Alright guys. I have an awesome chapter for you here. At least I hope it's awesome. And I hope I did my imagination justice. Let me know what you guys think. And get ready for the showdown!

Artemis had been pushing west for 4 days following the pull of her hunter's essence. On the first day she had made it to about Indiana when she decided to set up camp. Normally she wouldn't rest but whatever was powerful enough to take her friend from under nose was a force to be reckoned with. She sensed she would need her strength in the future so she ate and rested till an hour before dawn.

On the second day she ran into a pack of hellhounds that she quickly dispatched. Nothing special except for the howl the last one released. It wasn't a howl of pain so much as a cry for help or a grab for someone's attention. Who's she could not figure out but she was wary from then on.

It was on the third day that she got that feeling. A feeling that someone was watching her from the shadows. She reached out with her godly senses but could not feel anything. Only her instincts told her that their was something or someone just out side of her perception.

She made it to the California border by the end of the 3rd day. She was nearing Zoe's position. She could feel it. Unfortunately she could also feel that malevolent presence growing stronger. To the point where she was now checking over her shoulder every five minutes. She couldn't explain it. It was like a drop in temperature, you had no idea why it happened but you know something was causing it.

The fourth day she awoke early in the night and the presence was so strong it was like a pressure being applied to her temples. The sickening sensation she felt was not one she was used to. It was fear. Fear that she could not see what was in the dark of the forest. Fear that she was no longer the predator but the prey.

Angry at herself she shook her head violently. She was an Olympian goddess. She ruled over the moon, the forest, SHE was the hunter.

She drew herself up to her full height and turned to the oppressing source. With a voice full of confidence she commanded, "Show yourself you vile coward. I will see the one who has hunted the hunter!"

Artemis was met with silence. The sounds of the night had ceased as if waiting for a reply to the challenge. The goddess' frustration grew as she was given no reply. As her anger grew she flung the proverbial gauntlet again into the deafening silence. "SHOW yourself coward! In trifling in the matters of an Olympian, you have made a serious mistake!" She screamed as she let loose a bit of godly energy.

"Not as serious as yours... I fear." A voice replied from behind her. She turned around to meet a man at a height of 6'4". He was heavily muscled with huge traps, bulging shoulders, and intimidating biceps. He wore a tactical vest which he rested his arms by holding onto and black army styled pants. On his face was a mask covering the bottom half of his face, leaving only his pitch black eyes exposed. The mask was of a apparatus style and seemed to effect the way he breathed as his slightly labored breath filled the silence.

"Who are you?" asked the goddess as she took a half step back in fear. Then she grew angry at herself and took a full step forward.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is my plan." he said.

"Where is my hunter?" she demanded.

"She is safe. For now."

"You will release her to me unharmed now before I destroy you boy. For I am an Olympian council member!" she threatened.

"Let's not stand on ceremony here. Artemis." he replied.

Artemis growled in frustration, seeing that this man wasn't going to give her what she wanted. Knowing the time for talking was over she raised her bow and prepared to fire.

Time slowed to a halt as the two predators faced off. All that could be heard was the somewhat labored breathing of the hulking figure and a sharp breeze that flowed into their shared clearing, rustling the fallen leaves.

Eventually Artemis grew tired of waiting and decided to attack. She let an narrow fly at her opponent and watched his reaction. Right before the projectile reached him he turned his shoulder casually, dodging it. This angered the goddess more as she emptied her quiver trying to hit her foe. As each arrow arrived Perseus dodged everyone with a twist of the shoulder or a step out of the way, using as little effort as required as he walked calmly towards the goddess.

When the huntress let her last arrow go she dropped her bow and drew her knives prepared to take the fight to close quarters. She let out a feral war cry before using her speed to meet the strolling man. She swiped with her long hunting knives but Perseus blocked with a cross body chop before sidestepping the downward arc of her second blade. Angrily Artemis increased the tempo of her attacks. Mixing up her combos and using her superior grace and quickness to attack all around her opponent. Getting desperate she decided to throw in a dirty trick as she swung an upward strike with her right pressing her attacker back before pivoting and trying for a spinning side swipe with her left. When Perseus leapt back to avoid the attack and as he landed Artemis kicked up the dirt on the ground that connected with his eyes.

He stumbled back temporarily blinded, trying to get the dirt out of his eyes. Artemis took advantage and dashed forward poising her knives for the kill when he caught her hands mid thrust. Holding the daggers inches from his heart Perseus' cold black eyes bore into Artemis' piercing silver ones and for the 3rd time that night, she was afraid.

The grip around her suspended wrists tightened as she was forced to drop her knives before a thunderous kick to the midsection launched onto her butt 10 feet away. He advanced on her as she hopped back to her feet. They again exchanged blows, both taking damage and both shrugging it off. Wanting to finish the fight before it got to far she leapt back and blasted him with as much silver godly energy as she could sending the Juggernaut flying straight into the forest and plowing down a line of trees and creating a trench that stretched all the way to were he stopped.

Artemis slumped to her knees exhausted at having used so much power. She thought she had won the fight but that hope was squashed as her enemy rose from where he landed and made his way back to the clearing. "Why won't he die!" She thought.

"That was an excellent warm up Artemis. But now it is my turn." he said matter of factly.

Artemis growled before attacking again throwing all her anger into her attacks. A kick to the midsection pushed him back, but even with her godly strength it was like kicking a fridge. She followed up with an elbow to the face and then a back hand. Each strike connecting and pushing the man back a little as he made no attempt to block. She threw a right haymaker to the face but Perseus caught it.

"Peace has cost you your strength." he said analyzing her. She threw another punch with her left. A cross that he caught with his other hand. "Victory has defeated you."

He took her fist in his and punched her in the face before kicking her back a couple feet again. He advanced and threw his own punch connecting with her face. She answered back with her own flurry before sending a right hook. He caught it with both hands and she punched him from the left. He stepped back taking her assault as she gained momentum. As she fought on she began changing forms from a panther to a bear to an eagle. Trying to keep this beast on his heels. She fought savagely but every time she connected with a swipe or a claw or a punch he would just keep taking the abuse.

Finally Perseus had enough and returned the punishment. He rushed forward and tackled Artemis in her bear form to the ground and let loose a flurry of punches before she shifted again and underneath him was a great white stag that kicked him off and sent him tumbling across the clearing.

As pulled herself off the ground Artemis turned her focus to the moon hoping to use her natural skills as a hunter to her advantage. If she couldn't beat him head on then she would have to try a more indirect way. As Perseus picked himself up the moon darkened until no light shown down from the silver orb as he was submerged into the familiar and comforting embrace of the dark.

"Awwww you think darkness is your ally. You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it." He said amused as he reached for his prey with his senses. "I didn't see the light until I was already a man. By then it was nothing to me but blinding!" he turned to catch the goddess by the throat successfully thwarting her sneak attack. He picked her up and punched her in the face with such ferocity is broke her nose before choke-slamming her to the ground like he had done to Zoë, knocking the wind out of her and slamming her head onto the hard floor. "The shadows betray you because they belong to me."

Artemis looked up at Perseus defeated. She had out some damage on him but nothing commodes to what he did to her. He had matched her speed and agility with endurance and strength, destroying her with his brutality, ferocity, and tactics. He crouched next to her as she lay unable to get up. He looked at her as one would look at a puzzle having already completed it before and was merely trying to set a personal record. Then without a drop of doubt in his voice he said to her, "I will break you."

The last thing she saw as she slipped into Morpheus was his boot coming at her face.