"You know, I think you misunderstand our purpose here." Dante said irritably the moment he stepped into the command tent, his hair sticking up wildly from having just woken up. It was the dead of night and he had only just gotten to sleep after ensuring that everything promised to them had been given. Mere moments after he had shut his eyes the Hunter of Orion standing guard had shook him roughly awake and told him that he had been told to report to the command tent. "You can't order us around, we don't answer to any of you."
"And yet you came nonetheless." Artemis said dismissively. "That somewhat invalidates your argument."
"Relax, Dante, I was the one who told them to get you." Orion said stepping forward from the shadows.
"Look who showed up." Dante said, arching an eyebrow. "I expected a lot more screaming from this lot when you would. Maybe they aren't as spineless as I thought."
"Oh, they probably are." Orion said with a grin. "But Artemis, so kindly, warned them before I arrived. Besides, they aren't used to me in this form since I have never used it before."
"Makes sense." Dante turned his gaze back to the tent and quickly took account for everyone present. Chiron, Reyna, Thalia, Artemis, Orion, and Clarissa were all standing around a table with various expressions on their face from worry to anger. "What's all this about then?"
"It's too far for certain, but it looks like there may have been another abduction." Chiron said gravely.
Dante glanced to Orion questioningly. "Thought you quit all that since Rhea let you start the Hunt?"
Orion rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "This wasn't my doing." He sneered. "It wasn't a demigod that went missing this time."
"Hercules has not been seen for several days now." Reyna supplied crisply.
"So he ran, doesn't mean that he got grabbed." Dante retorted.
"I said the same thing." Thalia agreed grudgingly, "But apparently that's not the case. In our first fight against Tartarus we had a large amount of gods and goddesses fighting beside us, minor and major. After Cybele was killed that number went down a lot, many of the gods deciding that they didn't want to risk the same fate. On top of that not every god answered our call for aid to begin with, most of the really minor gods even decided that they didn't care about the outcome. But Hercules was one of the ones who stayed. At the reverse-funeral Apollo had he got drunk and swore on the River Styx that he would fight alongside us until the end no matter what."
"So he lied and ran, big deal." Dante said flatly. "It happens."
"Impossible." Orion said, dismissing the idea and surprising his Hunter. "Making a vow on the River Styx is just as binding, if not more so, than the oath you took when you joined the Hunt. It's irrevocable. You can't break it."
Dante fell silent, contemplating this. Thalia spoke up then, "Unless there is something else capable of kidnapping a god, and one as powerful as Hercules at that, I think we have to assume that Tartarus managed to grab him."
"In which case, we have far more issues than before." Reyna said tiredly, smacking the table lightly. "I had thought we were done with the kidnappings some time ago, clearly that was not the case."
"And you are certain you know nothing that could benefit us?" Artemis asked Orion, clearly not for the first time.
"For the third time, no," Orion said curtly. "Tartarus was very careful with his plans. I only knew what he wanted me to know, and the same went for the other Giants and Titans. Unless he had a task for you, he didn't bother to tell us. Probably a wise decision, considering I turned traitor."
"Lucky us." Thalia muttered, just loud enough for everyone in the tent to hear.
"If Tartarus has the ability to kidnap even gods now, our situation has turned even graver." Chiron said simply. "We have no knowledge of how, or even why, he has managed to do this."
Dante's eyes had lost their focus as he continued to think on the problem, not speaking. "We must now even consider how to keep gods safe." Artemis said tiredly. "If Hercules and his strength was overcome, we must assume that they have some weapon we are not aware of. It may very well be best for us to send the gods away until the final battle is upon us, to places where they will not be captured."
"That won't work." Orion shot down the idea. Artemis looked at him for an explanation and he sighed. "What most don't realize, what even I didn't realize until he told me, is that the realm of Tartarus has been connected to every place on the surface. That's how I managed to get in and out of the camps so easily. All he had to do was to open a hole in the ground and I would be wherever in the world he wanted me to be."
"Pair the gods with a demigod." Dante said, breaking his silence. "The major ones with a demigod capable of alerting the camps to an issue. The minor ones with good fighters. If they took one, unless this is just a scare tactic, and it isn't, they will take more."
"It's not a bad idea." Thalia admitted. "And… we have to consider that other possibility."
"What possibility?" Dante asked, lost.
"That Tartarus had figured out how to corrupt gods too." Reyna said with a grim expression. "He figured out a way to kill gods, it isn't a stretch to think he could turn them into a Corrupted as well."
"If that's the case, why isn't he attacking more?" Dante wondered. "His Corrupted have already proven that they are more than a match for a normal demigod. And he has an entire legion of monsters at his disposal. The gods were your equalizer for that. Ryker brought back a good sized force of demigods with him and my brothers and I are solid fighters all, but losing the gods is a hard blow."
"The situation is grim by anyone's estimation." Chiron nodded. "In addition to that, Thanatos has informed me that our plea to allow fallen demigods to rise once more will not be allowed."
"And we have no idea what this quest that Percy and the others went on is even about." Artemis said, shaking her head in frustration.
"Actually, I have been thinking on that one." Orion said darkly. "I'm pretty sure I know what happened."
"And you haven't told us until now?" Thalia demanded, taking a step towards Orion.
Dante moved in the same beat, stepping in front of the Giant. "Take a step back." He advised.
"I knew we couldn't trust you." Thalia spat, her hand wrapping around the grip of her sword.
"If you want to play, all you need to do is say the word." Dante said sweetly, his fingers dancing at the edge of his chakrams. "I'll be glad to send you to hell."
"ENOUGH!" Chiron roared, rearing slightly onto his back legs. "The two of you are acting like children! Both of your Hunts are! Artemis, I expected more of you. Your Hunters have long been a symbol of maturity in the face of adversity and yet they are acting like petulant children."
Orion smirked and Chiron did not miss this, turning to the Giant. "And you, you would do well to bring your Hunters better under heel. They are unchecked and dangerous, especially in the way they view the other demigods. No matter what sort of upbringing they have had, they need to view the others as allies and not inferiors."
"Sorry, guess we all just need to blow off some steam." Dante said mockingly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and assuming a casual stance.
"Yeah, same here." Thalia said grudgingly.
"Well why don't we do that then?" Chiron asked, his voice hard though his eyes were now dancing with an amused light. "It appears to me that we may have overlooked a serious breach of tradition recently."
"You lost me." Dante said.
"I hate to agree with him, but same here." Thalia added.
Artemis, it seemed, immediately understood where Chiron was going with his idea. "You can't be serious." She declared, "Such a thing, especially with things as they are, would be a dangerous show of weakness."
"Maybe, but it will be more dangerous if the two Hunts are constantly at each other's throats." Chiron countered firmly. "This, ultimately, is my decision Artemis. If you want your Hunters to forfeit outright, that is your decision. But that will only cause more strife."
"Does someone want to clue me in, or did you intend to speak like this for the rest of the council?" Clarissa asked, speaking up for the first time. "What tradition?"
"It has long since been a tradition for a game of capture the flag to be held once the Hunt returns to camp." Chiron explained. "I see no reason why we should not keep this tradition for the Hunters of Orion as well."
"A game? Really? Pass." Dante scowled. He had been hoping for something more fun.
"Don't speak so quickly Dante." Orion said slowly, a grin spreading across his face. "This isn't like any normal game of capture the flag. Weapons are allowed, and so are your godly powers."
Thalia was smiling wickedly as she considered the idea. "We're in." She said after a moment's contemplation. "Unless you are too afraid."
"We're in." Dante snarled, his eyes blazing in the face of the challenge. "When and where?" He barked, the question directed at Chiron.
"Gather your Hunts in an hour and meet at the site of the battle against Tartarus." Chiron declared. "I will make the necessary preparations. If the two Hunts will not get along, you will respect one another."
