A/N Hey guys! I am back, with another chapter. I will be counting the votes every chapter, for the next two chapters. Voting will stop at chapter 7.
Pertemis: 6
Percabeth: 5
PercyxElectra: 6
Pertemis and PercyxElectra are tied! Quick FWI, I suck at Pertemis. When I write it (maybe) I will basically be copying some other stories, with different bits I add in myself. The infrastructure will be other stories. Anyways, thank you guys for sticking with me through the story. Hope you enjoy.
Percy POV
Arriving at the hunter's camp, I noticed that the population of the traveling group had swelled greatly. From what I could see, there were 150 at least. It was a wonder that they could pack up so quickly.
I felt a rush of air behind me, and my three other comrades had arrived too. Finn whistled "Lot o' girls"
I smirked "Are you planning something? Because these people are sworn to maidenhood. You so much as look at them, and Artemis'll kill you"
Right after the words left my mouth, a silver knife appeared at my throat. A hunter before me snarled "What are you doing here boy? Do you have a death wish?"
I held up my hands in mock surrender. "No, no death wish. But you might be dead if you don't remove the knife from my throat. The hunter merely sneered, and I grinned back. "So be it"
I flashed behind her, grabbed her by the wrist, and judo flipped her on her back. Right as I did that, the memory came. Annabeth judo flipping me, and then-and then…
I stumbled back, my ex-achilles heel screaming in pain. This was a development after…the incident. Whenever I thought about those good times, my back would kill me.
I collapsed on the ground, trembling in pain. Then, as quick as it came, the pain subsided. The ache disappeared. The hunter was equally injured. She laid on the ground, winded and dazed. I got up shakily, and said to her "If you want to attack me next time, at least make it a fair fight. Get another thousand of your sisters."
I walked off, toward the massive, silver tent in the center of the camp.
I knocked at the door, and felt a million pairs of hostile eyes turn to me. They were all people I didn't recognize, so I decided they didn't know who I was.
One hunter walked toward me, an arrow pulled back, aimed at my head. She glared at me with hatred, and said "Give me a reason to not shoot you boy" she spat, and several of her sisters joined.
I smirked. "Here's a reason. You can't"
She let go of the arrow. For any mortal or regular demigod, they would've been impaled. I wasn't either. I flicked out my hand, impossibly fast, and the arrow shattered against my palm. Green liquid slid off my fingers, and my calm face behind the hand regarded the hunters.
"I'm gone for three fourths of a millennia, and you hunters still don't learn respect. I really don't want to deal with this."
I left the gaping hunter there, staring at the broken arrow. The door was open, and there stood Artemis. She wore a silver parka, just like the rest of the hunters. She regarded me with a scowl, and said "I take it there was no trouble?"
I nodded my head. "Nothing I couldn't handle. The Olympians want us here, blah, blah, blah, introductions, etc." She nodded her head, not showing any emotion.
Pointing behind me, she said "And these colorful characters are…?"
"Oh, yes" I said. "This is Finn" I gestured toward the twelve-year-old, and he waved his hand.
"That's Cosmo" I gestured at the blonde haired man. "And that's Electra"
"Yup!" She chirped "Save the best for last!" I looked at her amusingly. "Yes…she is rather perky"
Artemis nodded. "Okay. Perseus, you and the other…males can go set up your tents, I need to talk to Electra."
She opened her door, and Electra walked in. Artemis tossed 3 silver cubes at us, which were roughly five inches by five inches. "Those should be good enough."
We walked away, toward the outskirts of camp. Finn kept on yammering about how he never was in a tent before and how excited he was. When the squares were thrown on the ground and the tents were made, Finn burst into his. A squeal of delight emanated from the cloth encampment. I looked in mine, and was pretty impressed. There was a magical plate from Camp Half-Blood, filled with food, a bed, a desk, and an empty weapons rack. There was a pleasant smell in the cabin. I couldn't place my finger on it, but it was there.
Cosmo had a similar reaction to Finn, just not as loud. All in all, pretty good accommodations.
Electra POV
Oh my gods! I was talking to Artemis! Sure, I was more powerful than she was, but still! This was the goddess of Archery herself! Artemis was less enthusiastic, but I didn't care. Okay, deep breath. Try not to embarrass yourself.
I put on my usual cheery face, and said "Hi, Lady Artemis. You wanted to speak to me?"
She looked at me strangely. "Yes. I have been told of your talents with the bow, and I wanted to ask if you wanted to join the hunters."
Okay. This wasn't expected. What do you think? I'd been expecting some thoughts on the group I was with. What with Artemis hating males and such.
"Erm…no offense, my lady, but I'm not ready to be a maiden forever" I said "That, and hunting monsters is a little boring. I'd much rather be helping out the mortals."
Artemis nodded, looking disappointed. "Okay then. But why? Quite frankly even after hundreds of years, the males are still disgusting pigs. You could escape that. And killing the monsters aren't really that easy. There are many difficult monsters out there."
I nodded, remembering my past. "Thank you, lady Artemis, but I've made up my mind a long time ago. There are many places I still wish to see, and staying in America doesn't sound appealing."
I walked out the tent, hoping she didn't notice the single tear drop sliding off my face, as the painful recollections washed over me.
Percy POV
A hunter just walked near our tent, and informed us that we needed to go to Artemis for our chores. She sounded so resentful, I could only wonder what made her hate males. When we had arrived there, Finn was bouncing with excitement. "I hope we can sharpen the weapons! How many do you think they have? What about the arrows?! I want to make arrows."
Later, I need to ask Void how to calm him down. He was like that device in one of those movies, that if you touch it, it'll explode.
Electra joined us, and it appeared as though she had her tent set up as well. She seemed to be less cheerful, but maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. "So, Lady Artemis" I said, looking at the goddess "What are our chores exactly?"
She smirked, and handed each of us a long, long list. Electra's, for some reason, wasn't as long as ours. Only half as long. She announced "Each of you will be doing your own separate chores. You need to complete them without complaint, or help from each other. Understood?"
I nodded my head. "Understood" Cosmo and Finn also were in agreement. Artemis looked a little taken aback, but she covered it up with a stern look. "If I find any of you cheating, I will turn you into a jackalope"
I smirked, and said "I doubt you have the power, but okay."
I turned my back, walking toward the armory, leaving a red faced Artemis behind me. I glanced at my list, and my first task was to sharpen all the hunting knives. Great. That meant about five hundred daggers to be sharpened and cleaned.
I grabbed a whetstone at the back of the armory, and began my task.
A few hours later, with a sore back, I headed toward Artemis' tent to tell her I was done. The second I knocked on the door, a heard Finn yelling "Get the weapons and stuff! The monsters are here!" I turned around, and saw him bolting toward me He slammed into me, and gasped "I-I was on watch. The monsters are attacking!"
Line Break
The hunters of Artemis and the four new warriors stood along the outer wall, watching the incoming force. It was five thousand monsters, at least. At the head was a Titaness. She stood tall and proud, and the monsters around her seemed more agitated.
"Hunters!" She bellowed. "Surrender now, and we may give you a quick death. Oppose us, and you will die painfully and slowly."
Artemis stepped forward. "Why do you fight us, Mnemosyne? I thought you were peaceful"
The titan sneered. "The gods have gone ruled for too long, and this planet is now a radioactive waste dump. I won't fight you though. I am here to cripple you forces."
She smiled coldly at me, and raised her hand, pointing it at me, as I charged forward. Immediately, I stopped in my tracks. Then, in a split second, I understood the plan. Mnemosyne was the titan of memories. My biggest fear was the memories in my head. Too late, I didn't backtrack quick enough, and I felt the rush of the painful recollections come back.
In my head, I saw Annabeth kissing Zach, I saw my mom and dad's dead bodies on the floor. I saw Poseidon's furious face, and I saw all of my friends turning their backs on me, one by one. It was too much. All of the hurt, sorrow, and pain came crashing down.
The plan they had made? It completely backfired. My vision turned blood red, and I lost consciousness.
Cosmo POV
Percy just stood there, staring at the army, tears leaking down his face. He began shaking, which was weird. I gestured for Electra and Finn to follow me, and I drew out my celestial bronze cutlasses. Before we could even reach the first monster, Percy moved.
He gave a roar of primal rage, clutching his head. He looked seriously pissed. He screamed "STOP IT!" I could see now that he was incredibly mad. He lunged forward at the army, straight for the Titaness. He was fast. Faster than I've ever seen him before. He grabbed the Titaness' throat and squeezed. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!" He bellowed, wind whirling around him. Monsters tried to attack, but they were blown off of their feet and pushed back.
Percy's nails then proceeded to grow longer and frickin' sharper, and he dug them into Mnemosyne's throat. Wings then burst out of his back. It was as if his essence was changing, shifting back and forth between bird, monster, and human. I realized what was going to happen, and I ran back to the hunters.
"Run!" I shouted at them. A couple of them stared at me, not moving. "Do you want to die?!" Electra shouted "Go!" Artemis called for her hunters, and they quickly left, us tailing behind them. Five seconds later, an explosion that would have leveled a large building went off. Looking back, I saw my comrade and commander floating there in the middle of the battlefield, eyes burning in rage. Around him, a dark aura flickered, as he drifted toward the cowering Titaness. In the blink of an eye, he had his sword out, and at her throat.
"You shouldn't have done that" The hiss that resounded all around us. His mouth wasn't moving, but the voice continued "I am much stronger, Titaness. You have two seconds to flee." The Titaness got up, and bolted. She didn't make it very far. As she tried to flash out, Percy's sword protruded from her chest, and the wound hissed and spat venom. He wrenched it out, and the Titan fell, flickering out of existence. He still had large wings, and massive, long claws. His eyes were circles of pure flame, as he stared at us.
The aura dissipated, and he dropped to the ground, unconscious. I ran to him, to try and help, but I didn't get near him before he was sucked into a black vortex.
I turned back around, and looked at the hunters. All of them were staring at us, as if we sprouted two heads.
One of the girls finally spoke up. "Wh-what was that?" She asked timidly. I grimaced. "That was Percy's limiter being removed."
Artemis frowned. "What is a limiter? Is it something that limits his power" I nodded. "Half yes, half no. When a limiter is removed, the person or thing in question uses all of his or her powers. In the gods' case, it would be your true form. In our case…well, that happens. The being grows unstable, flickering between forms, and releases an explosion of power. We are lucky that he only released a little of his power. The memories must have triggered something."
Another one of the girls, Thalia, I think, asked "Is he going to be okay? I-I mean, will he come back?"
I remembered what Percy had told me, and I stared at her coldly. "It is possible, though our patron may want to keep him for longer."
Artemis asked "Who is your patron? Is she a god?"
I shook my head. "For now, I cannot give you any data concerning her. We need to rest up."
I headed for my tent, and Finn and Electra did likewise.
Third Person No one POV
A heap of feathers and human landed in a pure black room. The being sitting at the end of the room quickly got up, and walked toward the pile. She pulled the Person up, and laid her hand on his forehead. The bird/human thing jolted, as if shocked. He opened his eyes, revealing sea-green pupils.
Percy stared at his mistress. "Void, I need something to keep me under control" He grunted, as void put him down. The woman said "What happened? You now have wings, and you were very injured when you appeared. How did you even get back?"
Percy shifted a little, looking at his new feathery body part. "That stupid Titan what's-her-name gave me the memories back."
Void nodded, understanding what he meant. She looked toward one of the walls, and raised her hand. A shelf of bottles, books, and salved appeared. She looked through each one, with Percy sitting on a couch. "Ah, yes. Here we are."
She put on a pair of glasses, looking at a jar.
"This is a special balm that should help with mental and physical pain. Use it wisely. I only have three"
Percy studied the bottle, before saying "You know, you look really old when you wear glasses."
Void blinked, caught off by the random statement. "Well, I am old, but I don't need you reminding me!" She slapped Percy's head playfully. Percy took the bottle gingerly. It was a large, circular flask made of a clear and shiny material.
"Thanks, Lady Void. I really appreciate it" He said, before passing out from exhaustion on the bed.
Void shook her head. "Limiters. How useless." She muttered, tapping Percy on his forehead. She imagined the hunters camp, and Percy's tent.
Artemis POV
Whatever happened was weird. Percy, our guardian, basically unleashed his true form. He was able to grow wings and claws, and exploded. Thank Zeus that none of my hunters were hurt. That was reckless.
I began thinking about his team. Finn was the definition of giddy. He was a happy go lucky kid, who looked like he consumed caffeine daily. Cosmo was more of the scientist type. He was able to give a full and detailed explanation, and sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I already knew about Electra, and she was an extremely skilled archer. From one hundred yards away, she could still hit a bullseye, and split the previous arrow in half.
And Percy. He was every bit different from the last time I saw him. He was colder, more dangerous, and resented everyone he saw.
I could only imagine what tomorrow held in store for me.
A/N Okay, yeah, I know. This chapter was pretty crappy. Bring in the hate. I was in a really bad mood, so I thought whatever. If this didn't meet my normal standards, then whatever. I'll try and do better next time.
aVeryPissedOffDwarf, saying goodbye, for now
