The Calm Before the Storm
*Third Person Point of View*
After the new guardian had been summoned, everything went back to normal. There were rarely any monsters attacks, and the sightings of monster greatly diminished. It was as if there were no monsters at all anymore, as the gods usually sent their guardians to seek out their children and guide them safely to either one of the camps in groups of five to ten.
The children that the groups consisted of were of all different ages, and they were spread out across all of the United States, and even in other countries surrounding it. Sometimes, a guardian would have to travel across the oceans to Europe or Africa to find the children of their charge, though it was rare.
On their way to the camps, the guardian would defeat all of the monsters that dared attack them, training the children the basics of survival. It was almost as if, in the short time they traveled together, they became a family.
Unfortunately, whenever they reached the camp they were destined for, the guardian would say goodbye, and head off to either find more demigods, or return to their charge.
Each of the camps were flourishing, though they were incapacitated, so new sections were always being added. Camp Half-Blood had nearly doubled in size during the past few days, while Camp Jupiter was spreading its borders past the hills, the barracks expanding steadily.
Meanwhile, Artemis' hunters remained at their constant state and size. With all of the demigods being recruited by the Guardians, they couldn't get to any demigods unless they went straight to the camps, which none of them wanted to do ever since hey'd heard about the literal demigod flooding that was happening at both places.
"Milady, do you believe that having the guardians around to escort the demigods to camp is a good thing?" Artemis' guardian asked one night at the campfire.
All of the hunters turned to their mistress, awaiting her answer, but she stayed silent. The flames danced, reflecting off of her face in a mysterious manner.
"I do not know," she finally said, speaking slowly. "While les of the demigods are being slain, there have become so many of them, and the monsters just seem to keep thinning in numbers. I fear that the reasoning behind it is that the monsters keep the overflow of godly children at bay, so that they do not overpopulate.
"Now that there are less threats, there are too many demigods. Too many to teach. Too many to organize. And they have become lazy. Now that the guardians are around to save and protect them, they no longer feel the need to train. I fear that they become more and more like the gods every day, back when the gods first acquired guardians. They must learn, as we did, that the guardians cannot do everything, though they try.
"When the guardians were first summoned, the gods did not have to do their own work. They could sit in their palaces eating and sleeping, while their guardians enforced the laws. The guardians, though wise, respect their charge's wishes, and do as they say, but eventually, they must rise to voice their opinions. They say that history is always doomed to repeat itself, and we know, well and true, that it is. I just fear, that this time, the threat will be worse than ever."
Artemis once again fell silent, and did not speak for the remainder of the night.
Currently, the hunters trekked through the steep mountains and angled slopes of the Rockies. Artemis could sense many monsters around the area of Alaska, the Land Beyond the Gods. She would sense them gather at its borders, but as soon as they crossed over, her powers were useless.
The hunters and their guardians would have to go alone. At first, the hunters were reluctant, but they were glad that they had their guardian with them to help when needed. Unlike the campers, the hunters continued to train endlessly. Their pride as students of the great Artemis wouldn't allow them to rely on the full protection of a male. For this reason, they were thankful that their guardian was no a female, because it drove them to train to become better than him.
Artemis informed them, that while they were in Alaska, looking into the disturbance, she would return to Olympus, and that they should contact her as soon as they'd crossed the border back into Canada.
"I will be attending business elsewhere. Stay safe," she said. The hunters all looked away as their mistress' body glowed she teleported away to Olympus.
Once they were on their own, the hunters crossed the border into Alaska, and all felt a slight drain of their powers. The blessings of Artemis that provided them with power dampened, and each of them suddenly felt more tired, slower, and more vulnerable. They hated traveling to Alaska.
The guardian noticed that his companions were moving slower than usual, and turned back to face them. "We must keep moving. The sooner we discover what the disturbance is about, the sooner we can leave," he reassured them.
They all nodded in agreement, but it didn't change the fact that they were all exhausted. Their powers were dulled, and they felt mortal once again. They trekked further through the wilderness, the growing dread weighing them down. With their guardian leading the way, they felt more confident marching into battle, but the fear still lingered.
Just over another hill, which they had climbed, using narrow goat paths, as instructed specifically by their guardian, the hunters were met with another horrendous sight.
"I'm starting to hate hills. It seems that every time we reach the top, something terrible is on the other side," one of the hunters commented.
The guardian smirked as he recognized Thalia's dry humor, though this wasn't a laughing matter. Monsters were gathering; they were building an army to destroy Olympus.
It seemed to stretch on forever. The hunters and their guardian merely stared out into the expanses of the monster ranks, as they had for the past few hours, contemplating their next move. There seemed to be every kind of monster that ever lived gathered there. It was as if they had all heard a calling to arms. Almost as if an unknown force was bringing them all together in order to achieve one common goal: destroying the gods and everything they stood for.
The roar that suddenly rose from the masses startled the hunters, and their attention was drawn to a single, large tent off to their left. Luckily, it was quite close, so they could see the large podium in front of it.
Atop the podium stood a man. Just a man. It didn't seem as if there was anything special about him. From the tip of his head to the tips of his boots, he was normal. He had plain black hair, plain green eyes, and plain white clothes.
As he parted his lips however, the whole perspective changed. He spoke confidently, preaching about the tyranny of the gods, and the rights of the monsters.
"You are gifts to the world. You should not have to hide in the shadows. You must rise up to take this world from it's cruel oppressors. The gods have wronged you all, and you must avenge that. You must avenge your fallen brother and sisters. For you are all the same. Whether you have fur, feathers, or scales, you are all part of one family.
"No monster shall hide in the shadows, desperate for his next meal. No monster shall be banished to the realm of eat or be eaten. To regenerate through the most painful of processes. To be pulled apart, only to have his very cells smashed back together differently. To be slain time and time again, given the curse of immortality, destined to die over, and over again. To watch his family murdered before his eyes under the executioners we call sustenance. We must stand together, brothers and sisters of blood, and take back the world that is rightfully yours!"
The hunters had to admit, the man's speech was inspiring, but something about it felt wrong. Who was he to preach to these monsters? Who was he to attain power over the savages? Who was he?
As if by some hitch of fate, the man knew they were there. He could sense them. The sweet aroma of their demigod blood. 'But what is this?' he wondered to himself. 'A guardian. A student of my dear father.' His pupils contracted as hate coursed through his veins.
'Why choose weaklings like them to train? Why choose such frail being to be blessed with greatness? The man who banished his own son to a dark realm. The first prison. The first speck of darkness in the vast Universe. The son of Creation himself, cast into the darkness of uncertainty and pain. Sorrow and fear. Every negative thought and emotion manifested itself within my soul as I lay, rotting in my cell, shackled by the first chains crafted out of the first shadows.'
The man gave a silent chuckle, and within his own mind, he sat, calm and collected, manipulating his solid form to remain calm and intimidating.
'Why now father? Why have you chosen to send them now? To stop me? To withhold from me the justice I so richly deserve?' his inner conflict continued as he questioned his father's motives.
'What would he do if I slayed his most prized pupil right here and now? What if I set an example of his disfigured body? To warn the gods of my power? To reveal the face of their hero just before his untimely demise?' A cruel smirk made its way onto the man's face. 'No. Not just yet. I must make them suffer first. I must let my father know that he himself cannot stop me. None of his students can stop me. But first…' the man turned his attention onto the eavesdroppers.
Addressing the monsters once more, he cried out, "My brothers and sisters! Now is the time to prove yourselves! Destroy the pesky hunters of the Olympian Artemis! Feast my brothers and sisters! Feast on the blood of our enemies. We shall break their spirits before the war even begins!"
He then pointed towards where the unfortunate group of maidens. Their gaurdian tensed. He knew that voice from somewhere. But where?
Before they knew it, the monsters were nearly upon them. The guardian had no choice. He sent a massive distress signal through the ECU. The Emergency Contact Unit. Only to be used in life or death situations. It seemed pretty reasonable to use it.
Immediately, the other guardians appeared, and together, the twelve of them marched upon the army, confronting the enemy with determination and a bond stronger than any the world had seen before.
"Defend the hunters at all costs! We must overcome this onslaught! It is the only way we will get out alive! Once the time is right, I will give the signal, and we link arms. No man nor woman left behind!" the hunters' guardian ordered, obviously the leader of the group, though he was far newer than the others.
The next few moments were a flurry of steel and claws. The monsters lunged, only to be cut down. The guardian struggled to keep the army at bay, for every monster they banished, two more would take its place.
By the time a sixth of the army had been demolished, a clear voice rang out through the masses. "Stop! My brothers and sister, cease!"
The monsters immediately drew back, though each and every one of them were itching to attack. They could barely contain themselves in their own bodies, but they all knew what would happen if they crossed the Master.
He strode to the front of the group, an almost cheery smile on his face as he eyes the sweaty, panting demigods in front of him. They all had their masks still, but their hoods had been torn off long ago.
"My friends," he greeted. "We must not fight. It is unnecessary. Too much blood." He gave a fake shudder at the thought of the red liquid.
"Who are you?" Aikaterine called out to the man, brandishing her double-ended spear. Electricity crackled on both ends, the sound being the only thing heard.
The man chuckled. "So you haven't heard of me? How sad." He gave a shrug. "Well, I know all about you. Aikaterine, daughter of Apollo. The guardian of Zeus!" he exclaimed, over exaggerating.
Aikaterine tensed, glaring at the man.
"Well, I'm not here for you. For the record, I find you kind of boring. Guarding the king of the gods and you aren't even in charge of your troops? How pathetic!" he spat. "No. I'm here…for him."
He turned his attention towards the Guardian of Artemis. "How is it…that one man can command so much respect? How is it that the newest chosen guardian rose so quickly to become the leader of all? I'll tell you." The man shifted his focus, turning directly to the hunters.
"But first, why don't we set the mood?" he asked. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the world turned black.
What happened next confused everyone. One second, they were in Alaska, confronting an army of monsters, and the next, the seemingly mortal man transports all of them to Olympus－sans army－directly into the throne room, where all of the gods are sitting in their respective thrones.
"What's going on here?" Zeus demanded, leaning forwards.
"Ah! I'm so glad to see all of you! I was just telling these fine people here the identity of your guardians' leader. The man behind the mask, remaining anonymous, even though it's forbidden to keep secrets from the god or goddess you are responsible for protecting." His voice started out light, but by the end, it grew to be downright accusing.
Artemis' guardian suddenly tensed, and the rest of the guardians moved to surround him and the hunters.
"Our leader's identity is none of your business. The Great One himself agreed that his identity would remain secret until he wsihed to be revealed!" Nereus exclaimed.
"Be silent, guardian of Athena!" the man commanded. His face suddenly became calm, probably due to a thought that bubbled up within him. "Wait a minute. Do none of you know who he is? And yet you follow him?"
The guardians all became slightly more defensive, giving away the answer to the man's question.
"What does it matter if we know who he was? He proved that we can trust him! We would follow him to the ends of the earth if we had to!" Nereus claimed.
His protests aroused a series of agreements from the remaining guardians. As they argued for his sake, the guardian of Artemis smiled. He was so grateful to have friends like these. He knew that it was inevitable at this point. His identity would be revealed sooner or later. 'Why not now?' he thought.
The man scoffed. "I am surprised by you, son of Poseidon. You do not even know the identity of your own brother?" he questioned sarcastically.
This statement caused everyone to freeze.
What did he mean? Artemis' guardian was a son of Poseidon? Could he be…? No… It was impossible…
The man smiled, seeing the confusion that he had caused amongst both the gods and their guardians.
"What do you mean? Which son of mine is he?" Poseidon asked. He had had many sons over the course of the past three thousand years. Any one of them could be the man under the mask. He couldn't afford to hope…
"I believe that he should be the one to tell you," the man said casually. "It wouldn't be fair of me to reveal the big secret. I know that he was really looking forward to it."
Everyone turned to Artemis' guardian then, and soon, he found himself in the center of a circle which consisted of his fellow guardians, as well as the hunters.
He looked away for a moment, before turning back to face his audience. Taking a deep breath, he slowly reached up. Everyone watched with bated breath. Whose face would be underneath? Could they afford to hope for the one they all missed? And if it was him, would he forgive them for all they had done?
It was as if time had slowed down, and the wait was agony for all who watched. The mysterious man grinned as he saw the onlookers grow nervous. He could practically hear their thoughts screaming at him. He fed off of their uncertainty and fear. He relished the negative emotions that weighed them down.
The Guardian of Artemis had finally placed his hand on his hood ready to pull it off. He hesitated－though only for a second－as he did so. Readying himself, he tossed his hood down to rest on his shoulders, allowing his short, slightly shaggy black hair to spill forth.
His chin clenched and unclenched－clearly showing his nervousness－as his hand landed upon the cool metal of the silver mask. He gave a small tug, and the mask came loose quite easily.
The grin on the man's face slowly grew wider, until it became equal to that of the Cheshire cat－ready to split his face open. He let a small, maniacal laugh to escape his lips as he watched with his cruel, beady black eyes.
As the Guardian's hand fell to his side, the mask tight in its hold, everyone gasped. It couldn't be! There was just no way!
The laugh finally bubbled, bursting forth loudly so that it echoed throughout the entire throne room. Everyone turned to the mysterious man, whom was still there, laughing as the Guardian of Artemis had been forced to reveal himself to the very people who sentenced him to death.
"Why would you do this? Who are you?" Nereus demanded, brandishing his sword.
The man stopped laughing. He looked at Nereus, his Cheshire grin still remaining on his face. "I am a man of many names, and none at all. I have had many forms, and yet I have never been solid. I am the very idea of hate. The ambassador of pain. The son of the Creator of all. You may call me Télionix," he said.
Word Count: 3078
CSP2708
Dylan Walts