[A/N] Let's skip right to the fun…

Shadows of the Hunt

Chapter 9: Heart

"Percy Jackson…" I mumbled.

Now where have I heard that name before?

I observed the half-blood, who was currently staring daggers at the cloaked form on the roof. Annabeth stirred slightly in his arms.

The blonde opened her eyes and stared wordlessly in shock at the face of the person holding her. He obviously felt it, as he turned his attention down to her and his eyes softened. "Hey there, Annabeth…"

Annabeth's eyes seemed to moisten slightly, and a trembling smile spread across her soaked features. "You're late, Seaweed Brain!"

He smiled slightly and brushed a saturated strand of hair from her face. "Sorry."

He lowered her down and rested her in his lap. It was only then that I noticed he himself was bone dry. "How are you doing?" he asked.

Annabeth pushed herself up with her uninjured arm. "I can still fight," she said in a strained voice.

He laughed gently and helped her to her feet. "I thought you'd say that, here," he said and pulled what looked like a half-eaten ambrosia flapjack from his jeans pocket.

Annabeth accepted it without question. She didn't really need to rush, as the entire battle seemed to have paused due to pitch invasion. How long until the ref blew his whistle and it restarted remained to be seen, however.

She tested her arm with a twirl of her dagger and smiled. "Thanks for the save," she said, planting a brief kiss on his lips.

The black-haired boy staggered. "Heh…any time…"

"So the great freakin' hero chooses to grace us with his presence," a female voice said sarcastically.

Percy inclined his head. "Nice to see you too, Clarisse."

"Nice entrance," Nico said grudgingly.

"Thanks, Nico, and…who are you?" He turned to Aren, frowning, as if trying to place her face.

She seemed guarded around him, like she was with most boys, but she seemed to be looking at him with an odd sort of respect. "Aren, Hunter of Artemis."

He frowned. "Really? Did you change your uniforms?" he asked, staring at the black hunter's attire I had loaned to her. In fact, I only noticed now that we were wearing matching outfits, and I suddenly felt oddly flustered for some reason.

She seemed to blush as well. "No! I'm just…borrowing this…" she muttered and turned away.

Okay… Something's severely wrong here.

Then he turned his eyes to me and frowned again. "And…who are you?"

"Armani Dove, half-blood, amongst other things."

His eyes narrowed further. "You…you do know you're glowing, right?"

I sighed. "Yes, we all tend to do that."

He inclined his head. "Whose are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're really not up to date on current affairs, are you?"

He seemed to pout. "It's not my fault everyone leaves me out of the loop!" he snapped, and glared at Annabeth and Clarisse in particular, who turned guiltily away. Obviously there was some truth to his outburst.

I sighed. He deserved an answer, I guess. "My mom's standing right over there." I pointed my thumb over my shoulder.

He stared past me to my mother; his brow furrowed in confusion. His eyes settled on Annabeth, but then he shook his head slightly and focused on Clarisse for a second.

She seemed to read his gaze and glowered. "Just how old do you think I am, moron?"

He seemed utterly baffled. "But the only other one here is…" he nodded his head at my mother.

I rubbed my brow tiredly. "The eyes and features are usually a big clue, Mr. Jackson."

He glanced at me, then at my mother, then back again. He repeated this action several times. "But…that's Artemis!"

I inclined my head. "Correct."

"She's…your mother?"

"Also correct."

"But I thought Artemis was…you know…"

"She is." I really wasn't in the mood to elaborate.

"But you glow…like a Hunter."

"That would be because I am a Hunter."

"But you're a guy, right?"

"Boy, you're really on the ball today, Mr. Jackson."

His mouth opened and closed in an odd imitation of a goldfish. He turned in desperation to the daughter of Athena. "Annabeth, what's going on?"

She smiled weakly and rubbed her arm where, until recently, there had been a deep wound. "Long story, Percy. I'll fill you in later."

I nodded, glancing nervously at the figure on the roof. "I think that would be a good idea, our host seems to…hang on a minute…Percy Jackson?"

He nodded. "That's me"

I frowned as a dim memory drifted to light. "Didn't you…Steal Zeus' lightning bolt or something?"

His mouth dropped open. "That was-"

Clarisse interrupted suddenly, and seemed to be trying not to laugh. "He sure did, Armani! Kick his butt!"

I turned to him curiously and he seemed to flinch back, as if worried I might actually attack him. "Clarisse, seriously! That wasn't me, and that was years ago!"

I frowned. "What, you've done more?"

He blinked and seemed somewhat put out. "What? You never heard how I went on a quest and found the Golden Fleece?"

I blinked, thinking hard. "Hmm, nope…"

"Oh…what about when I helped save Artemis from Mount Orthrys? Did you hear about that?"

I shook my head mutely, but I did vaguelyrecall Apollo mentioning something about Artemis going missing at one point. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to him at the time.

"Found Daedalus? Saved Camp Half-Blood?"

"Sorry…"

"Helped defeat Kronos, saved the world?"

"Must've been busy that day."

"Oh…"

Clarisse scoffed. "What's the matter, great hero? Shocked that there's a half-blood who doesn't want your autograph?"

"No! I just thought…How can you miss an entire war?"

I glanced away. "I was probably doing math problems at the time."

He sighed drearily and drew a pen from his pocket. He flicked off the plastic cap, and it immediately grew into a three-foot-long bronze sword.

I blinked. "Pen sword…Impressive."

He smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, it was a gift from a friend."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Yeah, great, he's got a sword. Now, getting back to the point, who's Mister Cliché-cloak-and-dagger up there?"

I frowned up at the shadowy form, who was drumming his fingers impatiently on the shaft of his spear. For an evil villainous type, he was oddly patient, but if he was who I thought he was, then that trait didn't surprise me much. It was simply necessary for a hunter.

I readied my blade. "I have a theory, but I'd rather not speak it just yet."

"Are you quite finished?" the form sighed, his voice carrying oddly well, all things considered.

Clarisse inclined her head. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that, big guy. Why don't you come on down here so you and I can have a nice little chat?" she said through gritted teeth.

"No," said Percy darkly. "I'll take this guy." Something in his face told me that his fury at Annabeth's injury had just resurfaced.

Suddenly something occurred to me. "Ah-ha!"

Percy blinked, turning to me. "What?"

"Sorry, but Chiron mentioned something. I'm not so good at this kind of thing, but am I right in thinking that you're Annabeth's certain someone?" Now, this may seem like an odd thing to bring up at that moment, but for me the fact that I managed to guess it was so astounding it was a major personal victory.

He suddenly blushed and smiled, almost smugly. "I sure am."

Annabeth elbowed him. "Percy! There's a time and a place!"

"Hey, he asked!" He turned back to the figure on the roof, who I could swear was rubbing his brow tiredly. "Like I said," he muttered. "I'll take this guy." He was still smiling slightly at Annabeth, but the furious anger in his eyes was very much there.

The dark form chuckled. "Sorry, Son of Poseidon, but this isn't your fight." on that he drew a dark bow from inside his cloak and nocked an arrow. "It'd love to say it's nothing personal, but…" he pulled the string back and loosed the arrow at Percy. "…There's nothing about this whole thing that isn't personal!"

"Look out!" I shouted. The boy hadn't even budged; he was just staring at the shadowy form, and before I could move to push him aside, the arrow struck him.

I fully expected him to drop like a stone; the arrow had hit his heart perfectly. Shockingly, the arrowhead simply bounced clear off his chest, as if it had hit a solid wall.

What! But he's not even wearing armor!

The form on the roof glanced at his bow then back at Percy. "Well! That was unexpected. What…ah, I see, have you been taking a dip in strange waters, little half-blood?"

My eyes widened as the answer came to me.

He's bathed in the River Styx…he's near enough invincible!

Percy's eyes narrowed. "Maybe. Why don't you come find out?"

He laughed heartily. "Oh, I don't think so…but you're not truly invulnerable, are you? All I need to do is find that one sweet spot," he said. He banged his spear on the stone roof, and suddenly all the undead turned towards us, totally ignoring my mother. "Let's see how long it takes to find!"

"Wait!" I shouted.

The form seemed to pause. All the undead froze with him. "And what can I do for you?"

"Tell me; why did you leave the other shade behind at the remains of the Titan palace?"

All those who hadn't been there, even my mother, suddenly turned to me. "Another shade?" Annabeth asked. "What was it this time?"

I turned my eyes to my mother as I answered. "It was…Zoë Nightshade," I said sadly.

The goddess gave a shocked gasp and turned to me, fear and sorrow on her face. "Where is…what happened?" she asked, her quiet voice shaking.

I tried my best to smile, but I'm not sure I succeeded. "She's gone home."

She turned her now-misty silver eyes away, her hands clenched at her sides. "I see. Zoë…" she breathed. I couldn't comprehend the emotions flitting across her face as she stood in silence. I suddenly noticed that the others, with the exception of Clarisse, were standing in similar quiet. They were obviously also acquainted with the departed Huntress. Even the daughter of Ares was somber.

"Annabeth," Percy said. He sounded both emotional and confused. "What's he talking about?"

Annabeth gripped her dagger hilt tightly. "To put it simply, something's bringing back the dead, Percy, and setting them on us." He fell silent, absorbing the information.

"You haven't answered my question!" I shouted up angrily. "Why did you split up? Surely you'd have had better odds fighting us together!"

The cloaked form shrugged. "Her task was merely to keep you occupied and away from here. It would seem she was not quite skilled enough to succeed in her secondary task of actually killing you…Pity."

That was the moment I understood. "This isn't about me at all, is it?"

He inclined his head, and although I couldn't see his face I knew he was smiling. "So, you're catching on, are you?"

"What are you talking about, Armani?" Nico asked.

I didn't take my eyes of the cloaked form as I spoke. "This was never about Hades trying to kill me as payback. He's getting payback against his accuser. This isn't about killing anyone; it's just about hurting. I was both the scorpion and Zoë's primary targets, but my possible death was intended, not as payback to me, but to my mother."

"You're very perceptive, has anyone ever said that?" the man asked.

I inclined my head. "It's been said, but the opposite has also been said, so I suppose it's only about certain things. But then, considering who you are, you could only be here to hurt my mother, and in the worst possible way."

The form chuckled. "So, figured me out, did you?"

I rubbed my sinuses tiredly. "It wasn't exactly difficult to figure out."

"What are you talking about? Who is he, Armani?" Clarisse asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He's the third shade, the final challenge. Scorpio, Zoë…The Huntress, rather…and now him."

Annabeth gasped. "You mean he's-" her grey eyes were wide with shock as the true horror of the situation dawned on her.

"His identity is irrelevant," my mother interrupted. She obviously hadn't been paying much attention to our conversation up until now, for which I was unspeakably grateful. "What is relevant is that you are all that stands between me and my Hunters."

He inclined his head, "That's also true. But what beguiles me is what you are doing here," he said, pointing his spear at Percy.

The half-blood in question smirked. "Let's just say I got an Iris-Message from my father."

Nico interrupted. "But I thought it was forbidden for a god to interfere directly in a quest?"

Percy nodded. "I guess it is, but my father only called me to ask how I was doing, and then Tyson appeared and my father suddenly started talking to him about all this. I guess he just forgot I was there."

Skating on thin ice there, but I guess I owe Poseidon two now.

"And you came for me?" Annabeth asked.

Percy smiled sheepishly. "I've been trying to catch up with you since Nevada. Blackjack nearly died of exhaustion flying me to San Francisco at full speed. Pegasi may be mystical, but flying square across the country would tire even one of them out. I asked him to drop me into the bay. The sea creatures have been watching what's been going on around here and they filled me in and, well, here I am."

"A touching tale of loyalty, I'm sure, but do you really think you can save them all, Percy Jackson?" he said and banged his spear once again. All the undead began marching on us again.

"I guess I'll just do what I always do, then," the half-blood replied, raising an arm.

"And what might that be?" the man on the roof called down over the sound of clattering weapons.

Percy smirked, "The best I can." He swung his arm down, and a huge tidal wave erupted from the bay behind us, scattering the skeletal foes away and washing them down into the waters. As soon as the area was washed clean, though, more foes began pulling themselves out of the ground. Percy groaned. "Oh, come on, how many of these guys are there?"

"Artemis!" Nico shouted over the sound of the retreating waters. The goddess glanced back over her shoulder at the boy. "You've got to take him out now! He's controlling them all with his spear! If you take him down I can gain control of the entire area and just perform a dismissal!"

Artemis' head whipped back around to the shadowy form, who took a hesitant step backwards at the fury in the moon goddess' glare. "Is that all?" she said in a dark tone, and crouched down, readying a hunting blade in her right hand.

She's got to kill him before she learns who he is!

The goddess sprung up, leaping a good fifty feet into the air, until she was hanging in the sky just above the shade's head.

She spun around in the air, bringing her shining blade around to remove her opponent's head in one swing, but the shade was a lot more nimble than his rigid posture suggested. At the last instant, he leaned backwards, the dagger slicing through the neck of his cloak. As my mother's spin completed, she tore the garment away from him.

She had enough momentum left to take another swing, but she didn't. She had frozen dead in mid-air, staring disbelievingly at the form in front of her.

A strange silence filled the air, and I caught the six words he spoke to her as their gazes met in that second.

"So, would you kill me again?"

Gravity won out in the end, and my mother crashed unceremoniously into the paving below, having made no attempt to right herself mid-fall. She lay sprawled on the now-cracked pavement, staring wordlessly up at the man.

I looked at her face and noticed that her childlike features, normally gently tanned, had become almost unhealthily pale. Her eyes were filled with the same fear I had seen when I confronted her with the truth of my birth.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

I turned my gaze to the young man on the roof. He looked a little older than me, somewhere in his late teens. Taller than me also; he had to be around six feet in height. He had long, flowing brown hair and oddly gentle features. He wore what I can only describe as some kind of ancient Greek hunting gear that showed off his muscular stature. His Stygian iron spear hung loosely in his hand as he stared down at the fallen goddess.

"And…who are you?" Percy suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

I breathed a defeated sigh. "Percy. Who do you think it is?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I've been totally left out of the loop on this one."

"Work it out: first we fought the giant scorpion; then we fought Zoë Nightshade, and now…" I waved my hand for him to finish.

He just mimicked the action. "And now?"

A pained groan escaped me.

This guy saved the world?

The man on the roof spoke up, his tone proud and deep. "I am the legendary hunter, who has returned from the stars to complete his final hunt! My name is Orion!"

Percy gasped; even he recognized the name it, would seem. "You're pulling my leg! You can't be him!" he shouted.

The man frowned. "I am!"

Percy cocked his head. "Oh yeah? Prove it!"

Gods, now he's arguing with a dead guy…

Orion rolled his eyes and did something odd…he posed. He raised his spear and turned to the side in the familiar posture of his constellation.

Percy nodded. "Yup. It's him, all right."

THAT'S what you call a positive I.D?

Orion leapt off the roof. He pressed his spear into the brickwork as he descended, a trail of sparks flying as he used it to slow his fall.

He landed gracefully and strode over to where my mother lay. She stared up at him, her expression nothing short of abject horror. He stopped and pointed his spear down at her.

"Lady Artemis!" Aren shouted and lunged forward. I grabbed her by the back of her tunic and dragged her back. "Let me go, Armani!" she demanded, struggling violently.

"Don't! She can take care of herself; we have our own problems to deal with!" I hissed angrily in her ear. She reluctantly stopped struggling and took her place at my side.

"I've had enough of this!" Percy snapped, and he thrust a hand into the air. Five tendrils burst free from the water's surface, similar to the two he had used originally.

He crossed his hands over his chest, and the tentacles lashed out, batting aside the enemy undead with such force most shattered into fragments on impact. He swung a hand again and they began battering down at the points where the simplified beasts crawled out of the earth.

I suddenly noticed that with each swing of his arm his breathing was becoming more and more labored. A sheen of sweat was starting to form on his face; obviously he couldn't keep up his brutal assault for long.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked simply.

He gasped, "I'm okay, just getting warmed up…"

I narrowed my eyes at Orion, and then glanced at the currently deserted courtyard. It was time to take ownership of the situation. "Annabeth and Aren, I want you two to go ahead into the prison. Split up and find the Hunters; we may need backup."

Both opened their mouths to object, but I cut them off. "Whether I like it or not, this is my quest and I'm in charge. Percy, Clarisse and Nico will stay with me. I'll help them fend off any more enemies until I have to finish my task here."

"But I want to stay with you!" Aren objected. Then her eyes widened as she realized how it had come out. "…And Lady Artemis!" she added hastily, shaking her head in confusion.

I nodded. "I'd rather have you by my side, too, but you're a Hunter, and this is a big prison. You'll have the best chance of finding the others, and if they're locked up you might need Annabeth to figure out how to release them. Now go!"

Annabeth nodded. "It makes sense, let's go!" She paused and turned to Percy. "Be careful, Seaweed Brain," she whispered, kissing him one more time before turning and running off to the prison, Aren reluctantly following behind.

I watched as they skirted Orion. He didn't do much more than spare them a glance as they went.

"Not going to stop them?" I asked as I strode forwards. More of the undead were starting to pull free, and I swung my sword to decapitate a head that had emerged from the dirt by my leg.

He smirked, still staring at the frozen goddess. "They're of no importance. Neither is her dear little band of Hunters. All that matters is that you're here." He went silent as he continued to regard my mother. A small smile graced his features. "You look smaller than I remember." This statement was somewhat emphasized as my mother pushed herself to her feet and stood up to her full height, which was substantially smaller than the 6 foot shade.

"And you haven't changed at all," she responded in a small voice.

He inclined his head. "I'm back as you remember me…that is, how you remember me right before you murdered me!" His face melted into a snarl at that last part

"That wasn't my fault!" she objected weakly; I noticed golden tears were already glistening in her eyes.

"Is that so?" he asked through gritted teeth. Then he tore open his tunic over his chest.

I heard my mother give a pained sob at the sight. I squinted and saw what it was; a scar directly over his heart. "Look familiar?"

The goddess stared at the scar in horrified silence, her hands gripping her bow so tightly it appeared in danger of snapping.

"Armani?" Percy muttered. "What's going on between those two? And what's wrong with Artemis? Why doesn't she just…kill him?"

I didn't take my eyes off the two as I embedded my blade in a zombie policeman and bisected him upwards. "Don't you know the old tale about how Orion died?" I asked him.

He swung his sword and cleaved off the arm of an advancing undead Apache. "The scorpion killed him, didn't it?"

I shook my head. "That's the most widespread tale, but it's not what actually happened. The original tale goes—" I shoved away an undead cat that was chewing on my boot and continued. "-goes that Orion was the only man my mother ever had… affection for. People say she was in danger, for the first time in all of history, of giving into temptation. The great scorpion was the first attempt the gods made to kill him, after he boasted he would hunt all the beasts in creation to win Artemis' heart. The day after he killed it, a certain someone concocted a second plan—" I paused again as three skeletal bears charged us, their flesh shimmering. A stream of water sent them flying before they could come down on me. "Thanks."

Percy inclined his head. "Don't mention it. But wait, are you saying Artemis was in love? And what was this second plan?"

I didn't answer; I used the reprieve to turn my attention back to the conversation between the shade and the goddess.

"You know it was an accident!" the goddess objected feebly, her voice breaking with each word. "My brother tricked me! You know I would have died before I did such a thing. You know I've always…You know I…" The end of the sentence refused to come out her mouth.

Orion's eyes narrowed. "You what?" he growled. "Say it!"

She stared at him wordlessly, tears flowing freely down her small face. "I can't!" she choked out in despair.

Oh, gods…could this get any worse?

Orion bared his teeth angrily, and with a roar of rage, tore his sword free from its scabbard and swung it at the goddess. "To Tartarus with you and with the rest of your accursed family, then!" he shouted, his eyes ablaze with rage and pain.

Thunder crashed violently overhead at his words, and the heavens opened in a sudden cloudburst.

You had to say it, didn't you?

I glanced up, blinking water feverishly out of my eyes. "Great."

Artemis had dodged at the last second, reflexively blocking with her hunting knife. Orion swung about and struck at her with a backhanded strike, which she also blocked. "If you ever felt anything for me, do not make me do this," she pleaded as Orion attacked her relentlessly.

"What's the matter? First through the heart, and now off with the head! Does it make any difference to you? Only this time you can look right into my eyes when you strip my life away from me!" Orion shouted. He swung his sword with brilliant, deadly grace and power. My mother blocked each strike effortlessly, but didn't fight back.

This could go on forever…

"Mother!" I shouted and she glanced back over her shoulder. There was almost pleading despair in her face. "You have to send him back! If you want to help him, you must send him back where he came from!"

For a moment, her eyes, bloodshot and brimming with golden tears, met mine. Her hand blocked Orion's blade without looking. After a moment, she gave a single solemn nod and swung around to attack the shade. Their blades clashed violently, sending a flash of sparks up into the air.

Orion staggered back as Artemis turned on him, readying her knife to strike.

Orion smirked. "So you've still got some of that old fire after all, do you?"

"What's up with his voice?" Clarisse asked as she levered a pair of undead soldiers over her head and into the water behind her. "Shouldn't he be speaking ancient Greek? Or at least be all thees and thous or something?"

Valid point…

"Nico?" I asked as the boy in question lashed out with his black sword. The two Roman troops he was fighting burst into flames.

He paused to catch his breath and glance at Orion. "My dad must've updated his vocabulary when he turned him into a shade. He's still Orion, but he shifted his style of speech the same way Olympus shifts with the heart of the west."

I guess that explained the ancient hunter's slight mid-western accent.

"What's your problem?" Orion roared as my mother knocked his blade aside once more. "Is this the power of the great Huntress?" he demanded tauntingly.

It was true; she was fighting back, but if it was fighting at a level above Orion's then it wasn't noticeable.

My mother gritted her teeth and kicked Orion violently, sending him flying backwards.

He began to leap to his feet, but the goddess had already leapt sideways into the air. She brought her blade round in an arc, down towards his neck as she spun. I saw Orion's eyes widen as she brought down the death-strike that would end the shade's existence.

It's over…

"Artemis…" Orion breathed as the blade closed on his neck.

Then, in the millisecond before she was about to remove his head, my mother did the most absurd, impossible, inconceivable thing I could've possibly imagined.

She missed.

What in the name of Hades' hand-basket?

Her glinting blade missed by a fraction of a degree and skimmed the surface of his neck. Orion reacted instinctively. He swung his leg up and kneed the goddess brutally, knocking her out of the air and backwards into the earth.

She landed as if she hadn't felt the blow. Her eyes however, were staring at her right arm in fear and bewilderment, as if the appendage were something alien to her.

Then it occurred to me exactly what had just happened.

She didn't miss. She hesitated.

Orion looked almost as stunned as Artemis. "Looks like your aim isn't quite what it used to be…" Judging by his tone, however, he barely believed his own words. He knew as well as I that that strike should've finished him.

Artemis glanced from her arm to Orion. "But I-…I didn't…" she looked back at the limb and shook her head in confusion.

"Gods…" I whispered in horror as the truth dawned. "She wasn't lying: she can't kill him!"

There's only one thing for it, then…

I clenched a fist in determination and turned to Percy, who was busy slicing up a zombie cougar as it vainly tried to claw open his indestructible skin. "Percy, despite the impertinence of this request, I need to ask you something."

He kicked the beast clear and drove his sword into its skull, "What is it?"

"I need you to end it, right now. Don't ask me how I might suggest you do it, but all I know is I can't keep fighting here."

He stared at me for a moment. I'm not sure how, but I think he understood me. "All right, leave it to me. I didn't want to do this before because it'd take everything I had and I wasn't sure it would work. I'm not sure I have enough left to do this, but I'll do my best…"

Nico backed up to us as he repelled more of his foes. "What's up, what are you gonna do?"

Percy stood up to full height and closed his eyes. He took several deep breaths, each one sounding oddly like a wave crashing on a beach, then opened his eyes and smashed his hands to the ground. The tendrils of water sharpened themselves into points and slammed into the earth at various places around the courtyard.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then I watched as he gritted his teeth, straining, and the earth beneath us suddenly started trembling violently.

He tore his hands up from the ground, and in front of us the entire courtyard exploded upwards in a torrent of raging water. It swirled about in a huge contained mass in the air, like someone had lifted the contents of a swimming pool and suspended it above the ground.

Within the mass were bone fragments, a lot of dirt, and various pieces of debris.

Percy was gasping for breath as he clasped his hands together. I had to assume he had just increased the water pressure to some unimaginable degree, as the mass of water suddenly imploded, the contents exploding into dust within.

The half-blood swung his arms behind himself and the water shot down the incline and back into the river, taking the remnants of its contents with it.

I had to consciously close my mouth.

"Wow…" was all I could come out with after a moment.

I heard a weak laugh. "Yeah… Not bad, am…I…" Percy's voice trailed off as he abruptly collapsed forwards in exhaustion. Clarisse managed to catch him before he could land face-first in the sodden soil.

I turned immediately to check on the collapsed son of Poseidon. "Is he-?"

Clarisse answered, "Pfft, no such luck, he'll be fine. He's gonna have to rest for a few days, but he should be okay."

I turned forwards to face my mother and Orion through the rain. Both had stopped their fight for a moment; a disturbance that big was difficult to ignore.

I didn't take my eyes off the shade as I spoke. "Right… Clarisse, take Percy inside to the others. Nico, go with her."

"But what about you?" he objected.

"Yeah, we can take this freak together," Clarisse spoke up.

I shook my head, still staring at Orion. "No… Zoë was right. I need to do this alone. No one else can be here when this ends. Please understand me."

Nico opened his mouth to object, but I think Clarisse got my meaning. Her eyes drifted to my mother for a second and she swung Percy unceremoniously over her shoulder. "Let's go, short stuff, time to get out of the rain. This ain't our fight anymore."

Nico stared at me for a moment, obviously trying to think up another objection, then nodded mutely and followed Clarisse into the prison.

"Nico, wait," I said after a moment's hesitation, and the half-blood paused. "…I need to borrow your sword."

He stared at me silently for a second but didn't object; he simply unsheathed it and tossed it nimbly through the air. I caught the grey hilt in my right hand and tossed my own sword to him in return. "Thanks."

He nodded. "Good luck."

I brushed a rain-soaked braid out of my eye as I watched the pair retreat into the building. I breathed a dreary sigh as I began striding up towards the goddess and the shade. "Busy day…"

-A-

I stopped by my mother's side. Orion regarded me, then the torn-up earth around us. "You know, you really did spoil my fun with that."

I raised an eyebrow. "You made it rain, we're even."

He smirked. "I suppose I did. Seems the gods are as ego-driven as ever." Another rumble of thunder sounded at his words, but it just made his smile widen. "What exactly is it you want, young half-blood?"

"I want to know what it is you're planning. What's your real motivation?"

My mother was silent with sorrow as Orion sneered at her. "She shot me through the heart in more ways than one. Now I intend to get vengeance. Your death would've been nice, telling her how I really feel about her would've been even better, and then there was the icing on the cake."

I gritted my teeth angrily. "And that is?"

He kicked the base of his Stygian spear with his heel and flipped it up into his hand. "My final revenge; to take away the rest of those she loves."

"The Hunters…"

Orion smiled unpleasantly. "I'm simply going to crack open a nice big hole to Tartarus with this here spear, and suck the entire island down, Hunters and all."

I swallowed and said in a flat voice, "Lest the followers of the Eternal Virgin, into darkness shall fall." I shook my head. "How very neat."

He cocked his head. "Isn't it just? Now then, my dear, shall we recommence?"

My mother's body tensed up like a cat as she clenched her blade. She glared furiously at the shade, but her eyes were filled with tears. With the threat he'd just made, I knew that she would obliterate him instinctively…but I couldn't let her do that.

"Mom…" I said quietly and the small goddess froze. She glanced around at me as I raised Nico's sword. "…Get out of the way."

"I told you, Armani, I do not need anyone to-"

"-fight your battles, yes, I recall the conversation. But this time I'm not here to fight your battles… I'm here to save you, just like you saved me."

"Armani…" she choked.

My eyes softened. "Mother…step aside. It's time for me to end it."

The rain washed the golden streaks of her tears away, but more formed as she stared at me. After what seemed like an eternity, she lowered her blade and stepped back behind me.

I turned my full attention to Orion, who stared down at me with a merciless smirk on his face.

Great, now you've done it. You just had to be a hero, didn't you?

I told my instincts to shut up in no uncertain terms as Orion erupted in hearty laughter. "You? You would face me, boy? Just who do you think you are?"

I narrowed my eyes at him and told him in a level tone, "My name is Armani Dove. I am the immaculate son and Hunter of Artemis. But none of that is of any importance right now. In fact, if you have a shred of hunter's instinct in that overconfident skull of yours, there should be only one thing about me that concerns you right now."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Just this: I am your enemy." I swung the black iron blade with lightning speed. Orion skidded back at the last second; he got a nice horizontal slice across his tunic as a symbol of how close to defeat he had come.

He raised his blade as he glanced down at the cut, "Well, I'll be, this might just be interesting after all." on that he swung his blade. I guarded easily, but he pushed me back at least a foot. I was staggered to find that his strength had to be at least equivalent to Zoë Nightshade's, which should have been impossible. Zoë was half-Titan, not to mention a Hunter. As far as I knew, the legend of Orion didn't even state he was a half-blood, but even if he was there was no way he should be that strong.

That would be why he calls himself the legendary hunter.

Orion laughed and kicked under my guard, sending me staggering back. I dug my heels in and sprang forwards, slashing at his upper chest, but his guard was already up.

"Not bad, Armani. Your strength makes good your name as the child of Artemis, but do you really think you can beat me?" He emphasized this statement by slamming a fist into my lower chest.

I gritted my teeth and bore the pain as I grabbed his outstretched arm and yanked him toward me, head-butting him so violently my vision filled with spots.

He recoiled in pain, cradling the shattered nose which would no doubt heal in seconds.

I elbowed him sideways in the gut and struck upwards with a vicious vertical punch, which caught him under the jaw. As he fell backwards, I leapt forwards and brought my blade down to stab into his chest, but without looking, he swung his own blade around and diverted the point of my sword into the earth behind him.

As I swung around to get my guard back up he flipped himself onto his feet, bringing his blade back to bear on me. His nose had already healed, the blood turning into ash in mid-drip.

He cocked his head. "Perhaps I underestimated you."

I inclined my head back. "Yeah, that happens a lot. It's a shame, really," I said, rubbing my gut with my free hand.

He frowned. "What is?"

I laughed ironically. "I've never told this to another soul in all my life, but you were always my idol. As I grew up hearing the old stories of the legendary heroes, it was always you I admired the most."

He laughed boisterously again. "Well I'll be, are you sure you don't want to pine after old Hercules, boy?"

I scoffed. "Please, he was a self-serving egotist. You, on the other hand, are merely an egotist. Plus, do you grow up hearing about the Constellation of Hercules?"

He smirked. "I suppose I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?"

"Was it not enough?"

His face froze. "Was what?"

"What you won in the end, and the place you attained in the heavens for all eternity."

His face darkened. "I won nothing in the end."

I felt immensely sad that even a shade of him couldn't see it. "If you believe that, I guess you really are nothing but a shadow."

"Enough of this! Let you be the first slaughter of my hunt!"

As he lunged at me, I swerved to the side and stamped on the base of his spear as his back was turned. I dodged as he swung his sword, missing my throat but giving me a nasty nick on my shoulder as a consolation prize.

He leaned backwards and elbowed me; again I bore the pain, but it turned out that simply causing pain wasn't his intention as his hand flipped around and he grabbed hold of my upper arm.

He smashed down on the small of my arm with the pommel of his sword as he held me. Once, twice, and then the inevitable happened: I dropped my sword.

As the iron blade fell, he kicked it out of the air and sent it flying across the courtyard.

Before I could react, I felt the point of his blade pressing into my jugular. All it would take was one sudden move of his hand…

Lightning flashed, illuminating the victorious glint in his otherwise dull brown eyes. "Think it's about time to join the fun, don't you Artemis? Or will your heart hurt as much as mine when I slice open your son's throat?"

I glanced past Orion at the goddess who had poised herself to attack, and then down at what was embedded in the earth behind him. I couldn't help a smirk forming at the corner of my mouth.

I noticed Orion's proud brow knit into a scowl. "Something amuses you?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "It's just…you forgot the first rule of the hunt!" My eyes turned dark as I finished. "…Always know your surroundings…lest they be used against you."

I answered his confused frown by forcing his blade aside with my bare hand, slicing it badly in the process. Then I thrust my shoulder into him with all my strength.

He lost his balance and staggered. His mass worked against him as his ankle was forced backwards…

…Right into the slightly upturned point of his own Stygian iron spear.

He gasped in shock as I completed my attack and hit him with a final roundhouse kick. The force snapped the spearhead clean off the shaft and pushed the point right up to the broad, deep into his calf muscle.

It's over…

"Argh!" he gasped in pain as he staggered to maintain his balance. Suddenly the look in his eyes changed from pain to confusion. "Oh!" he collapsed forwards in shock as the injury took hold. I reached to catch him, but suddenly a silver blur shot past me and caught the falling hunter.

For a second I didn't recognize the newcomer. When I did, my heart skipped an almost fatal number of beats.

It was my mother; and I'm not even sure if she knew she had done it, but she had changed her personified form.

She was bigger, at least my height now. Her short ponytail was now a long, flowing braid that reached the small of her back and coiled around her waist. She was no longer pre-adolescent. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say she was a little older than me, and possibly a year younger than Orion appeared to be.

I backed away immediately to a respectful distance. My job was done.

As my mother lowered the hunter to the ground, I watched as his eyes cleared and a small smile spread across his face. He let out a weak sigh. "Ahh, there you are…" His voice was weak; obviously Zoë's power as a half-blood and a Hunter had given her a little more clarity in the end. I doubted the fallen hunter had as much time.

A tentative smile spread across my mother's face, but her eyes wet with tears. "Yes, my brave hunter. It is I."

Orion smiled. "I've missed you, my Lady…"

The goddess nodded. "And I you, more than you can know."

His smile widened. "I must apologize, for it would appear I have been bested," he said, lifting his leg slightly. "Sorry."

Her lip trembled and she sobbed loudly. "I'm sorry!"

Orion cocked his head. "Whatever for?" he asked, brushing a golden tear off her cheek.

"It was my fault! If I had only been more suspicious of-"

Orion cut her off, pressing a finger gently to her lips. "Know that I never blamed you, Artemis. If anything, it was my own fault…My own hubris caused my downfall." His smile softened. "Forget hunting all the beasts on earth. I dared hunt the most unattainable thing in all creation…the heart of the fairest maiden of all, whose beauty outshines that of Aphrodite herself."

My mother choked out a laugh. "Your tongue is as silver as ever…"

He inclined his head. "It is indeed a curse, my love…"

My eyes widened at the term, and I noticed my mother squeeze his hand tightly. The way she gasped for a breath told me those were words no other had dared say to her for thousands of years.

She cupped the fallen hunter's cheek and stared into his eyes in silence. Then, after a moment she whispered something…three words that I shall not repeat.

As she leaned slowly toward Orion, I averted my eyes to regard the unforgiving storm that continued to rage above. For a moment, I stared in silence at the dark sky, the rain streaming down my face.

When I turned back, my mother was alone again.

Again I had no words, no smart comments, no witty remarks. I had nothing to say. I merely strode forwards and dropped down, taking the lonely goddess into my arms as she wept.

To be continued…

-XA-

[A/N] I shall see you all in our final chapter:

Chapter 10: Aftermath