter break was over, asking whether it would be alright if they got settled into the school before that time. He had to make sure that the satyr here, who he learned was Grover Underwood, noticed them. After that, he was free to explore the area.

Currently, Ivan presided in the upper walkways that ran the perimeter of the school hall, where assemblies were held. Right now, though, there seemed to be a celebration or party of sorts. Balloons and banners lined the walls, music was blaring, students dressed in casual wear were dancing and talking, and just overall having a good time. Most of the students were down in the hall, with staff members nearby maintaining supervision. There were some students on the balcony with him, though they stood back in the shadows and on the other side of supporting stone columns. Some were talking, and some were affectionately making out away from the watchful eyes of teaching staff, who would no doubt make their displeasure and disapproval known.

Of course, in case he was to be accidentally happened upon by faculty, he needed to blend in. Ivan tied his collar-length hair in a "half-up, half-down" style, with the top portion in a bun. He wore a white T-shirt with the face of a female cyborg on it, with tapered black jeans that showed his ankles and black casual shoes. He had his left hand casually in his front pocket, and over his forearm he had folded his black shearling jacket. Tortoiseshell spectacles sat atop his nose, which framed his obsidian-black eyes. Ivan hoped that his attire was youthful enough so that he'd be assumed to be an upperclassman, if indeed anyone did manage to see him.

The students seem completely wild and carefree, Ivan mused to himself. It's probably because of all the strict behavioural standards here during the semester; now that they've got the chance they just want to let loose.

Ivan watched Bianca and Nico. The two were sitting together at one of the tables close to one of the doors to the hall. Nico, as usual, was fondly admiring his figurines of the Greek Pantheon, while Bianca was trying to talk to him about something. Ivan was too far away to hear the details. Occasionally, she'd cast a worried glance over her shoulder and quickly peer around the hall. So… she feels something already, Ivan observed. Bianca and Nico were still oblivious to their Godly heritage, though that would change soon enough. Bianca, it seemed, was already tapping in to her demigod intuition, whilst Nico remained blissfully ignorant. Oh well; he's still young. Even when Nico did come to find out about his supernatural parentage, Ivan hoped that he would still be able to retain at least some of his youth and innocence.

His eyes then moved to the satyr, Grover Underwood, who stood some distance away from the di Angelos. Grover seemed nervous… anxious. He would repeatedly watch the siblings, then look up at the clock over the side entrance, then to the main entryway. This happened in an almost cyclical fashion. This was almost amusing to watch, and Ivan chuckled internally. He doesn't realise how obvious he's being. It seemed that Grover had grown impatient and tired of waiting, and hurriedly exited out the main entryway.

After a few minutes he returned, accompanied by three others that Ivan hadn't seen before. So that's them, Ivan thought. Thalia Grace looked good for someone who had only recently been re-animated. And Percy, he could tell, was scanning the gymnasium with a critical eye. The last one, Ivan had no idea. Judging by the blond hair. His guesses were a child of Zeus, Athena or Apollo, but that's really all he had to go on and, in the end, it wasn't of any major significance. Three half-bloods though… this should be interesting.

The team were shortly followed by Dr Thorn, who entered the gym a few moments after the team had dissipated. Ivan hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Dr Thorn personally, but in his surveying the school, he could tell Dr Thorn was the monster. A manticore. His intimidating stature stood out like a sore thumb, and the studious, calculating looks he gave Bianca and Nico resembled the stares a wolf would give a sheep; predator and prey. The doctor was not aware of Ivan, however. If he had any disillusions about who was on top of the food chain, then Ivan would show him.

"What are you doing up here?" A voice sounded from behind him. High-pitched and ear-piercing.

The question took Ivan out of his thoughts, and he turned around to meet the eyes of a comparatively short Ms. Gottschalk. All the students who were here before had suddenly disappeared; supposedly dissipating at the sound of her approach. Wow… they're better at vanishing than I am, Ivan thought.

"Ahh… sorry miss." Ivan sheepishly scratched the back of his head and looked away from her. "It's just that… that… there are too many people down there…"

"You really should be socialising with your peers, you know." Ms Gottschalk said in a knowing tone.

"I know miss, I know… Can I just… please stay up here a bit more?" Ivan had rarely had to plead, but that's what his eyes did; plead.

Mrs Gottschalk contemplated the thought. "Hmm… fine. I'll allow it. It doesn't seem like you're doing anything suspect up here, anyway. But promise me that you will behave yourself!"

"I promise, miss. Thank you." Ivan nodded his head appreciatively.

Mrs Gottschalk turned to leave. Once she was out of sight, Ivan turned back to the balcony. Of course, Ivan was insincere in this regard; he very rarely pleaded. And his status as a student was merely a façade anyway. Ivan looked to where Bianca and Nico were, but they were gone. He quickly scanned his eyes to the entrance; nothing there. The side door? Bingo. He caught a glimpse of a tall figure hurrying the siblings along, ushering them from behind. Finally, Ivan looked for the demigods. Percy had seen Dr Thorn take Bianca and Nico. He seemed tense, and understandably so. If he lost the half-bloods here, then he would've failed at rescuing and recruiting two potential campers. In an unsurprising move, Percy set off after the three who had left, leaving his compatriots in the hall. The blonde girl, meanwhile, was trying to look for Thalia and Grover, who were still slow dancing.

Foolish move on the sea-spawn's part, Ivan thought. Leaving his allies and advantage in numbers against a powerful adversary was unwise. Then again, probably what I would've had done at that age.

Ivan stepped back into the shadows and mentally called for Lily. His faithful wolf poked her head out from the shadows. He grabbed her collar and set a foot into the darkness, and the two of them vanished.

/ / /

That dumbass, Thalia thought. How stupid does he have to be to go out on his own and get captured when there are four of us here?

Thalia, Annabeth and Grover crouched behind some trees. The snow was about ankle-height, so mobility was still possible if a conflict came to pass, which it probably would. They were in a dense forest area adjacent to the school. The trio had followed Dr Thorn, Percy and the di Angelos when Dr Thorn had abducted them. The full moon shone like an ethereal lamp from a lighthouse. Its radiant light made the snowy trees cast long and tall shadows across the ground. The clouds had dissipated and left the stars in view, abundant in splendour. However, now was no time for admiration at mother nature.

"This doesn't look good, guys." Thalia spoke, quietly. "Why did your boyfriend have to be a hero?" This time she addressed Annabeth.

"He- He's not my boyfriend!" Annabeth replied in an aggressive whisper. She stammered, and a light blush began to grace her cheeks.

"Guys, please!" Grover interjected. "If Percy gets offed, then I'm done for too. Can we please just focus on getting Percy, Bianca and Nico out of here?"

Sigh. "Of course, we're getting them out of here, Grover. Just teasing." Thalia said. "Of course, easier said than done. Do you know what he is, Annabeth?"

Annabeth squinted. "I don't know… it's really hard to tell. I don't see anything anomalous, besides that ghoulish face."

"Any ideas?"

"Why me?" Annabeth protested.

"Well, you're literally the brightest child of the wisest Olympian." Thalia responded. "If anyone can think of a way out of this, it's you." Her tone was encouraging, although on edge at the same time.

"Come on, Annabeth, you can do it." Grover nodded in support.

Thankfully, Dr Thron and his captives had come to a standstill, and he was saying something to them. The bad news was that their position was on the edge of a cliff.

After a few silent moments, Annabeth laid out her plan. "Okay, so this is what we'll do. First, I'll go invisible and tackle Percy and the other two. He shouldn't be able to see me coming. Thalia, Grover, this is where you come in. I want you two to engage Dr Thorn; Thalia, come in with Aegis to throw him off and Grover: you can play your pipes to hinder his movement. I'll get the di Angelos to the back lines and re-join you. Sound good?"

Thalia nodded in approval. "You'll need to be quick though; the snow will show your footprints."

"Yeah, good point. Let me move in a bit closer then. Those trees, over there." Annabeth drew out her knife and gestured. "Just keep an eye out. As soon as you see them drop, come out."

Annabeth donned her baseball cap and disappeared.

Alright, now just need to wait, Thalia thought. She brandished her spear and shield. The embossed head of the gorgon Medusa made Grover reflexively wince. Thalia looked again at the group by the cliff and waited for Annabeth's signal.

/ / /

The moments that followed were tense, as they were before any battle. Each conflict had the potential of finality. The still silence was unnerving. Thalia could feel the crisp, cool wind piercing her clothing and caressing her skin. She was acutely aware of the sweat droplet travelling down her temple in nervous anticipation. It was as if her senses had been heightened for a period.

Seconds past that felt like an eternity. And then suddenly, something slammed into Percy, which in turn knocked Bianca, and then Nico over. The signal. Thalia stepped out from behind the thick tree trunk, gave a carnal battle cry and rushed Dr Thorn.

"For Zeus!" she cried as she got closer. Thalia lunged forward and launched a swift jab at Dr Thorn's head.

Dr Thorn swatted the jab away with his left hand as if it were an annoying fly. His right hand morphed into an orange paw which quickly swiped in an upward-diagonal fashion at Thalia in retaliation.

The force knocked Thalia back into the snow, but she quickly recovered by rolling backwards and assuming a defensive stance; the kind that was observed in a Spartan phalanx.

Thalia re-engaged and attempted another quick stab at the head. The monster took the bait. He raised his paw in defence, but Thalia rapidly retracted her spear to her side, and launched another attack at the exposed ribcage. This was not her usual combination. In practice, she would normally follow the head strike with a under-leg sweep, accelerated by a clockwise rotation, but she knew it wouldn't work on a foe this size.

Dr Thorn pivoted his feet, so his body was now sideways towards Thalia, rather than head on. An invisible force clashed into her shield, which again sent her flying backwards.

Grover, meanwhile, was playing his pipes in an attempt to tie down Dr Thorn, but it was of no use. The vines that sprung up from the snowy carpet were mere nuisances to him. Though they circled his limbs, Dr Thorn subsequently morphed into a tetrapod beast. A red mane, the colour of fire surrounded his human face, but he now had the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. A manticore. Dr Thorn let out a roar and sent a volley of poison-tipped projectiles in a funnel trajectory before him.

Annabeth, still exposed, tackled the di Angelos in a bid to save them. And Percy had now summoned his own shield, which he used to block the incoming ranged assault.

All the while, the audible sound of helicopter blades growing louder, supposedly Dr Thorn's escape route grew louder. The companions from Camp Half-Blood had a challenge on their hands.

/ / /

Shadow traveling: a way for the children and beasts of the underworld to rapidly traverse from one location to another. Though darkness ubiquitously appeared fragmented, it was all comprised of the one essence. Those harnessing this ability could exploit this property to move from point A to point B in a time-efficient manner. However, this did come at a cost. The technique was extremely taxing on the traveller in terms of energy, and one did risk "getting lost" in the shadows if they were inexperienced/not paying attention.

Like any skill, shadow travelling took practice. As a practitioner honed their ability through repetition and correction, the skill would become refined. Additionally, their capacity to initiate the skill and endure its detrimental effects would increase. Another way to think of this would be building tolerance. So then, this raises the question: had anyone tried to stand still in shadows?

That's what Ivan was currently doing, sitting atop Lily. Together they studied the fight taking place. Their viewing window was position high in the treetops, in the darkness created by the cover of leaves; the branches would be inadequate in supporting their combined weight. Lily had trained faithfully in order to keep this up; she could probably sustain this state for about 5 minutes. As an application of shadow travelling, it was perfect for covert observation and eavesdropping.

Such as now, with the battle on the ground below. Until his intervention was required, Ivan intended to act as an observer. Grunts and shouts from the combatants were clearly audible, as well as the clang of metal. Let's see if they can handle it, he initially thought. So far, he had noted a few things.

Beginning with Grover, he was mainly supporting the efforts of the other three fighters. Satyrs weren't very well known for their prowess in the heat of battle, so this was understandable. Grover continued to attempt to inhibit the manticore's mobility as best he could by blowing on his pipes.

The blonde girl, he couldn't see. But odd occurrences demonstrated that she was still indeed present. After escorting his brother and sister to the treeline of the clearing, she vanished. Occasionally, a gash would appear on the manticore's body. On the front legs, then the side. She must have some cloaking ability, Ivan concluded. Going for the weak points; smart. But the tail is probably giving her problems. She should be careful… Now on all fours, the manticore was extremely mobile, which posed another difficulty for one in such close quarters.

But the blonde girl wasn't the focus of Ivan's watchful eye; it was Thalia and Percy.

Thalia and Percy were both competent on their own. That's the highest compliment Ivan could give them based on what he saw unfolding before him. Thalia was fierce. She had the potential to be great. Her forms were decent, and her offensive strikes were good. That shield of hers is helping her a lot. Her stances were grounded when they needed to be, and yet she was still agile enough to evade attacks she couldn't block. She knows she can't stand head on against him without being worn out.

Percy as well, was managing fairly. A conventional sword and shield user, though his shield had become damaged from the spikey projectiles. Ivan would describe Percy as… well-rounded. Hmm… he's not bad. Maybe lose the shield; he'd be a lot more agile and quick to manoeuvre. Maybe he's not too used to it.

Alone they'd handle most normal monsters just fine. However, the manticore was not exactly normal. And together, they were… clumsy. The two looked like they couldn't make up their minds between overwhelming the manticore together or surrounding him and trying a tag-team approach. There's not enough non-verbal communication, Ivan observed. They're not too experienced in fighting together. They appeared to be more of a hindrance than help to one another. They had a long way to go.

The helicopter showed. Reinforcements. "Get ready, girl." Ivan said.

Lily glanced back towards him, looking for confirmation. Ivan gave his nod of approval.

Lily assumed a crouching position, as if she was ready to pounce. After a letting out a low growl, she leapt from the shadows, from the trees and emerged from coverage. Ivan made use of his ring and summoned a spear from the mist and hurled it at the helicopter's fuel tank. The spark of metal on metal, combined with the flammable fuel caused the helicopter to explode in a magnificent, fiery spectacle.

Whilst she was still airborne, Ivan leapt from her back.

Lily landed on top of the blonde girl in a protective stance, growling aggressively, before letting out a deafening bark.

Ivan then summoned his weapons of choice; a stygian iron katana in his right hand and a wakizashi in his left. He descended upon the manticore with an overhead strike, who looked up in surprise and shock.

/ / /

Why won't this guy tire? Percy thought. He and Thalia had been attacking him for minutes now, and the fight was still going.

Percy admitted it; he was a fool for ever thinking he could take on the manticore alone, without help. Even now with his allies alongside him, he struggled.

He was drained, but he knew he had to keep fighting. His limbs ached, and his head throbbed. His body screamed for him to succumb to exhaustion, but he fought with his mind to keep pressing forward.

Suddenly, Thalia was knocked backwards, and lost her shield.

"No!" Percy shouted in desperation. He got them all into this mess. If need be, it'd be his life he would lay down to save them all. It was the least he could do. Percy ran with all his might to reach Thalia and used what little of his shield was left to guard her from the next attack.

It all seemed futile. Sandwiched between a hostile helicopter and a frighteningly strong adversary, all Percy could do was stand his ground, wince, close his eyes and wait for impact. All seemed lost.

Just then, an explosion behind him. A low, earth vibrating growl and an ear shattering bark. A surprised gasp from the manticore in front of him. Percy dared to open his eyes slowly and peak out from behind his battered and broken shield. The manticore was no longer facing him and Thalia; something else had attracted his attention.

/ / /

Argh my ears! Annabeth rolled on the ground clutching her ears. Her ears where ringing, but it sounded like… a bark?

Annabeth slowly opened her eyes. What was going on? Annabeth was confused. Where'd this huge… wolf? Where'd it come from? Currently it loomed over her, but it didn't seem to be paying her any attention.

Unsure whether the wolf was friend or foe, she hurriedly composed herself, rolled out from beneath it and ran to Grover and the di Angelos. They all stood still with their mouths slightly ajar in surprise, Bianca clinging to Nico. Grover's eyes were wide; he was dumbfounded. The di Angelos too, though, there's was more subtle. Additionally, they held a look resembling familiarity. Annabeth noticed their expressions and followed their gaze. And there: a figure in mostly black, crouched with two blades down towards the Earth.

An overhead strike…? From above? Annabeth looked up and around them; all she could see were trees. What is happening?

/ / /

The manticore managed to side-step the aerial strike a split second before Ivan's blades hit the ground.

"Who are you?!" the beast demanded.

Ivan rose from his crouched position. He didn't bother addressing the question. "I've seen enough." He looked to Percy and Thalia, who were still in a compromised position. "You two; head back to the others behind Lily."

Percy gulped and nodded. He helped Thalia up and supporting her, helped her to safety.

"I ASKED WHO YOU WERE!" The beast was enraged. To prove his point, he sent a volley of poisoned spikes in Ivan's direction.

Ivan turned his body sideways and allowed the spikes to pass with ease.

Finally making eye contact with the manticore, he answered "If you must know, my name's Ivan."

Dr Thorn was tense. Ivan's strike came dangerously close to fatally wounding him. He would need to be wary of the swordsman. "And what is it you think you're doing, Ivan?"

"Well, you killing the half-bloods wasn't exactly how I envisioned this afternoon going…" Ivan let the sentence trail off. Resting the back of his katana on his shoulder, he pointed his wakizashi at Dr Thorn. "I'm here to put you down so that doesn't happen."

"You dare…" the tone was menacing. Dr Thorn crouched low, ready to pounce.

No one spoke a word. They were both waiting for each other to make the first move.

Growing impatient, Dr Thorn let out a massive roar and rushed Ivan. Ivan too, rushed forward to meet him.

Approaching the point where they would collide, Dr Thorn lunged forward, swiping both of his claws from overhead. Ivan stopped to parry the blow with his katana and stepped through with his left foot to strike with his secondary weapon.

The manticore tried to catch the blade in his mouth, but Ivan quickly retracted his blade and brought down his sword upon the manticore's head as he descended, slicing off an ear.

Primal cries could be heard in response to the pain. Dr Thorn tried swiping at his legs, but Ivan stepped up on to his back and ran through, slicing the tip off the manticore's tail upon dismounting.

More screams sounded. Ivan quickly faced the manticore and hurled his offhand weapon towards the manticore like a throwing knife. Dr Thorn noticed this and quickly deflected it with his paw. The blade fell to the floor, the sound muffled by the snow.

It was a ruse. While the manticore was distracted with protecting his face, Ivan took the opportunity to closely follow his blade and succeed it with a dual-handed, downward-diagonal strike. This landed and it left a long cut running from Dr Thorn's right temple to the lower-left jaw region.

The battle, which was mostly one-sided, continued. Ivan had, for the most part, mainly been counterattacking in response to Dr Thorn's desperate attempts to overcome him. Now that Ivan had the chance to fight the monster first-hand and gauge his habits, he began to take on a more offensive strategy. Ivan initiated one swift strike after another. He didn't give the manticore a chance to block or evade. If swordsmanship was an art, and it was in a sense, then Ivan was a painter. Where his scintillating black blade stuck, blood followed; like the paint appearing on a canvas after the stroke of a brush.

Dr Thorn managed to make some space between them. He was heavily wounded and breathing hard, whilst Ivan was unharmed, letting out deep, controlled breaths. The two stared at one another and were about to re-engage when the sound of a battle horn cut through the silence. Flocks of birds fled from the treetops.

/ / /

"No… it cannot be…" The monster looked alarmed.

Ivan too, was shocked. He knew what that horn meant. Just as quickly as the surprise had settled in, composure returned to his expression. That horn… The Hunters. So that means… is she…?

A barrage of silver arrows flew unannounced towards them from the woods. Ivan drew a scutum from the mist to absorb the arrows, whilst Dr Thorn grabbed a door of the helicopter debris that had been strewn across the ground when it exploded. After the assault was over, a troop of teenaged girls made their way into the clearing from where the arrows originated, all with their bows drawn. They stood in two rows, with the front row crouching and the other one standing behind them.

Another pair of huntresses approached from the woods. These two were different. One of them would no doubt be mistaken for a child by any commoner, and the other looked like Grecian royalty; a silver crown sat ornately around her forehead. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

"No! You cannot!" the manticore protested. "The ancient laws forbid it!"

"Not so." It was the young girl who spoke this time. "There is no living creature roaming this Earth that is beyond my domain. I deem what is prey." For one who appeared so young, she spoke with authority. "Permission granted, Zoe."

Ivan silently retreated a few paces. With The Hunters here the manticore was surely beaten. It didn't matter who put an end to it; just so long as it was done. Even though Ivan had interceded first and Dr Thorn was his prey more than it was theirs, he had no interest in making an enemy of The Goddess of the Hunt. His actions weren't motivated by reverence or fear, but rather out of indebtedness. Ivan also took this opportunity to reluctantly scan the band of hunters. He was looking for her. And it was her he found.

Coppery hair and cobalt eyes adorned a face peppered lightly with freckles. Her determined expression and furrowed eyebrows were accentuated by her sharp jawline and high cheekbones.

"Fire!" The command brought Ivan back to the present as the manticore was littered with arrows. He howled in anguish and frantically dived off the cliff into the obscure fog in the chasm below.

The Hunters lowered their bows. Zoe approached surveyed the survivors. "Five half-bloods, a wolf and a satyr, my lady. And…" she trailed off when studying Ivan. She didn't quite know what to make of him.

The rest of the campers bore a range of expressions. Thalia looked annoyed, but everyone else appeared bewildered.

"Lady Artemis." Ivan bowed his head for a moment as the auburn-haired girl approached. He stood straight again and looked down into a pair of silver eyes.

"Hello, Ivan." Artemis replied. "It has been a long while."

I feel like battle sequences are another thing I need to work on. It's just one of those things that's hard to gauge when you've described a scene in enough detail, or whether it's something you can leave a bit vague and up to the reader's imagination. I'm convinced the answer lies somewhere in the middle, but I'm still looking for that balance.

Initially thought of submitting this as two separate chapters, but I couldn't find a good place to segment them. I was also planning to take this entry all the way to Apollo's arrival in the books, but I feel like here's a good place to cap it off. But anyways, I hope it was worth reading.