The Hunter

Well I'm back, and this chapter will be focusing on the aftermath of the attack, and the beginning of the main part of the plot. But for all you that were enjoying Orion(also known as "Trinian") and his interaction at and with camp, well...sorry that ends this chapter. Also sorry for the horrendous wait, I'm starting Geometry this year and it's not very easy on my poor free time.

Percy: ...You're a Athena kid, aren't you?

Annabeth:Why, you have a problem with that?

Percy: Er...no not at all.

Annabeth: Thought so. On With The Story!

Chapter 5: Departure

Like a thousand times before, the sun peeked it's glowing radiance over Half-Blood Hill. It illuminated the pine that crowned it's peak, bathing it golden. The tree itself was in perfect condition, the golden fleece protecting it from fire and poison. However it's surroundings were, to say the least, a little worse for wear. The attack had left the hill burned and diseased, but it was still crowded with the warriors and archers of the camp. Orion felt his eyes hanging heavy, the bags under his eyes readily apparent, one hand loosely clutching his bow. No one had wanted to leave the hill so eventually Chiron had given up asking and had taken up trotting back and forth across the hill. Silently almost, older campers had wandered through the campers around ten or eleven in the night, splitting them into groups of two warriors, one to keep watch, one to keep watch on the others back. Just before that Orion had wandered back to the spot where he had thrown down his gear, to discover Kimberley sitting there cross legged, sword across her lap, soot smeared across her face, alert despite the late hour. They kept watch for each other through the night.

However the expectations of the campers had fallen short, no beast or demigod warrior attacked the camp that night. In the morning sun, everything looked worse than ever, the black patches showing up distinctly, and the poisoned grass drew the eye immediately. Most of the young campers were hurried on to the cabins, some being carried to their beds. Many of the others went along, too, because of the need of rest.

As the numbers continued to dwindle, Chiron cantered toward Orion. "Trinian, the senior campers and cabin councilors are going to have a meeting, to discuss what happened last night." He stopped, picked a rock out from a hoof and continued. "I feel you should be there."

Orion nodded absentmindedly and Chiron left to spread the word around the hill to other senior campers and counselors. Orion stood up to the rising sun and stretched his tired limbs, feeling joints pop. "Well, looks like that dragon caused quite the stir. You might as well come to the meeting too. What do you say Kimberely?"

Upon receiving only silence for an answer, he turned back around. Kimberely seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open, and as he watched, the raven haired warrior slumped sideways on the ground. Rolling his eyes, he reached down and shook her shoulder. She mumbled in slumber. "Five more minutes, Mom..."

Then she bolted upright, apparently realizing where she was.

"Oh, sorry Trinian. Er sure I'll come along to the meeting." She was clearly embarrassed to have been sleeping on the battleground. He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes and walked away. "Well? Come on!"

In the rec room, campers were clustered around a green table with white lines on it, something that Kimberely called a "ping-pong" table. Orion thought it vaguely sounded like some of theology that used to come into Greece from the far east, yin-yang and all that rubbish. But eastern religion and theology aside, the meeting room was already crackling with tense, pre-storm energy. The questions were varied, but they all had a center source and core. Why? Because this was not a mass invasion of a demigod army and monster mob, as they expected after the attempt of such a maneuver last summer. No, this was a small, random attack by a ferocious dragon and a couple of spine covered monsters. No one seemed to have noticed the strange demigod. Orion wondered should he mention it, as he and Kimberely leaned against the wall opposite the door, where Chiron was situated with the warrior swordsman from the match was also. The questions and muttering stopped however as Chiron stomped his rear hooves on the wooden floorboards.

Clarisse stood up. "Chiron let's hear Percy's description of these 'drake men'. Because I doubt anyone needs to hear what the dragon looks like." Several campers nodded but none found that reminder of the last night's defeat very amusing.

Then the swordsman was the one to stand up, from how no one said anything but straightened up in their chairs ever so slightly, Orion could tell this demigod was a respected warrior. "They were slightly taller than me, but thinner by a lot. Their heads had a weird mass of spikes at the forehead, and real wide eyes with sideways pupils. Then, well, yeah they had scales on their back, forearms, and legs, but no where else."

Chiron,s face was clean of emotion, but for the slight scrunch of his eyes. A demigod who still had his bow slung across his back called out, "Do you know what they are, Chiron?"

Chiron ever so slightly chewed his cheek. "Yes. They are drakants. Foot soldiers in the first Titan war. Usually armed to the teeth. But what's very odd about this occurrence is how they were working together, the drakants and the dragon. They are almost impossible to keep in line together, as dragons have a sweet tooth for flame-broiled drakant thigh."

"Usually it took a highly skilled commander present upon the battlefield to keep them off each others throats. But not a sign of such was present." Orion sighed, he would have to tell them. Kimberely looked at him strangely as he stepped forward.

"Chiron there was a demigod there, he ambushed me and managed to throw me to the ground" This brought a smattering of whispering and not very quiet whispering. He could hear, Who is that guy Yeah right more like someone wants attention, but also What! They better not come back, we don't want Luke's traitors around here. Chiron broke out of his thoughtful reprieve,with a snap. "What did this warrior look like?"

"Uh, bronze armor, katana, and...uh his eyes were pupil-less They were just golden irises." He bit his lip. "He was confident, assured that the attack wouldn't fail."

The room broke out into chaos again, but this time it was not Chiron who silenced the crowd, but a blonde haired girl with a dagger strapped to her hip. However Clarisse stood back up, looking very weary and tired. "Alright Chiron, who goes on the life-threatening quest this time." The room was silent.

"I'll go." Percy said after the moment of silence. However the blonde girl stood up and glared at him before saying. "No Percy, you won't. We need you here...you're one of the only ones who could stand up against Luke."

Chiron nodded before continuing on her statement. "Yes that is true, but also I already have thought of who should take this mission." He turned to Orion. Orion nodded, not surprised. He had already spoken to the Oracle hadn't he? He might as well have turned in an application. But a little voice in the back of his head was half whispering to him, speaking of all the others. But the here and now, others were not pleased with his assignment of his quest. However once again Clarisse stood up.

"I trust him. He was there at the battle in Pennsylvania." Great Hades now she decides to remember me. A boy with the typical golden hair of Apollo, snapped his head up as Clarisse spoke. Then he eyed Orion a lot more closely than before, peering at him as if he saw all the years that stretched behind him. Orion met his gaze unwaveringly, the boy broke eye contact with a jolt.

The rest of the meeting was a vague discussion about helping the dryads, but it might as well have been rustling leaves for the amount Orion listened. Well, truth be told, leaves as part of dryads often have more relevant things to life than most humans. Such as the recent monsters that passed through, destroying their brothers and sisters, while most humans would forget, give it a month or two, or would be terrified to the point of hysteria. In the age of the Greeks, anyone claimed as a demigod kept it secret, or used the status to secure spots of acclaim and accolades upon thrones. And you tried just the same, at one time. No sooner had the meeting ended before he was slipping out the door, nodding to acknowledge Chiron's call telling him to get some rest before departure at sundown. He paused on the porch, realized for the first time he had no idea where exactly he was supposed to rest. Then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a contraption of rope, forming a sort of weaved basket, strung up on the porch. Undoubtedly it was Dionysus's relaxing spot. This thought was a little late to stop him. He folded up the sleeping net(as he was now thinking of it as) and placed it in his pack. Now for a spot to string it up. Not in the open center area – too much noise and way too little cover in case of emergency. He then swiveled toward the woods, thinking if he got high enough in the branches, most of the beasts wouldn't bother him. He hoped, but most of the track he'd seen the night before indicated a lot of huge hulking beasts,t hat would not be able to sneak up on him with much stealth.

The fight last night hadn't injured him last night thankfully, but what Chiron used o called his soldiers sense was tingling but he didn't yet know why...

He entered the dappled shade-light pattern of the forest, feeling refreshed to be back in nature's changing, shifting, untrimmed world. He tied the sleeping-net between two thick oak branches, nearly twenty feet above the grassy ground below. He settled into the net, letting the softly whispering dryads whisper him to sleep...

He was in a dream. He just knew it. For his surrounds were perfect, from each graceful branch to the cloudless sable sky above. Orion clambered from the netting, very awkwardly to say the least, and descended to the ground. The only thing missing from the beautiful night scene was the marble orb of the sky. However as soon as he noticed the absence, it was if a curtain had parted and it hung there as always. Out of the corner of his eye Orion noticed movement and automatically swiveled to the source. It was a silvery doe, easily as big as he. The doe easily was a little below his chest at the shoulder. It's eyes were the color of dark shady forest pools and he felt them lock onto him. He stretched out his hand and laid it on the doe's brow.

Go to the west, find the gate. Orion recoiled from the presence that had entered his head, a cool subtle feeling.

The Ancient Fathers prison, you seek. One for three, not equal.

And with that the doe turned round and broke into a trot into the forest. "Wait! What Ancient Father?" Orion cried out at the doe as he began to chase after the silvery creature. He hurtled past a massive oak, expecting to see the doe, but instead tumbled into a massive chasm. He felt hot air slap his face as he fell. And fell. As he continued his downward exodus, screams and howls crashed against his ears, and hot flames seared past him a time or two. Finally his journey ended, with him slamming against a heavy bronze door embedded into the rock at his feet. Through a small, barred slit in the door he could make out a terrifying black temple like structure that sat upon a lake of lava. His view was cut off however, when a huge reptilian eye the size of a car hood moved into the line of sight. A thunderous roar erupted from somewhere behind the door and searing light like a thousand torches blinded him. He felt sinewy hands gripping him, ripping at his clothes, tearing into his skin...

And shaking him awake.

He was back in the leafy kingdom of the forest, with a sick feeling in his stomach reminiscent of being kicked in the gut. the hands shaking him awake belonged to Brian, the wounded Ares warrior. Brian was breathing heavily, and had to lean back against the trunk of the trunk before speaking .

"Chiron wanted me to find you."*deep breath* "Didn't think you'd up a dang tree." His face was flushed but, he was beginning to notice the marvelous view from the height they were at. He settled unto a thick limb and leaned against the thick trunk. "So Trinian. Who are you going to take with you on this quest thing?"

Orion knew the old tradition, three to a quest, even though in his official time the divisions between the cities and territories was enough so very few trios actually stayed together throughout a quest. Or in the case of his old friend Zoë, one of the demigods would take the credit and shunt all the others out of the limelight. Better to go it alone he had always felt. Until you met them. Orion's head throbbed with pain, the random flashbacks of memory starting to frustrating him like meat on a string placed in front of a cat.

"Yo Trin? You still here?" Brian nudged him with his elbow.

"Yeah. And I'll probably just go it alone Brian."

His mouth twisted angrily. "That's really stupid you know. I've heard you have major skills, but it doesn't matter, you're just going to get yourself killed. As if we need more dead demigods."

Brian frowned for a brief second but quietly muttered, "However...It is your decision..."

Orion had followed Brian back to the Big House, and was now standing next to Chiron discussing the most under prepared for quest of the last three millennium. The scenery was still obstinate in it's pursuit of looking full of beauty and life, in fact the traces of death and flame were rapidly vanishing. Orion glanced at the Golden Fleece, feeling it's slow ebbing tide of energy slowly mend and replenish. It shimmered softly, casting disco dots of light upon the tree and ground. Peleus had suffered injuries and was currently sleeping off the battle in a cave in the nearby hillside. After he had been fortified with a heavy portion of the Bar-B-Q, of course.

"Of all the foolish personal ideals you developed this must be the most foolish. You insist upon going alone still?"

Orion nodded, the ideals borders in his head quite clear. His stupid prophecy, so no one else was going to die. Chiron sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose in a frustrated way. However he did reach beside him and grab a backpack, filled of supplies. "I've got ambrosia and a flask of nectar in here, along with the current mortal money. And of course, some golden drachmas of Olympus." He concluded while producing a leather pouch of jangling coins.

"Thank you. I've got my bow, knife, and sword. For me, plenty enough to survive for weeks without contact with anyone else." He shouldered the pack, and ran a quick check over his arsenal of weapons. All was in order, all was in perfect condition. He had told Chiron about the dream all ready, but his old mentor's lips were sealed on who the Ancient father is.

He was ready.

He strode off the porch, feeling an odd finality in the act. Several campers raised their hand in greeting as he passed. At the border, Brian was waiting.

"Still going it alone, huh? Well in that case take this." Brian handed him a pocketknife with a deep red wood handle and gleaming bronze blade. At the base of the blade were a series of ridges, used to flip it out Orion guessed. Brian gestured to these. "Stroke them three times if you need any help."

"What kind of...help?" The hunter questioned curiously. "You'll see!" Brian said while in the action of rushing to supper.

And Orion was alone at the border, next to the massive trunk of that matriarch of trees, of this hill. He ran his hand over the rough bark of the tree. He almost thought he felt a slight little pulse almost a heartbeat. Another glance at the tree showed more of its past. Midway down the trunk was a deep ragged scar of twisted bark, and little to the side of that was a burn mark. A bird fluttered above in the higher reaches, twittering happily. He smiled briefly then turned his feet away from the tree, the bird, the camp.

The hardest path was never the one that didn't give rewards. So he better get a dragon's hoard worth of answers.