The cloaked figure sat comfortably on the edge of the boughs of the spruce tree, his eyes trained on a silver temple. He analyzed the building with cold, calculating eyes.
Seven shifts of ten hunters patrolled the grounds, each armed with bow and arrow. Inside the temple itself, enchanted runes protected a large, thick golden bow. Bottomless quivers of thousands of arrows lay to the side, obscured by the dark of the night.
He jumped from the tree and landed with a muted thump, his knives in hand. He shifted across the empty expanse in three quick strides, his eyes gleaming in the cold air.
A tall guard stood with her back to the temple, eyeing the forest with a suspicious eye. The Hunter waited with bated breath. The guard turned. He grinned. She suspected nothing.
The knife raced out of its scabbard with a dulled hiss; the guard turned in surprise as the silver weapon streaked through the air…
Thump.
She hit the ground with a mundane finality, the knife still buried shallowly in her throat. The Hunter grinned with a grim satisfaction. He advanced up the dimly lit meadow, drawing another knife.
He was close to the temple now, so close he could feel the power of Artemis radiating off of the marble. Footsteps sounded in the distance; in three quick strides, he crossed the expanse and threw himself behind a pillar.
Voices, disembodied voices droned from behind-
"So boring here. Nothing ever happens."
"Lady Artemis is extremely protective of her sacred weapon; it is an honor to guard it!"
"To h*ll with honor. I want some action!"
The Hunter grinned. She desired action?
A silver blur raced through the air and struck the throat of the first girl; she collapsed screaming and clawing at the air. The other guard was instantly on high alert.
"Who is there?" she said, her voice trembling. "Show yourself!"
The second knife lodged itself in her arm; she fell, dropping her bow. The Hunter sneered. Untrained weaklings.
Before he could react, the second guard, a second from unconsciousness, lobbed her arrow with the last of her strength. He watched in horror as it struck the glass windows, shattering the panes into a thousand pieces.
Alarms shrieked from all four corners of the compound. The Hunter cursed and ran into the room, shattering the protective wards with a flick of his palm. Large, metal pylons collapsed through the area; he dodged them with the agility of a cat.
Only one wall separated him from the Celestial bow. He drew his hammer and ripped through the wall, crushing the door into splinters of wood and dust. There it was! The brilliant, golden bow lay unguarded in the center of the room, its crystals sending fractals of light rippling through the room.
The Hunter raced across the carpet and snatched the bow with his gloved hand. A harsh pain cut at his hand the moment it made contact; he winced. If not for the Gloves of Apollo, he'd surely be a pile of ashes.
Footsteps, loud footsteps sounded in the distance; he turned to find himself staring at the notched bows of 7 huntresses.
"So… you think you can just waltz in here and take our mistress's Sacred Weapon?" the lead huntress sneered. "Foolish boy. Kill him!"
7 arrows streaked toward the Hunter.
He could feel the projectiles, could feel them whistling through the air…
In one fluid motion, he whipped both hands; the arrows froze in mid-air; they clattered to the floor, harmless.
He somersaulted over the shocked huntresses' heads and onto the marble staircase, the Celestial bow in hand. Far behind him, a voice shrieked.
"You killed Chloe!"
The girl threw herself at the Hunter in a wild fury. He grabbed her hand and squeezed, forcing the knife out of her grasp. He set his other hand against the huntress's throat.
"Move, and she dies." he whispered. His voice carried across the din; the huntresses stopped.
"Foolish girl. The knife wounds are skin wounds; their serrated edges carry sedatives. None of your friends are dead. I am not a killer."
"You… you horrible thief!"
He chuckled. "That I am."
The silver-tipped boot lashed out; the girl was sent sprawling back to her huntresses- a distraction. The Hunter streaked back into the forest with the speed of a jaguar. He was lost in the trees within half a second, leaving behind a troupe of mystified Hunters.
~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~
"What. Happened. To. My. Weapon!?" Artemis articulated, fuming. Zoë cringed and bowed lower, beads of sweat forming on her brow. "Well… you see, mistress… er… a man… stole it?"
"STOLE IT?! What happened to my elite guards?"
Zoë could feel the sweat slithering down her neck. "Er.. he incapacitated them?"
"A lapse of security, then. I should turn all of you into jackalopes!"
A golden flash of light lit the room; Artemis turned to find her twin, Apollo, grinning a cocky grin.
"What do you want, Apollo? I am in the middle of something…"
Apollo raised a finger for silence. "And it just so happens that I can help you!"
Artemis laughed. "You? What can you do, other than radiate stupidity?"
Her twin scowled. "My champion stole the bow, you know."
A collective gasp filled the room. "Your… champion?!"
"Yup!"
Artemis narrowed her eyes. "You ordered my weapon stolen?!"
"Wow, you're sharp, Artemis. Only took you about 10 seconds! New record!"
The silver-eyed goddess gritted her teeth. "Apollo. Give me back my bow, or I swear I shall murder you a hundred times over-"
"Ah, save it, sis. You know as well as I do that the bow gives its allegiance to whomever it deems worthy… and it seems that it has found a new champion!"
"You lie." Artemis's eyes were truly on fire now. "YOU LIE!"
"Why would I lie about something like this?" Apollo said, still grinning infuriatingly. "I will command him to give the boy back… for a price, of course."
"Name it."
"Alright. I want Zoë Nightshade."
A silence.
"You. Want. One. Of. My. Hunters?!"
"Yup. She's pretty hot, you know."
The only thing stopping Artemis from filling her twin with arrows was the possibility of losing her bow forever.
"... No. You cannot have one of my hunters. Name something else."
Apollo wagged his finger. "Nope. I want Zoë."
"GAH!" Artemis burst. "F*ck you, Apollo! I will hunt down this… Champion… of yours, and I will kill him! Then I shall travel to the underworld, and kill him over and over again!"
The golden god shrugged. "You can certainly try."
Still grinning, he vanished in a supernova of light.