~ The Goddess Returns ~

SAPHIRA

"Look out!"

A girl's urgent warning reaches Saphira's ears as she rips her knives from a wolf's throat, leaving the beast to melt into shadows. She pivots about and finds herself faced with one of the hyperboreans raising a fist covered in icy spikes, ready to demolish her. With speedy reflexes, she dives forward between the giant's legs, lashing out with her knives to either side to slice the ankles. The hyperborean bellows in pain and stumbles about and flails at her, but she's too nimble for it and easily dances out of range.

Her evasion is a perfect distraction for Thalia and Clarisse to surge in from either flank and drive their spears up into its torso. The giant wails to the sky, its cry of pain getting cut short by the handful of silver arrows materializing in its throat; a volley fired by Chloe and four other girls. Freezing into solid ice as it falls back, the hyperborean crumbles into frozen chunks upon hitting the ground.

"Bring it down!"

Another battle cry rings out from a handful of campers forming another phalanx against the remaining hyperborean. Timber wolves bark and dart in to snap and nip at its feet while hunting falcons flutter around its head to strike at its eyes with their talons, the animal companions of the Hunt doing a fine job of keeping the giant distracted. The demigods jab and poke at the giant with their spears, with some daring enough to charge and swing with their swords. Suddenly the hyperborean retaliates with a billowing breath of frost that has the campers and wolves scattering away, but before it can take advantage of the panic it caused, its met by a spear to the chest. The force of the impalement is enough to have the massive monster staggering backwards, clutching at the shaft of the weapon while blue blood pours from its wound.

Clarisse stands a short distance away, empty-handed, having been the one to hurl her spear. She looks proud and fierce, clearly enjoying the battle, her morale sparking enthusiasm and vigor in the campers under her command as they shout and pump their weapons into the air. However, this battle is not over yet, the hyperborean is still standing.

"Saph!" Thalia yells as she runs past, signaling for Saphira to go after her. The pair receive cover fire from Chloe and their sisters, the girls firing arrows to keep the giant confused and in pain. Saphira and the daughter of Zeus swiftly zip around behind the hyperborean, where Thalia spins on her heel to face her with her shield poised before her.

"Jump!" she commands and Saphira understands immediately.

In two long bounds, she springs up onto Thalia's shield, and the punk-haired girl heaves with all her might to launch Saphira high into the air. Saphira raises both knives over her head to stab both down into either side of the hyperborean's neck. She drags the blades all the way down the giant's back, carving deep gashes through its flesh. The hyperborean releases one final, dying gasp before it collapses to its knees and shatters into shards of ice.

Saphira lands lightly in the snow, flicking the blood from her knives. She glances around quickly, searching any remaining enemies.

"Is that all of them?" she calls.

"Yeah," Thalia replies, retracting her spear and shield. "That was all of them."

Clarisse retrieves her spear from the ground and thrusts it up into the air to signal their victory.

"Victory once again, demigods!" she roars, earning a cry of agreement from the other campers.

Xenia comes to stand beside Saphira and Thalia, nodding with approval at the war daughter's energy and strength. "I like her."

She doesn't pay any mind at all to that comment. Saphira does not like how this battle went. They didn't have many casualties on their side, and the invaders are seemingly to be all destroyed but… that can't be it. There were so many wolves and monsters in that cavern. Something just doesn't feel right about this. They had more than enough numbers to completely overrun and wipe out the Hunt, so why did they send such a small force? There has to be something else up the enemy sleeve.

Then she and everyone else hears it.

A horrible, thunderous squeal erupts in a bellowing echo throughout the woods that surround them. The roar is so powerful that snow is shaken loose from the branches of the pines and has the wolves and falcons fidgeting nervously. Saphira has heard the sound before, though much less monstrous, and it's this reason that she begins to fear what is coming.

"Ready yourselves!" Xenia roars, once again unsheathing her swords. Fear flashes across the faces of hunters and campers alike as they prepare their weapons.

What she initially believes to be cannon fire has Saphira pivoting around with her bow nocked and raised to the north of the camp. Deafening booms that rattle her spine and a vibration that shivers through the snow on the ground, but now she realizes that it is not cannon fire. It's the sound of trees being snapped and knocked over. Suddenly, the pines on the north side explode, sending a shower of splintered wood and pinecones raining down over the camp. Saphira braces her arm over her head to shield herself, but she catches a glimpse of a humongous beast bursting from the forest and stampeding into the camp.

"Boar!" cries the lieutenant, "out of the way!"

Campers and hunters scramble to find cover at the warning, with the giant beast rampaging right through the camp, flattening tents, stamping over fires, and sending supplies flying through the air. Saphira shrieks and dives out of the way of the stampeding monster, but her ankle is clipped by a massive tusk and she's spun through the air to crash into the snow.

"Eugh!" she grunts. Squirming to flip herself onto her back, she gets her first hard look at the creature.

It is a massive boar. Nearly twice the size of a pick-up truck, with legs as robust as pines, and hooves so large that they leave prints as wide around as car tires. Dark brown hide wraps around its powerful, muscular body, with a bulging dorsal hump. It has dark, beady eyes and a broad snout that drips with saliva and mucus. Four tusks sprout from its snout, with the length of spears and with the girth of logs. The two smaller tusks face forward while the larger tusks curl out to the sides, each one having the capability to split a man in half with ease.

The boar lowers its head and plows through a row of tents, flipping them high into the air with ease. Burning wood and embers fly as it tramples over the cooking fires before it sweeps its head to take out the supply tent with its tusks. Silver arrows fly and bounce harmlessly off its skull and torso. It knocks an incoming spear aside with a tusk and tosses a camper like a rag doll over its head. Saphira grits her teeth at the sight of the rampage, at its power. How are they to kill this beast? It's hide is too strong for arrows, and she has no idea how they're supposed to close enough to attack the softer belly beneath it.

That doesn't stop some of the campers from trying. Several demigods charge the bucking, stomping boar from all sides, brandishing spears and swords. The boar wipes out three of them with a single sweep of its massive head, hurling the screaming campers into the sky. Others scramble away in retreat while only a few stay to try and jab their weapons into its flanks, only to be kicked or tossed away.

"Fire!"

Thalia's command rings out and a line of her fellow hunters unleash a volley of silver, but it's no more effective than before. The arrows don't seem to do more than simply annoy and enrage the beast even more. The boar squeals with fury as it charges, going straight for Thalia. Saphira reacts swiftly, sprinting to dive and tackle her superior out of the boar's path. A couple of her sisters aren't so lucky, and they're plowed over by the beast. Saphira and Thalia snap upright in the snow, casting a wide-eyed glance at each other.

"How do we stop it?" Saphira rasps in a rapid breath.

"I don't know! That's the Erymanthian Boar, right? How was it stopped in the myths?" Thalia wheezes, hauling herself onto her feet.

"No, this one's too small. It has to be the Calydonian Boar!" Saphira corrects her.

"It's too small?!"

The boar's roar has them both refocusing on the battle. The beast has turned towards them once again, stamping at the ground with its hoof, preparing to charge them a second time. Saphira doesn't bother trying to nock her bow for attempt to shoot it. She and Thalia instead turn to escaping the raging monster as it breaks into a rush, kicking up clouds of white in its wake. Saphira can feel the ground trembling beneath the weight of the boar while she and Thalia split away from each other just as the boar closes the distance, with Saphira snagging hold of a sapling to whip herself around and out of the way. The boar tosses its head in an attempt to gore her with its outward extending tusks, narrowly missing her and instead entangling its deadly weapons with a tent. The boar shakes its head to try and fling the tent loose, only to throw the tent over its own eyes and result in the beast going even more berserk.

They've bought themselves some time to regroup now that boar has blindfolded itself, but it definitely won't take long for it get rid of that tent over its eyes. Thalia, Xenia, Chloe, and Clarisse all swarm to Saphira's side, their eyes wide and their chests heaving from panting breaths.

"Calydonian Boar, is it? Okay. Refresh my memory. How was this thing killed in the story?" Clarisse demands.

Saphira knows the legend of the boar well, as the beast is actually a creature that was connected to Artemis herself. Thousands of years ago, she had unleashed the boar on Calydon to punish the king for failing to honor her properly. Ironic how the monster now is unleashed on the goddess' own camp.

"It was slain by the men and women who were rallied to hunt it down after it was unleashed upon Calydon," Xenia mutters, narrowing her eyes at the bucking boar. "They killed it with the use of spear and arrow."

"Well, arrows clearly do nothing to it, so how about spears?" Thalia grumbles, already swapping her bow for her spear.

"The hide is thick. We would have to try for a shot at the heart. It's the only guaranteed way to kill it," Saphira points out, noting how every weapon that has been thrown at the boar so far bounced off or stuck only an inch into its skin.

"How would you get close enough? That thing is way too fast for its size. It'd crush you before you could get near it!" Chloe protests.

"We need a distraction. A damn good one," Clarisse declares.

"Agreed!" Thalia says.

The daughter of the war god bellows to a crowd of scrambling campers. "Kieran!"

One of the campers immediately responds and turns towards them. Upon spotting their commanding officer, they break away from the other campers and comes bolting to her. Saphira almost mistakes the demigod for a girl until she sees that he's actually a male. His features are rather feminine; a tall but slim figure. Smooth, soft facial features, and neck-length hair with long bangs falling over his golden-brown eyes. Long legs and arms, with a pale complexion, and a slight sway in his step. He wields a xiphos of celestial bronze, but no shield.

"What's up, babe?" Kieran asks with a smooth, almost seductive voice, yet his expression holds no such evidence of any desire or intimacy, looking very bored instead.

"I need you to help distract that thing so we can get close enough to take a shot at the heart. Stay close, but not too close. Just keep it's attention off me and Thalia!" Clarisse hastily explains, briefly gesturing at the boar.

Kieran casts a glance with a raised brow at the still-blindfolded, still-enraged boar smashing about the camp. It's surely a daunting task, but he takes it in stride with no more than a simple shrug.

"You got it, girlfriend." He flips his sword and his hair out of his eyes. "Getting noticed is one of my specialties."

"Saph, Chloe, Xenia," Thalia says, summoning the three girls' attention. "You three help him keep it distracted and be ready to assist if it goes wrong!"

"Understood, sister!" Xenia growls.

Saphira and Chloe only nod. She's not sure about this plan at all, but it's the only one that might work. As they break, the boar finally tosses the tent free of its eyes. Its beady eyes burn with hate and fury, and Saphira suddenly feels as if perhaps retreat is the better option here. Kieran rolls his neck and struts towards the beast with an air of confidence that she cannot comprehend. Thalia and Clarisse both peel away from the group, each one hefting up their spears while Kieran begins his role of distraction.

"Yoohoo! Porky! How about you keep those beady little eyes focused on this sweet, flawless body?" he calls, swaying his hips with every step. He has to be a son of Aphrodite. There is no doubt about it.

His seductive and sweet tone only seems to anger the beast, which Saphira supposes works just as well. The boar stamps the ground, shaking its large head and sweeping up clouds of snow from the ground with its tusks. Kieran looks no more intimidated than he was before and continues to advance, twirling his sword as if he were twirling a ribbon. Saphira and Chloe fit arrows to their bowstrings, ready to assist him if needed. The boar emits a rumbling grunt before it breaks into a charge, its breath heaving and billowing clouds of steam from its nostrils.

If she had the time to do so, Saphira would have screamed at Kieran that he's insane, but she doesn't have the time as he suddenly breaks into a run, racing straight towards the incoming boar. Still, her reflexes allowed her to act fast enough to fire her arrow. The shot merely bounces off the boar's skull near its right eye, but it was enough of an annoyance for the boar to twitch its head. As it closes the distance between it and Kieran, it swings its tusks in an attempt to bludgeon him and her heart skips a beat at the sight of those massive weapons racing towards the demigod. But Kieran's skill and experience proves itself to be far greater than what she expected.

He dips to the left and drops himself to his knees, sliding over the snow and flexibly leaning back to allow those tusks to sweep just over his head and miss. Kieran manages to pivot around, still sliding on his knees, to slash at the boar's rear ankle. It was hardly more than a simple flesh wound, but the boar still squeals in fury and whirls about to find him again. Saphira and Chloe sprint around either flank, each taking a shot at its ears to divert its focus away from Kieran long enough for him to dip out of range of its swinging tusks.

With the beast's attention divided between the three of them, it seemingly doesn't notice Thalia and Clarisse bolting up from behind, their spears leveled and aimed for the soft spot behind its shoulders… where the beating heart within lies.

Then things go horribly wrong.

As if possessing some kind of sixth sense, the boar spins around to slam its tusk into Clarisse's shield, pitching her high into the air to crash down onto a tent. Thalia springs forward with a war cry, preparing to stab her spear into its soft spot, but the boar turns just enough so that she only manages to stick it in the shoulder. It bucks its entire upper body and flings the sky child like a ragdoll.

"Thalia!" Saphira shrieks, horrified that her lieutenant might've just been seriously injured or worse. Her cry draws the attention of the boar and it zeroes in on her with those beady, hate-filled eyes. It releases a terrible, thunderous squeal and shakes its tusks threateningly. Before it can charge, Kieran zips in behind it for a second slash at its ankles, probably to distract it again, but instead of turning to face him, it simply kicks back with a hind-leg, hitting him square in the chest. Kieran hits the snow so hard that he completely sinks into it and disappears from sight.

"Monster!" Xenia roars, rushing the beast with her swords waving.

"Xenia, don't!" Saphira tries to warn her and takes off to intervene, but she doesn't make it in time. The Spartan girl's blades are parried by the boar's tusks and it retaliates by dipping its head forward to smash her down with its snout, bulldozing her through the snow.

"No!" Saphira screams as she leaps high to land lightly atop its head. With a growl, she clings on with one hand and draws a knife with the other before jamming it down into its eye.

The boar bellows in pain, bucking its head and nearly tossing her off, but she manages to roll down its snout and grab hold of one of its tusks. The wind howls past her ears as the boar thrashes around like a bronco, swinging her around and around. Saphira slashes desperately at its snout until it finally hurls her free, and she plummets down into the snow with a gasp.

The air has been shot out of her lungs like a missile from the impact. She struggles to regain her breath and get her body moving, but she's too stunned to do much more than pathetically attempt to even get to her hands and knees. The boar is staring fire at her, its breath huffing steam from its nostrils as it stamps at the ground. It's preparing to gore or trample her, and she still can hardly move a muscle! The boar grunts and breaks into a charge, thundering towards her like a freight train. Time seems to slow down as the massive monster closes the distance…

Until the haunting, eerie cry of a wolf pierces the air.

Suddenly, her senses flood back to her. The boar halts in its attack, skidding through the snow and lifting its head in response to the howl. A glimpse of movement on her right has Saphira snapping her gaze there to see a swift-moving, blur of darkness hurtling over the snow straight for the boar.

The snarling wolf leaps and slams into the side of the boar's head with such force that it staggers sideways with a surprised grunt. The wolf's fangs are sunk deeply into its ear, thrashing and tearing, making the boar squeal and shriek. Both beasts entangle into a violent struggle that only lasts for a few seconds until the boar flings the wolf free with its ear getting torn right off. The wolf goes rolling over the snow, but is quick to jump back to its feet and face the boar again with a rumbling growl.

Saphira's rooted to her place in shock, staring as the wolf and the boar size each other up. Suddenly the wolf stops growling, its ears pinning back as it seems to be somehow hypnotized by its rival's hateful glare. Saphira's eyes drift over the wolf, taking in its shadowy black coat, all the way down the white tip of its tail.

Lykos…

A thousand emotions flood her mind at once. Shock. Terror. Relief. Panic. Joy. She nearly passes out from the overwhelming feelings that swarm her. Her forbidden friend now stands between her and the beast that threatens her life. For a moment, she notices how he's still absolutely frozen, simply staring at the boar as if paralyzed by the sight of it. Something is wrong, she can feel it.

Secondly, what is he doing here?! In the camp? Surrounded by Hunters?! The situation has suddenly become even more dangerous!

Before she gets any more seconds to think about it, the boar roars and attacks, but not Lykos. Instead, it seems to try to skirt around him, only focusing on her, but before it gets anywhere close to her, the wolf springs into action. He cuts off the boar's path, pouncing its head with a furious growl, snapping and clawing at its snout and face. He almost does nothing to halt it, but he does manage to push it off course so that it narrowly misses Saphira in its charge. She rolls to the side and curls into a ball, covering her head as it stampedes past with Lykos still latched onto it.

The boar staggers about, trying to shake him free though hesitant to fight back as if confused as to why he's attacking it at all. Lykos is relentless in his assault, darting in to slash at its snout, flanks, and legs over and over. The boar finally retaliates, slamming him with its large head to bowl him over. Saphira grits her teeth seeing him take that blow. He's barely a quarter of the boar's size, yet he rolls to his feet and attacks again, clamping his jaws shut on its sensitive snout. Screeching and stamping the ground in a hasty backpedal, the boar shakes its head to try and rip itself free until Lykos finally releases and gives it a parting shot with his claws. The boar flinches and retreats a short distance away, spinning around to face him one last time. For a moment, it seems like it would consider continuing the fight.

Then, Lykos releases a deep, ferocious snarl and mock-lunges at the beast with a snap of his teeth, his mane bristling. His final threat does not go unheeded. The boar grunts and then beats a brisk retreat, turning around and charging into the woods to disappear. Lykos continues growling even long after the boar is out of sight, and Saphira finally manages to snap out of her shock and scramble to her feet. She is and will forever be entirely grateful to him, but he cannot linger. He needs to run, now!

"Lykos!" she rasps as she runs to him. His ear turns back towards her, followed by his icy gaze. She reaches him, acutely aware of the Hunters and campers beginning to surround them. "You have to go, now!"

He seems determined to stay, likely for her, but it becomes clear that he's prepared to defend himself and her. His mane begins to bristle once more, and his growls are growing in volume as his glare darts around at the amassing bodies.

"Get out of here! Go!" she urges him, pushing on his shoulder. The wolf doesn't budge an inch, standing his ground and huffing in response. "Lykos, run!"

"Get away from her, beast!"

Saphira can sense her worst fears about to become a reality when she spots Xenia storming right for them with her eyes locked on Lykos. No, no, no! It's not what she thinks! Lykos bares his fangs and lowers his head when he sees the Spartan girl approaching, sensing that she's hostile.

"No, wait! He won't hurt you!" Saphira tries to protest, but her cries go unheard.

"Get it!" another voice calls.

Two male campers raise their weapons and advance with their swords just as Xenia breaks into a full-on charge. Lykos growls and moves to meet her, flipping one camper over his back with a simple toss of his head and kicking out with his hind-legs to knock down the other. Xenia releases a battle cry, raising her swords in preparation to strike, leaving Saphira to feel helpless amidst the chaos and nearly cry out in terror that her friend is about to be slain.

"Stop!" Saphira cries in desperation, when everything takes a turn for the worse.

Before Xenia's swords can begin to get in motion, Lykos pounces, tackling her with a roll and slamming her down on her back. Her swords are tossed free of her grasp, and she briefly tries to wrestle him off, pushing on his chest and grunting with her efforts. As strong as she is, Xenia's strength swiftly proves to be no match for Lykos' raw power as he easily pins her down.

"Lykos, stop! Don't do it!" Saphira's eyes widen in horror when he begins to draw himself to his full height, his jaws parting and his lips curling back to unsheathe his fangs with a ferocious snarl. Xenia's own expression becomes one of terror, realizing the wolf's intent just as Saphira does.

"No! Noooo!" Saphira screams with all the air she could muster from her lungs, unleashing all her emotion into her voice.

In an instant, Lykos ceases his action. His snarls tone down just as his bristling fur does, and he lowers his head, glancing back at her with his ears pinned back in submission with an expression of confusion and apology. He whines softly at her, as if trying to ask for forgiveness, but Saphira can no longer find her voice after having screamed at him that way. Her failure to respond hurts him… she can see it in his eyes.

"Yah!"

Distracted by her, Lykos isn't prepared for the shield-tackle led by Clarisse. The daughter of Ares barrels into him, knocking him off Xenia and pressing her shield down on his head to keep him pinned. Anemos and Dankana are the next to join her, sinking their teeth into his fur and straining to keep him held down while other campers swarm him with ropes.

"No… no, wait! You don't have to-" Saphira attempts to step in and intervene, but she finds herself getting restrained by Chloe, who gives her a silent message to keep clear. The healer looks no more pleased about the situation than she is, but she retains a firm grip on her shoulders. Saphira's feels her energy leave her, feeling defeat take her over. "Please don't hurt him…"

Xenia must have been too stunned to move, as she is still laying on her back, propped up by her elbows. She stares in shock, not at the wolf that nearly took her life, but at Saphira.

"He…" she drifts off, seeming to be at a loss for words.

Everything has gone so wrong. This is the absolute worst possible scenario for how this could have gone down. Saphira looks on, helpless as Lykos is pinned and bound, not even struggling anymore as they muzzle him with the rope.

"Everyone, please. He won't hurt us. He was just trying to-" Saphira tries to explain over the commotion, when a soft clap of thunder booms and a new aura of power seizes the air. Everybody freezes and turns their heads to the center of the camp. Thalia pushes her way through the crowd to join the wide-eyed stares, assisted by one of their sisters in her limp. Saphira's throat goes dry at the sight of the one whose return they had all been anxiously awaiting, but she only feels even more dread now that that one is back amongst them.

Artemis, Goddess of the Moon, leader of the Hunters… and the one who will decide both Saphira's fate, and Lykos'. She turns her wide, silver eyes from Thalia, to Xenia, and finally to the wolf being restrained on the ground. Upon eye contact, Lykos' cold yellow gaze hardens into an angry stare, and he manages a growl muffled by the rope around his muzzle. Something new glints in his eyes as he glares at the goddess… something Saphira thinks she could relate to when she saw the Hunt's old enemy in the wolves' lair.

But why is he looking at Artemis that way?

Artemis returns her gaze to them and speaks in a controlled, but clearly demanding voice.

"What in Hades is going on here?"