Author's Note: A hefty chapter for you all! As always, loving the reviews and questions so don't be shy! Some action and tension to keep them hearts racing!
BTW, question at the end of the chapter I would love answered so please read that.
Disclaimer: I only own the plot
Several Days Later, Jason
The primordial of light cracked a slight grin as he watched the sight before him. Just over the open courtyard of the Temple of Primordials, Andromeda was currently helping her daughter master her flight skills. Andy was currently at her godly form as Raven flew around her, practicing dives and barrel rolls under the careful observation of her mother. So far she had gotten a good handle on herself, even if the start had been rather rocky but between Percy and Andy, Raven had progressed quickly and had already shown talent in wielding swords much like her father.
Raven had also wormed her way into the heart of the council members within hours, being simply too adorable and bubbly to the point that Rhea nearly hugged the stuffing out of her. Though Jason was a little worried when said goddess got a mischievous glint in her eyes as she looked to Percy. Hestia wasn't far off either and now that the queens had only started collecting their pounds of flesh from their new fiancé, their attention was turned towards the war and any possible mischief at Percy's expense for the time being.
Speaking of pound of flesh, Jason glanced over his shoulder and looked out past the edge of the mountain to see a nearly hundred meter trench still marring the view with trees and boulders crushed around it. That had been the first payment when Rhea walked out with Andy and slugged her across the cheek with enough force to launch her like a canon. Hell, even days later Andy was still sporting that shiner along her right cheek. His shivered at the thought of what other possible punishments the queens would enact until they allowed Andy to officially marry and consummate said union.
He shook his head with a rueful smile as he glanced back and noticed his friend arriving, his own fanged grin being ironically bright for the god of Darkness.
"Percy," he greeted.
"Jason," Percy returned as he stepped beside him and looked up fondly at his fiancé and daughter.
"Ready to head out?" Jason asked as he noted the sun's descent.
A predatory smirk was the answer as Percy opened and clenched his hands.
"The pack is in positon, all they need is some timely Deus ex Machina," he returned as they both looked to Raven and Andy, who'd returned to mortal size, as the pair descended towards them.
"Papa!" Raven shouted in glee as she tackle-hugged her father in the chest, getting a hearty chuckle from Percy as he returned the embrace. "Did you see that? I finally got my flying down!"
"Yes and good job, hatchling," he teased making Raven blush and pout. Leave it to Percy to find a way to annoy someone within days of meeting them. "Anyways, I'm going to be heading out."
"Aww, do you have to?" Raven asked with big eyes that Percy expertly avoided by focusing on Andy, leaning over Raven to give Andy a quick peck of a kiss.
"See you all later," he said with a wink before dissolving into shadows before Raven could react, otherwise she would have used her new abilities to hitch a ride with him.
Dotting father and clingy daughter, what a pair indeed. Chaos save whatever poor fool or girl tries to get Raven's attention in the future. Girl was practically the princess of the mountain at the moment and had several overly powerful parents, uncles, and aunts all too willing to skin possible suitors alive. Still, Raven was already maturing and within the next week or so she would probably come into the fully adult mindset necessary for her purpose. She was her mother's guardian after all. Born with the necessary powers and already fully blessed, all that was left was getting her proper attire and weapons before she was set loose.
Still, for now he gave a cheery wave to the mother and daughter pair before dissolving into light particles. His world distorted around him for all of five seconds before he solidified again in the House of Primordials, near the balcony overlooking the planet below them. He quickly spotted his sister sitting comfortably on the edge, her bow, Genesis, held lazily across her lap.
"Is it time?" she asked without turning to face him, her face set in stone as her eyes narrowed over the continental US.
"Percy's already left to meet up with his pack," Jason supplied as he stepped up beside his sister and looked down at the world. "It would be so easy, you know," he idly murmured as he looked at the silent globe while his sister glanced at him. "To just attack from here and destroy them all," he continued as a spear of white lightning formed in his hand as his eyes landed on Olympus, the clouds doing little to block his sight.
"Yeah but it looks like we're keeping to the moral high grounds rather than going with Armageddon mode," Thalia replied with a finishing snort while Jason rolled his eyes. Sure, they were better than the Olympians at this point, but a moral high ground, there was not. "Don't worry, you'll get to shoot good old Olympus out of the sky … eventually."
"Speaking of shooting things out of the sky," Jason continued as he tracked the little sliver dot currently heading out over Missouri.
"Way ahead of you," Thalia returned as she leveled Genesis, a narrow bolt of lightning forming a notched arrow.
"Remember, shock and awe. We want there to be survivors … mostly,' he commented idly.
"Makes me wonder if it would be more merciful to just take them all out in one shot. Are we sure pushing Artemis into a corner this far will be best?"
"One, ancient laws still apply. Artemis is fair game but intentionally targeting her hunters without a challenge or them attacking first is a big no … unless you pass it off as a freak lightning strike."
"We declared war though so hostilities are open," she returned with a quirked eyebrow.
"It's the principle of the matter," he refuted while doing his best to down his embarrassed blush. Forgetting the war loophole of all things! "Anyways, two, the idea isn't elimination just yet. Cutting the numbers down sure but it's the moral we're going after. It will make her more dangerous, sure, but also enrage her beyond thinking rationally. That and being one of the pillar goddesses in time of war, her temper will have worse results on her own allies," he replied as he formed many, smaller bolts of white lightning as he picked out his targets.
Best not to have the other Olympians jump in for back up. What better way than numerous attacks on possible key points for them such as the locations of hidden weapon stores, armories, and currently empty spots within the camps?
With that thought, the siblings watched as the silver dot kept moving westward, zipping past some clouds and over cities without any form of protection.
"Just before she reaches the Rockies, right?" Thalia asked as she started to pull her arrow back.
"Mhm," he hummed as he narrowed his eyes and spread the mini bolts further apart. "Wait for it … oh, an try not to one-shot Artemis out of this whole war either."
"…" Thalia grumbled something about patience and his unnecessary talking making him smirk slightly.
"Don't miss," he quipped just as Artemis was leaving the border of Kansas and into Colorado.
Thalia released the shot with a whip like crack, the bolt parting through the atmosphere and the few clouds in that way.
"That's the thing little bro," Thalia said as she gave him a sidelong glance. "… I don't miss."
Hunter (Kelly)
Kelly squinted her eyes as the winds pulled at her hair, standing right behind Artemis as her new lieutenant of the Hunt. Artemis kept her sight forward on the reigns, constantly urging her reindeer to go faster even as half the Hunt gripped that mere ropes along the edges of the sleigh in death grips. As they passed over the middle of nowhere, otherwise known as Kansas, Kelly couldn't help but get a troubled feeling.
Ever since that meeting just days ago Olympus and the camps had been a wreck. Anyone having even a slightly positive view of Ares (the amount actually surprised her) were akin to rabid dogs at the moment, and plenty were calling for justice on Lady Hestia's behalf as well. Having Deimos bedridden and in shock for two straight days, having lost his shield arm and driving Phobos into a rage had only increased the panic and near hysteria. Now the gods were trying to rapidly move the demigods to one location, having chosen that Camp Jupiter and New Rome were far more suitable.
However, not wanting to risk possible exhaustion through flashing all the campers and supporting satyrs when attacks from Umbra could come at any minute, the gods had each taken turns making trips with campers. Artemis and Apollo having some of the fastest none teleportation methods of the present gods had made a schedule to alternate on their nightly trips. That was why along with the 22 hunters, there was also nearly 15 added campers on Artemis' extended sleigh. Now though they were out and in the open, and Kelly was not liking how her gut decided pulling crunches at this time was in anyway helpful.
"My lady!" she called over the roaring winds, though luckily Artemis heard her somehow.
"Yes?" she asked with a glance over her shoulder, her once empty blue-silver eyes burning with indignant fury ever since being speared through by Umbra.
"How much longer will it be before we arrive?" she asked, wanting to get out of the open skies as soon as possible.
"Less than an hour," she replied before turning to face the battering winds.
Kelly bit her lower lip as she glanced back again, making sure none of the campers (females obviously) had somehow fallen off in the time it took for that small exchange. Wouldn't be the first time someone, usually a new hunter, fell off during a ride on the sleigh.
However, her inspections were cut short as she heard a distant rumble overhead. It seemed that Artemis heard it too as both looked up only for their eyes to widen at bolt heading their way.
"Get down!" Artemis roared over the winds as she violently jerked the reigns to turn out of the way … too late.
"Artemis!" she screamed as the bolt struck right through the front of the sleigh, grazing the goddess' right side and destabilizing the sleigh. Several of the hunters and campers screamed as Artemis, bleeding from her right side with her right arm hanging limp, trying to regain the reigns but it was no use as the sleigh took a dive with the panicking deer.
Kelly watched in horror as the beginnings of the Rockies and forest rapidly approached them, her stomach dropping and ears popping painfully at the sudden drop in pressure. The crack of wood and metal tipped her off that the sleigh wouldn't hold much longer as it was, some of the deer pulling off when their harnesses were strained beyond hold. 'We're gonna die,' Kelly suddenly thought as she looked at the ground less than a thousand feet away and getting closer. They were going too fast and Artemis couldn't pull them up.
Only enough she felt no fear at the realization, only cold resignation and detachment. Her last moments were amusement of all things as Artemis suddenly turned to her, horror flashing in her eyes, before the goddess pulled her into a tight embrace. Kelly smiled at that, almost remembering the days when Artemis was so much kinder before the second Giant War's conclusion.
"It was an honor my lady …"
Crash!
"…p"
"…"
"K… ne … ease!"
"…mm …"
"Ke … up!"
"… w-wha—?"
Kelly's eyes blurred open as something roughly shook her shoulder. It took all of three seconds before the pain of having her form shaken registered as she gasped, only for more pain to flare. Whoever was shaking her luckily stopped as Kelly blinked back the tears and tried to get ahold of her surroundings. She noticed that while being shaken she had been moved into a sitting up position and reclining against a tree, the beat up face of Sahara, another hunter, looked at her in worry.
"Kelly?" Sahara asked hesitantly as she wriggled her hands nervously, her own forehead bleeding over the left side.
"Yes?" she replied, wincing as she adjusted slightly before tenderly placing her hand just below her left breast and gasped slightly again. At least one broken rib and another fractured.
"Do you think you can stand?" Sahara asked before the brunette glanced over her shoulder. "I think we're trying to group together before moving out and hopefully finding some cover."
Kelly followed her line and sight to see a long trench with broken trees some meters away with hunters and campers alike moving towards Artemis as the goddess splinted the leg for one of the joining campers. It seemed her own injury had healed enough to use both arms but just barely since Kelly could see Artemis grimace with every move of her right side. Kelly then did a quick scan of all the hunters and campers present, marveling at the fact that none seemed to have died.
"Any losses?" she asked as she bit her lip and forced herself to her feet before stumbling until Sahara got underneath her right arm to support her.
"Oddly enough no," Sahara replied with a slight shake of the head before frowning as she looked to the totaled sleigh. "It's weird though. The ground around that trench the sleigh made was soft … unusually so."
"Not enough to avoid the broken bones though," Kelly muttered as they limped together towards the group.
They reached them in a minute or so, Kelly cursing her injuries all the while though thankful that her apparent end had not come just yet. Maybe she could get another hug after this was all over? That sounded nice.
Still, the hunters stood silently as Artemis finished with the camper who was then supported by another older looking camper. Thank goodness none that came were younger than 13—hunters withstanding considering all current members were at least a decade old or more since joining the Hunt—but now they needed to get a move on. One bolt came down and there was nothing saying another couldn't follow soon.
"Everyone gathered?" Artemis called as she looked them over, her parka matted with ichor and a new cut running the length of her left thigh.
She got murmurs of agreement from all. Plenty of bruises and some broken bones but all travel worthy as far as demigods went. Artemis nodded on approval before she tilted her head up and narrowed her eyes at the sky in the mountain's direction. She kept staring for a minute as the girls got restless before she muttered, "Something isn't right."
Before Kelly could even ask there was another bolt of lightning struck making plenty of the girls shriek before rain started pouring on them. Kelly stared up at the newly formed rain clouds in shock, knowing that it had been clear not even a minute ago. There was no way this downpour wasn't divine in nature but who the Hades!?
"Did something make Lord Zeus angry?" Sahara asked beside her as she furiously blinked away the rain batting at their eyes.
"This wasn't father," Artemis answered for her as she looked around, her bow already in hand.
At once all the hunters, even Kelly though the pain was practically killing her, drew their bows with arrows at the ready. The campers present also pulled out their weapons, mainly swords and some bows, as they circled up but the rain was being a bitch to see through. Nothing could be heard aside from the rain as well and with every second passing the temperature kept dropping. 'Wait, colder?' she wondered as she breathed out and saw her breath misting over.
Before she could question it there was a loud thud making her jump as she looked at Artemis' feet to see a pitch black arrow missing her foot by inches. Artemis aimed her bow in the direction the arrow came from and let loose a silvery arrow. The other hunters aimed in that direction but they couldn't see more than a dozen or so feet in any direction with the rain and dark clouds eating up all the light.
"D-did you get it?" one of the campers asked nervously while holding a bronze sword in trembling hands.
Another arrow passing close enough to cut the cheek of the girl who'd spoken was the answer to that. More arrows soon followed as the girls ducked and covered but they couldn't pinpoint where the arrows were coming from.
"Run! We're too open!" Artemis ordered as she fired a salvo into the direction of the black arrows.
The hunters hesitated but Artemis sent them a writhing glare that got them moving along with the campers in the middle of them. As them moved Kelly glanced back to her mistress along with Sahara only for their eyes to widen as they saw a black blur come out from the trees on her blindside.
"Lady Artemis!" they screamed as a horse sized black wolf bodily tackled the goddess into another patch of tightly packed trees, their forms being hidden in the rain and darkness.
Sahara pulled to a stop and was about to turn but Kelly grabbed her shoulder and jerked her forward.
"We have to help her!" Sahara shouted but Kelly was having none of it.
"Our lady can handle one oversize mutt! We need to move like she said and she'll catch up," Kelly returned as she started to move again, fighting through the pain as they caught up to the larger group of girls keeping pace for the campers, Sahara following close behind.
"Stick together!" she shouted over the downpour as the girls burst through thick foliage and ducked around trees.
They moved in near silence for over ten minutes as Kelly kept glancing around to see if Artemis had caught up but there was no sign of the goddess.
Boom!
Kelly stumbled slightly as the earth and forest shook around them, her eyes darting back to the direction of Artemis but before she could voice any concerns her blood ran cold as she noticed several large black blurs moving just within the fields of her vision. 'A pack,' she thought in horror as she turned to the group of girls that had paused with the sudden miniature earthquake.
"Keep moving, there are wolves on our tail!" she shouted, getting several alarmed looks as the girls started to really haul ass.
Kelly fell into the back as she kept an arrow notched and watched their flanks but then a hunter screamed as she fell to the side, a black arrow buried in her side. Before anyone could go to help her, the hunter was silenced as another arrow buried itself in her throat, the sound of the hunter—Natalie if Kelly could see right—gurgling and drowning in her own blood sounding oddly clear even through the rain and occasional thunder clap.
More arrows followed forcing the tightly knit group to disperse into clumps or alone, many shouting in freight and some firing random arrows back into the trees. Kelly was back-to-back with Sahara, the younger hunter trembling as she looked around wildly. Kelly turned her attention to an enraged shout and saw another one of their hunters standing a few meters away while firing up into the tree tops.
"Dana, over here!" Kelly called to her, getting the blonde hunters attention.
The hunter nodded and ran at them, taking all of three steps before a black blur tackled her right into the bushes across from Kelly and Sahara.
"Dana!" they both screamed as they ran to the thrashing bushes and Dana's screaming.
Kelly tripped over some mud though and fell to her knees just a few feet away, looking at the bushes before water suddenly splashed in her face along with Dana's screams being cut off. She furiously wiped away at the liquid only to notice it was leaving her eyesight hazy. She glanced at her hand wondering if there had been mud on it only to stop cold at the sight. That hadn't been water splashed into her face, but blood. She looked back to the now silent bush, one bloodied and dirty hand sticking out from under the leaves but nothing else.
Kelly swallowed thickly as she turned away from the bush and looked to the others girls, her own hands shaking on her bow. A quick count of the hunters she could see already told her at least three were missing and another was pinned by the forehead to the tree right behind her. More arrows rained down as the girls started to well and truly panic, making them run again as another hunter was picked off with an arrow to the knee. Kelly glanced back only to see two wolves pounce on the girl and drag her into the shadows as she screamed and cried for help … but they couldn't do anything already.
Kelly's attention was brought forward again, seeing as their numbers started to dwindle before a searing pain in her right shoulder made her cry out and buckle to the left, knocking Sahara down with her. They both fell to a halt, getting separated from the routed group of hunters and demigods.
"Kelly!" Sahara shouted as she moved around to see the arrow buried right in her shoulder along the rotator cuff. "This looks back," she muttered while Kelly resisted screaming 'No shit!' She grit her teeth through it though, having suffered far worse pain in her two centuries of being a hunter.
Sahara didn't give her a warning though as she grabbed the shaft and pulled it with a meaty squelch as Kelly couldn't stop the scream this time around. Sahara cringed at it as she tossed the damn arrow away before holding Kelly while trying to check the opening.
"Oh no," Sahara gasped in horror making Kelly look at her in further alarm. Catching her eye, Sahara swallowed before murmuring, "You're … freezing."
Kelly could have sworn her heart paused for a good three seconds as she digested those words, the gravity of her situation setting in along with probable shock leaving her numb to the once blaring pain. She couldn't even speak as she slowly looked at her shoulder while pulling back the torn sleeve of her parka, seeing the already blueish flesh of the hole left by the arrow and watched it slowly spread like a living virus eating at her skin.
She'd gotten the accounts from Athena just the other night when the goddess came to the camp to tell the campers the plan and answered questions about Deimos and Percy's sword. If this was the same curse…
Seemingly reading her thoughts Sahara brought out a knife, the silvery edge glinting with a sudden crack of lightning as her fellow hunter's eyes narrowed with determination.
"What are you…?"
"Cutting the cursed flesh out," Sahara replied as she aimed the knife point.
"Are you crazy!?" Kelly shouted as she backed away. "The arrow went to the deep muscle, there's no way we're getting that out!"
"I'm not losing you too!" Sahara returned with a desperate glint in her eyes.
"I'm already dead!" Kelly shouted back, tears streaming down her face. "Just go and catch up with the others before it's too late!"
Sahara shock her head as her lips started to quiver, the knife falling out of her grip.
"No," she whimpered as Kelly tried to shove her to move.
"Why!? You have a chance, just go!" Kelly shouted at her but Sahara shock her head again. "Why are you staying with me!?" She just couldn't get this girl. It was one thing if she was just hurt and needed help moving, it was another being afflicted with a freezing curse that even Apollo couldn't heal.
"I won't …" Sahara murmured as she griped Kelly's shoulders, making the lieutenant look into her light blue eyes. "I won't leave you because I lo—"
Squelch!
Kelly blinked. And then blinked again, the sight not properly registering in her mind as she looked at Sahara. Said hunter was looking wide eyed back at her, her face paling as blood started to pour through her parted lips. As if in sync both looked down to see a black-scaled tail of all things impaled just below her sternum, through her back and out her front.
Sahara coughed slightly as the tail end twitched before slowly rising, taking Sahara with it as Kelly watched in numbed shock, unable to even muster the strength to grab her down bow or even move more than looking at her fellow hunter.
The long black tail curled around as it held the hunter up to a tree just above them, the body of it going into the shadows of the leaves before a low, near seductive giggle rang through even the sound of the rain. Kelly watched in horror as a woman's upper body connected to the snake body at the hips leaned out of the tree. Black hair cascading down to her back, deep blue eyes with narrowed pupils, a small grin with glinting fangs, all decorating a flawlessly creamy skin. Topped with a black corset that teased bountiful cleavage and a large black bow in hand.
A beautiful death if ever there was one.
Kelly watched as the monster any demigod should recognize, Lamia, pulled Sahara in and gave the hunter a full on kiss. She watched, minutely aware that her entire right arm was useless and the frostbite was spreading to her collarbone. She watched as Sahara's skin paled at the lips to a light blue with black streaks at a far faster rate than the curse left by the arrow. Within seconds the frostbite spread and from underneath Sahara's parka what was visible of her belly and arms was already freezing. It took no more than a minute until Lamia pulled back from the kiss, idly licking the blood acquired on her own lips before looking to Kelly and smirking.
"I guess one little kiss was a too much for the pretty hunter," Lamia teased before glancing at the frozen corpse still impaled on her tail. "Oh well, she wasn't much anyways."
With that Lamia dismissively looked away as her tail flexed, shattering Sahara at the middle and leaving her halves to crash onto the floor and breaking into even smaller chunks.
"What about you lieutenant?" Lamia asked her as she lowered herself more after glancing at the little tiara still somehow on Kelly's head.
Kelly couldn't find a voice to reply as a number of wolves suddenly came from within the trees, each at least as large as a horse if not larger. All had icy blue eyes and oddly enough white fangs tipped with the same blue coloration. Again that resignation, the very same as when they were falling from the skies, came to her. Detached, devoid of dignity or pride in her last moments with her body beginning to shot down.
"My lady will come for revenge," Kelly murmured as the last of her strength simply started to seep away as the cold came to claim her.
Lamia leaned even closer, the sweet scent of mint wafting through her lips as she looked into Kelly's eyes.
"That's what we're hoping for," she whispered as her tail reared up again, the end pointed straight at Kelly's head. "But don't worry, you'll be seeing your sisters again … in Tartarus."
Lamia's tail lunged forward and Kelly knew no more…
Artemis, Minutes Earlier
She shot arrow after arrow into the downpour, her godly sense being the only way she knew an enemy was even in the direction of the mountain. Still, even with her sight she could not make out more than blurred figures looking relatively humanoid. She could hear her hunters already running as she ordered. 'Now I can focus on finding our attacker,' she thought grimly.
"Artemis!"
The goddess glanced back to see why her lieutenant had called out to her but her eyes widened as a massive black wolf tackled her. The wind was knocked out of her as she was sent tumbling through the trees. Pain flared through her injured side but she managed to push through it as she straightened herself in midair and landed on her feet even as the momentum carried her several more feet.
Once at a stop she dematerialized her bow in favor of drawing her silver knives, each one measuring close to two feet and screaming for blood. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the wolf that had tackled her, unable to shake the feeling that the wolf was familiar somehow. Unlike Umbra, who'd been pure black and had gleaming, icy blue eyes, this she-wolf had yellow-silvery eyes and red fringes along her back and sides. However the power coming off the wolf was nothing to scoff at. Hell, she was ashamed that she failed to notice the presence of such an obviously strong threat.
The she-wolf ducked her head and growled, the sound making the small clearing they were in to rumble as the downpour seemed to increase and the temperature dropped to the point even Artemis was getting uncomfortable. They stared off for several seconds before the she-wolf suddenly stopped the growl and just lunged without preamble. Artemis wasn't the mistress of the Hunt for nothing though as she rolled out of the wolf's way and got back into position.
The moment the wolf landed Artemis attacked, swinging her knives in a deadly arc but the she-wolf showed incredible agility for being so large, pivoting on her back paws and jumping just an inch too far off the knife edges. The she-wolf didn't stop there as she lunged with an open maw to which Artemis swung her right knife at. To her shock the she-wolf reacted in time and bit down on the knife, stopping it dead as the pair locked eyes.
If it hadn't been for the clearly life-or-death struggle going on Artemis would have stopped to contemplate the absolute contempt within the she-wolf's eyes. It was as if she'd done some unspeakable horror to the wolf, like murder her pups or something. She couldn't have time to think on it though as the she-wolf bit down harder and much to Artemis' shock, started to form cracks on her daggers. Those were Atlantian silver gifted to her by her uncle and nothing short of two gods clashing at full force should have been able to so much as chip them.
Thinking quickly she struck with her other knife but the she-wolf let go before the knife could run through her head but not fast enough to avoid Artemis lashing out with a kick, nailing the she-wolf in the chest. The blow sent the she-wolf careening through a few trees as Artemis pursued it, intent on finishing it as quickly as possible. She caught sight of the she-wolf quick enough and lunged with her undamaged knife, intent on stabbing the recovering wolf.
Her perception allowed her to see as the knife edge sliced through the falling rain as the she-wolf looked up with widening eyes, as if realizing the opening and preparing to evade. But it was too late and a grin broke Artemis' face as she watched with glee as the knife got closer. A foot … eight inches … four inches … 1 in—Clang!
Artemis could only blink dumbly, barely registering an obsidian black knife just barely blocking her own knife before a boot covered leg slammed into her gut. She gasped with the explosion of pain as she was sent skidding back and looked to who interrupted her attack only to stare in surprise.
Feral green eyes within a coppery toned face, glossy black hair instead of the pit of vipers it was cursed to be, dressed in a tight, sleeveless back dress barely reaching mid-thigh. Thigh-high, heeled leather boots and elbow length gloves with equally obsidian bracers on her forearms, and lastly, two pitch black, barbed blades connected to a smooth chain.
"Medusa …?" she asked in shocked surprise.
The monster in human form didn't give her a response, instead glancing back to the recovered she-wolf.
"You still lack enough experience Lupa," she said, shocking Artemis yet again as she looked at the she-wolf in a new light. "You forget that Artemis belongs to a significantly higher tier of opponents than what you've faced alone in either of your forms."
The revealed Lupa lowered her ears before she was consumed in shadows only to step out as a human in a similar dress and armor to Medusa without the knives. Artemis noted how similar the pair looked now and even their signatures, both of which were heavily divine now that she had a moment to really study them. 'But that means … Lupa's a traitor,' Artemis thought with rising fury.
How dare she!? After everything Artemis did for her, saving her from the council millennia ago and not revealing her human form lest she be taken and passed around the mountain like a cheap whore. And for what, this betrayal!? No! She would not let this insult stand. If the bitch wanted to run off to some damn demon or whatever the Hades Umbra is, fine, Artemis will send her in a match box!
With that in mind, Artemis started to gather her essence into her core. She felt her body toughen, her injuries healing faster, her strength and speed increasing as her body started to glow. That got both Medusa and Lupa's attention and Artemis couldn't help but smirk at them, getting ready to show them why you don't piss off a goddess of her caliber. She kept gathering her essence and was already past the half point until suddenly she felt a barrier she hadn't noticed before increase in strength.
As soon as the barrier became apparent she was cut off from increasing her power anymore and regardless of how hard she tried she couldn't call in more power. She even lost contact with her roman form, Diana, which was waiting for her in New Rome. She tried flashing and to her horror, that was cut off as well. By the matching grins Lupa and Medusa were sporting, they knew it as well.
"Looks like master has decided to spring the trap," Medusa purred as she took a step forward. "Go and meet with our lord Lupa, I'll handle the goddess."
Lupa looked like she wanted to protest but they tilted her head as if to hear something better. She pouted suddenly and then, much to Artemis' confusion, dissolved into shadows leaving her alone with Medusa.
"So … ready to play?" Medusa asked as she lazily twirled one of her blades by the chain.
"Do you really think you can face me, monster?" Artemis asked as she readied her knives. She may have been cut off from her full power but she'd still managed to get over half.
"I don't think," Medusa quipped before suddenly lunging forward in a burst of shadow only to materialize in front of Artemis. "I know…"
Quicker than Artemis expected, Medusa slammed a fist into Artemis' gut doubling her over and making her spit up ichor but Medusa wasn't anywhere finished with that. The very force of the blow blew the rain away around them before Medusa kept pushing up and unceremoniously launched Artemis skyward. She only got to glance up at the dark and stormy clouds before she felt a bitingly cold chain wrap around her waist. She couldn't even see before she was violently tugged down only to meet the unforgivingly hard ground.
Boom!
A the size of a small pool formed around Artemis along with setting off a miniature earthquake, her entire body screaming in protest of the pain as her vision went in and out of focus. She could hear her own blood pumping, water pooling around her as she fought through the pain to take stock of her injuries. A flash of pain in her lower back was not a good sign at all.
"Hello?" Medusa called mockingly as she leaned over the edge and looked at Artemis with unrestrained glee. "Don't tell me that was all you had Arty. For shame. Keep this up and there won't be a Hunt left to go back to."
What did she—?
Artemis gasped as she felt it. One of her hunters just died. She focused on her link to them for a moment and that was all she needed to feel their panic and fear. There were some in pain too, their desperate prayers for help coming to her before some were violently silence. Artemis felt tears stinging at her eyes before her fury returned as she looked at the grinning Medusa. How dare that bitch taunt her as her hunters were killed!? Her anger knew no bounds as she grit her teeth and started to get up, ignoring her body's protests.
"I'm going to skin you alive," Artemis growled as she forced herself to her feet even as a faint crack sounded from her back.
Her hair was matted with ichor, her clothes in tatters, and one of her knives looked like it was close to breaking … but she didn't care in the slightest. All that mattered was making Medusa suffer so with that in mind, Artemis pumped the power of her gathered essence she'd managed to collect from her core into her muscles and senses. Her body partially healed and strengthened even further with her conscious effort to turn it into offensive capabilities. Her eyes were visibly glowing as she looked at the now stoic Medusa, said monster tightening her grip on her knives.
Artemis kept their gazes locked for another few seconds before her legs twitched. As if dual bullets finally fired, they launched at each other with knives ready. They met in a mighty clash, sparks flying as Artemis glared into the eyes of Medusa. They didn't speak as they separated only for a second before meeting again. Artemis swiped her knives, every strike lethal in nature but Medusa expertly kept tab with each, using not only the knives but the chains to block and deflect every attack.
It was a dance of death with sparks being the only marker of their blades clashing as they moved throughout the clearing. One moment Artemis was ducking as Medusa lashed out with a roundhouse kick, smashing through the tree that had been behind the goddess. The next Artemis recovered brought her knives together into an X fashion to cut Medusa's exposed back but in the nick of time the monster brought a chain up taut, stopping her knives flat. Artemis didn't pause though, even as she felt another hunter die making her angrier.
She rolled to the side avoiding an overhead kick that caused another small explosion of pressure pushing away the rain from the combating duo. 'This is ridiculous!' Artemis thought as her hands shook from holding the knives for so long with the impact. Medusa's strength was about on par with that of Hercules before he became a god, and even then his strength was monstrous. The fact that Medusa was keeping up with her, the strongest goddess of Olympus by a slight margin over Athena, was blood curdling. If Umbra had even a dozen fighters capable of this level of combat, without including himself, then this war was going to be nothing short of a bloodbath.
"Food for thought goddess?" Medusa quipped as she jumped over Artemis and spun around for a kick which Artemis blocked with the back of her wrist. A decision that she was coming to regret quickly judging by the throbbing pain following it.
"Just shut up," she spat venomously as she reversed the grip on her knives and lunged forward, missing Medusa's hip by the skin of her teeth.
"Oh come now, no playful banter?" Medusa asked as she back-flipped out of Artemis' range. "Jeez, so uptight. Tell me, was the eternal maiden thing by choice or was it because no guy could stand you long enough to bother getting into your panties?"
"Shut up!" she bellowed as she threw a wild hook from her right, crushing the boulder that had been behind Medusa.
"Only lover you found was a girl literally stuck with you via oath … can that count as a marriage making you a widow?" Medusa asked with a giggle even as she threw her left knife too quick for Artemis to properly track. It sliced past her shoulder with a chilling sting. "You're so lucky my freezing curse is minor compared to my lord's. How is Deimos by the way?"
Artemis ignored her as she jumped back for some distance before she pressed a hand over the stinging cut, blasting it with a wave of raw divine energy and basically cauterizing the cut while nullifying the curse.
"How did you know about him?" Artemis asked through grit teeth as she returned to a combat pose.
"Oh we have our ways," was the cryptic reply. "Just as we knew that you and your baby brother are planning on running a taxi service for the little whelps."
'They know, how? Is there another traitor?' Artemis wondered before she rushed forward with a flurry of slashes. Medusa parried most but a few got through, cutting Medusa's cheek and the lower end of her ribs to the left side making the monster click her teeth in irritation. Artemis kept the pressure though and jumped, her knee flying forward, forcing Medusa to block it but she was too late and Artemis' knee struck her cheek, the force sending her skidding back.
Artemis landed back with a slight smirk, pleased at finally getting some damage on the monster woman. Medusa was surprisingly strong but in the end, there were gaps in power between the monstrous and divine that Medusa couldn't hope to match. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the other Olympians noticed Artemis disappearing if they hadn't already and breaking down the barrier. Then Artemis would unleash her full fury on Medusa and make sure the bitch wouldn't reform for a century at least.
With that in mind she focused on the oddly silent monster before her eyes widened at the sight. Where she expected the usual dark, nearly black blood of wounded monsters, Medusa's was golden just like hers. Artemis gapped, unable to understand how was it that Medusa had ichor running through her veins.
Too caught up in her surprise she barely noticed that Medusa suddenly closed the distance to her.
"You really shouldn't get distracted little goddess," Medusa said, her voice devoid of the prior mirth.
Before Artemis could react Medusa spun on her heal and delivered a devastating kick to Artemis' gut, an audible snap and pressure wave erupting off the contact before she was launched several meters through trees and rocks alike before finally crashing into the muddy ground. Artemis gasped for air as she turned over and got onto wobbly feet, her head spinning as she started to lean more to her left side. She was about to turn when she screamed as one of Medusa' knives pierced her shin from behind, dropping the goddess to her knees.
She heard Medusa's steps over the rain and tried to muster the strength to stand but after pushing herself to the limits imposed by the barrier, she was nearly spent. She couldn't stop another scream as the knife was violently ripped out before a hand grabbed her hair and yanked her face up.
"My lord," she heard Medusa purr as Artemis forced her eyes open to a surprising sight.
Merely a few feet in front of her was Lupa, still in her human form, but what was more surprising was the tall man besides her looking down at Artemis coldly. He wore a hooded coat reaching to the back of his thighs that seemed to writhe with darkness, only his lower jaw and strange, flaming black eyes with icy pupils were visible to her. Looking into those eyes so full of utter hatred directed at her made her shiver, feeling so weak and vulnerable beneath his gaze.
"Umbra …" she tried to growl but it came out almost as a whimper, unsure of just how she knew but those eyes immediately connected to that name.
He didn't speak, as if she was unworthy of even being acknowledged by him beyond simply being looked at. How it stung her already wounded pride but her body was exhausted at this point, her energy taking a dip with every hunter she felt die. He gave her a once over before shaking his head and turning away, showing Artemis another shocking feature. Feathered wings, so dark that they seemed to drain the last dregs of light left underneath the raging storm, and radiating a cold that even at a slight distance she could feel it numbing her face.
Umbra spread them, squatting his knees slightly before blasting off into the darkened skies and with a mighty beat, burst into darkness without a trace. Artemis kept her eyes on the spot Umbra disappeared before she looked to Lupa as she shuffled closer.
"I don't know whether you are lucky or not that the master didn't want to kill you yet," she said with a sigh before glaring down at Artemis. "But your time will come little hunter," she spat with disgust while raising her fist. "This is for every roman demigod killed before his time thanks to your misguided judgement and that band of barbarians you tug around. Pups that I reared and trained to make New Rome proud. Say high to your family for me."
Then her fist struck Artemis right across the temple, jarring her skull as Medusa released her hair. She fell limp, unable to get back up. She was tired, cold, hurt … and scared. Nearly out of sight she watched as Medusa and Lupa walked away, dissolving into shadow just like their master had. Idly she felt the barrier disappear and only moments later felt the arrival of several Olympians, her father and brother yelling for her. She felt them getting closer, heard their footsteps splashing in the rain and mud, before unconsciousness took her…
Point of View?
From his throne he sat, watching as servants and advisors alike moved about before him. They muttered lowly, none daring to raise their eyes to him … as was their place. Diminutive and weak, but useful in their own ways. Yet, it was the fact that he needed them to act as proxies for the time being that enraged him. Titans, his siblings in a sense, being born after The Cataclysm to his mother, Gaea. At least these ones had some modicum of power and intelligence unlike his other siblings, the Elder Cyclops and Hundred-Handed Ones. To think that their mightiest had been the incomplete fool known as Typhon. Why his mother ever even tolerated the reject's existence he would never know.
At least that was one thing that new council, those usurpers, had done right in ridding the world of that stain. Regardless he would see them cut down soon enough. Their mercy and unwillingness to fight at full power in order to spare the mortal world would be their undoing. For now though, it would simply do to gain some more fodder and maybe a few key individuals. With that in mind he turned his gaze to the far side of his massive throne room, spotting a particular man studying over a world map.
"Koios," he called, his voice booming with authority making the man straighten up and turn to him.
He was tall in his natural form, towering at twenty feet without even assuming his divine form. Coppery skin, startlingly bright green eyes, a trimmed, black beard to match his short cut hair along his sculpted jawline. Broad chested and well-muscled, dressed simply in a white tunic, slacks, and drakon leather boots. Koios, Titanic god of Heavenly Bodies and Intellect, one of his newest and best strategists.
"You called … my lord," Koios replied, looking troubled in having to address him as such.
'No matter, he'll learn proper loyalty soon enough,' the lord thought as he waved the titan over.
"Tell me, how favorable would the previously discussed alliance work?" he asked as he leaned down slightly to loom over the smaller god.
"With the recent attack on the Olympians, it would seem that Poseidon would be more open to negotiation," Koios replied dutifully. "His armies are still gathering though there is rumor of discontent amongst his court and the presence of Oceanus on the edges of his territory is causing a stir with some of the merfolk. Waiting would have two possible outcomes. Either he allies to us and calms his people while focusing on the new council or he goes against which could lead to a civil war if Oceanus pushes further, using the already tense court of sea nobles against Poseidon but that would result in loss of potential forces and resources for us."
"Hmm … what a choice," he murmured as he scratched his long beard, his swirling blue eyes moving to look through the crystal ceiling of his throne room.
Above he could see all manner of sea life swimming across the frigid waters of the north, the occasional whale or monster passing overhead.
"Send an emissary under a white banner and tell Oceanus to come here. We will try to parley but if negotiations fail then we can get a little more … aggressive," he continued before glancing down at Koios.
The titan gave a curt bow and turned to leave, milling through the throngs of servants as they raced about to give maps, messages, and even food to his gathered military heads. He watched this all, his thoughts already planning on how to move Poseidon to his side…
Author's Rant: How was that? Did that get your blood pumping? Hope you all enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed typing it up! A pleasure, Jbubu
Question: Anyone think there are other gods on the Olympian council that deserve to be spared? All will be punished but I've been debated and settle on sparing one goddess.
Guaranteed Death: Artemis, Poseidon, Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus
Possible Death/Severe Punishment: Aphrodite, Hera, Demeter, Hephaestus, Hermes
Spared/Severe Punishment: Athena
Let me hear your thoughts, thanks!
