A/N: Thanks for all those reviews for the last chapter! I'm sorry if I didn't get back to some of you. I've been busy looking up different myths and gods for this fic that I forget sometimes. Well, enjoy the chapter and review! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Danny Phantom.
Chapter 6 To Hunt or to be Hunted
The two companions were silent as they were left in their own thoughts. A warm and inviting fire sparked and crackled between them. The fire's illumination cast out a low glow with the contrast of deep shadows that blended into the blackness of night. The heat of the fire kept Danny and Theo warm enough to keep from shivering from the cool spring night air.
The forest was alive with sounds. Frogs and various bugs chirped and sung for attention. Small game skirted across the ground at random times, avoiding the clutches of an owl or another predator. Sometimes the rush of wind through the leaves of the trees would make Danny wrap the blanket around him tighter. The forest was a totally new place at night.
"When do we get to see some action?" Danny asked Theo. "I'm tired of just sitting here waiting."
"When that full moon is exactly above us, then we will put out the fire and search for her," Theo answered from where he was working on his map. "We won't see too much action, but with Artemis around I'm sure we'll get some."
"So she's not psycho woman like Demeter?" Danny asked.
Theo smiled absently without looking up from his map. "Yeah," he said, "If you put it that way."
"So is the map some kind of treasure map or something?" Danny asked to start up a conversation. He couldn't sleep even though he was tired. A knot of apprehension was in his stomach, keeping him from slowing his brain down and resting.
"Uh…no," Theo answered simply.
"So where does it lead?" Danny asked, barely interested despite the mystery of it all.
Theo glanced up at Danny with a frown. Apparently he didn't like talking too much about it. "Many places," he finally answered after searching for the right words. "Do you mind changing the subject…or better yet, stop talking?"
"Moody, are we?" Danny asked testily.
"More like tired," Theo said bluntly. "I just know you're going to be the death of me."
"What is your problem?" Danny asked, going straight to the core.
Theo's ears flattened as he glared up at Danny through the fire between them. "What?" he asked in pretend confusion. "I'm not doing anything. You, though, are going to get us both killed with your stupidity."
Danny's boiling point was close to the peak now. He had dealt with Theo's moodiness for a long time, and he was sick of it. And the moment he had addressed it, he had gotten insulted. Theo needed to understand that he could dish it all he wanted, but he also had to expect to get some back.
"Why do you insult me so much?" Danny exploded. "All I'm trying to do is return some simple symbols to the gods out of good nature, and all you can do is complain. Can't you just take a second to see that what we are doing is better for the human race? Why is it killing you to do something right?"
"See, its 'logic' like that that will hinder us," Theo said while putting down his map. "Even after Demeter and you still think we'll be able to come out of this free demigods and a war will be prevented. Think, Danny! Demeter didn't care about her stupid symbol! All she wanted to do was mess with us. Most of the other gods are gonna be the same way. Seeing the symbols disappear didn't matter to them. They wanted this war for a long time."
"But…why?" Danny asked, more confused than angry now.
"Why?" Theo said with a sharp laugh. "Why do the ghosts in your time period mess with the human world?"
"Because…well…it's because they are just ghosts," Danny said with hesitation. "Actually, most of the smaller ones just want to be in the human world and not bother anyone. It's the bigger ones that want to control the world."
"There you go," Theo said with a nod. "They want to take back the world that was stolen from them. Right now, Danny, there is no ghost zone for these gods. Their home, their ruling place, is earth. In a couple hundred of years there will finally be one, but right now ghosts rule and humans try to get by…while all demigods are caught in the middle."
"Then how did I get here if there was no ghost zone?" Danny asked. He hated to be so clueless, but at least he was trying not to be by asking questions.
"It's the ghost zone," Theo said with a shrug. "It can take you anywhere if you know what you're doing. It can take you to any time or dimension. Portals to there can open from here, but there is no set portal in this time period that will let you go to the ghost zone."
Danny sighed and rubbed his forehead. "This whole going back in time thing has got my head spinning," he mumbled. "So what do you want me to do about the symbols? I can't just leave them here."
"We're going to return them," Theo said. "Hermes already gave them the message. It would be more stupid to not give the symbols back than to actually go out and meet them. One thing you don't want is an angry god. And you haven't even seen what some of the top ones can do."
Silence returned to the two. Danny absent mindedly poked the fire with a long stick. He missed his friends, his family, and the comforting feeling of familiarity of Amity Park. Ancient Greece was nothing how the textbooks said it was. It had been made out to be something fun and exotic.
For Danny it turned out to be something out of a nightmare. He felt like he was constantly in the dark. Theo wasn't much of a help either. The guy was distant, secretive, and exceedingly moody. At least with Sam and Tucker Danny could talk to them and settle out differences. Theo, on the other hand, didn't even want to address the issues.
At the thought of Sam, Danny smiled sadly into the fire. He missed her so much. He was surprised with himself at the thought. It was just too strange for him to really like someone who had grown up with him as his best friend. But deep down he missed her the most. She would have liked Ancient Greece. She was a history buff who never liked to admit it. She was so smart that way.
Whoosh!
Something flew straight over Danny's head and the blazing fire. Danny looked up in surprise to see a net wrap around Theo's whole body, sending the demigod straight to the ground. Turning ghost, Danny sprung to his feet and flew over to the fallen Theo.
"Jeez! You think I would have seen that one coming," Theo hissed at himself. He whipped out his dagger and sliced through the net he was tangled in. The moment he was free he leapt over to his map, shoved it into his belt, and then sprinted into the forest motioning for Danny to follow.
"What the heck is going on?" Danny asked as he flew beside Theo. "I thought you said you and Artemis were great old pals. Don't tell me she decided to change her mind."
Theo shot him a look. "I told you she wasn't crazy like Demeter, that doesn't mean Artemis won't hunt you when she gets the chance," he said, a faint smile coming to the corner of his lips. "Just play her game. Have you ever played tag with no bases?"
"What?" Danny was flabbergasted by now. "Are you crazy?"
"Just if you get tagged, you're dead," Theo said with a sharp, ironic laugh. "Hey, you wanted some action. Here it is. Let's split up to make her work for it."
"Yeah, you're crazy," Danny said.
The two then departed. Danny weaved in and out of tree trunks, grazing a few as he flew tightly around some. The only light to go by was the few rays of silver light from the full moon shining brightly above him. He wondered if Artemis would go after him or Theo. He hoped it wasn't him because he had never been too good at the game of tag.
Danny slammed to a stop as he saw something fly past him, only a few inches away from his face. His eyes were wide as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He searched the forest for the goddess by doing a quick 360. He wondered where Theo was. Maybe he had ditched him.
Another object whizzed by his head. This time Danny caught the shimmering glint of the tiny blade as it flew past him. Someone was throwing knives at him!
"Could this day get any better?" Danny asked him himself with sarcasm running deep in his voice. He pushed his feet off a tree and blasted into another part of the forest, coming close numerous times to hitting a tree head on. But the teen was well trained with his powers and was in total control.
An idea suddenly came to him as he was speeding through the forest. Maybe he could lead Artemis to him then trap her. Wouldn't that be cool? Practically no one would be able to say that they caught Artemis during a hunt. But he would have to be smart. He also needed a good place to set the trap up.
A few minutes later the ghost boy found it. He shot out into a small clearing where a pond was. The frogs were the loudest here as they croaked their songs. The moon light twinkled on the tranquil, flat water of the pond. The moon's beautiful reflection illuminated the small clearing with a dim blue color.
Danny smiled as he landed on the other side of the pond and took out the bow from the sack at his side. The goddess would see him, go across the water, and then Danny would freeze her in place. It was nonviolent, simple, and somewhat smart for something that had been made up right on the spot.
Artemis was stealthy and silent as she snuck up behind Danny with a smirk on her lips. The boy was quick, but it was like trying to fool a fox. He didn't know the game, so he was lost from the very start. If she really had been hunting him, he would have been decapitated by now.
"You lose," Artemis whispered hauntingly into Danny's ear from behind. She grinned when seeing his surprised face as he spun around to face her. She brought up a long leg and slammed it into Danny's chest, forcing him off balance. With a giant splash, the ghost boy fell into the pond.
Without missing a beat, the goddess spun around and rolled backwards just as Theo leapt down from his perch on the tree above her. As she rolled, Theo landed on her bent legs. Then she threw him into the air as she thrust him over her head. A small yell of alarm escaped the demigod as he found himself flying over the pond and right into Danny. With cries of pain, the two collided violently with each other and landed into the water together.
Artemis laughed in triumph and amusement at them as she watched the two from the shore. She looked young, maybe in her late 20's. Her dark brown hair was twisted into a complicated bun on her head. Her matching colored eyes shined with the excitement of the hunt in them. Her features were sharp, and her figure was powerful. She sported a skimpy outfit made entirely out of animal hide and leather. She was also bare foot. The goddess was gorgeous and dangerous looking all at the same time.
"Get off me!" Theo yelled at Danny as he shoved the ghost boy away from him and stood up in the foot deep pond. "I HATE the water!" His ears were so flat it looked like they weren't even there. His tail snapped angrily around his shivering body. The pond water was freezing.
Danny shoved Theo back with a look of distaste clearly showing on his face. He wasn't all too pleased to be totally out witted and pushed into the pond as well. Like Theo, the boy was shivering too. He hugged his body while staring at Artemis through his dripping silver wet hair.
"That was fun, boys, but do give me a challenge next time," Artemis teased them from the shore. She bent down to their height and asked with a cruel smile, "How does it feel to get your butts beaten by a girl?"
"Swell," Theo growled back.
"Peachy," Danny said at the same time, just as thrilled as his companion shaking beside him.
Artemis' grin widened as she lifted up both her hands and pushed both boys off their feet at the same time. The two didn't expect the move and ended up falling back into the cold waters of the pond again with shouts of dismay. Artemis laughed again and picked up her bow as the two boys struggled back to their feet.
"I'd love to stay and chat, boys, but I have some more hunting to do," she told them. She turned to leave but thought of something at the last second. She focused on Theo and said, "Next time, Theo, don't be so slow. You could have had a chance if you were a bit quicker. And you," she pointed to Danny, "Thank you for the return of my symbol. But do not ever cross me. If I ever find out it was you who stole my bow, I will not hesitate in destroying you."
Danny and Theo watched in silence as the goddess spun back around and vanished into the darkness of the forest. Grumbling under their breaths, the two boys waded out of the ice chilling pond. The only thing dented was their pride, which was hard to get back after that disaster.
"This does not get spoken of…ever," Theo told Danny as they rung their soggy togas out and shook gooey pond mud off of their sandals.
"What should never be spoken of?" someone asked from behind the two.
Both demigods spun around in surprise just as Danny's ghost sense went off a little too late. Hermes gave them his trademark mysterious smile as he folded his arms in front of him. He looked the companions up and down and had to hold down a chuckle.
"Artemis?" he asked.
"Why are you here?" Theo asked, avoiding the humiliating answer. It was the first time Danny was thankful for Theo's constant topic changing attitude.
"You're a bit moody today," Hermes pointed out. Theo and Danny just stared back at the god. They were too tired and worn out to do or say anything else. Hermes took the dead pan stares as his cue to get on with the message. He cleared his throat and put his hands behind his back before saying, "The gods and goddesses expect to see their symbols before the next new moon. They say if all are not returned, a war will be declared between them and the human race. That is all. If you want to respond, that will be 20 coins."
Danny wearily glanced over to Theo for help. Theo only stared at Hermes in disbelief. Danny knew that it wouldn't be easy to return all the symbols in only two weeks. He and Theo had been lucky this far to get done with four of them, but they didn't have enough energy to manage that again. Plus, two of the four had come to Danny for their symbols.
"No, wait," Theo protested finally. His anger had been replaced with weariness. "We can't do that in two weeks, Hermes. There must be another option."
"Another message is 20 coins," Hermes said with a pitiless shrug.
"What you're saying is an impossible task," Danny spoke up. "We are going to kill ourselves if we rush like that. Can't you give us another week or something?" For once the ghost boy saw the danger of his mission. The gods wanted this war!
"20 coins," Hermes said.
"I don't have that money and you know that!" Theo exploded. "Why do you guys always feel the need to send demigods through the Underworld to do your dirty work? Just give us an extra week."
"I don't feel like arguing with you kids," Hermes said, annoyed. "Either give me money for a message or I'm leaving now. What's it going to be?"
Danny and Theo shared exhausted glances. "I don't have money like that," Theo said in defeat.
"Then good luck," Hermes said, his smile returning. "You're really going to need it." Then he was gone.
The second the god was gone Theo fell apart. He dropped down to the ground and ran his hands through his hair. He shook his head while muttering, "What did I get myself into? I'm doomed. I'm not even near to finishing the map. I'm doomed."
Danny frowned down at Theo. This was not good. Theo seemed like the guy who could keep his cool. Seeing him freak out like this was new…but it needed to be stopped right away. Danny scooped up a handful of cold pond water and flung it into Theo's face.
Spurting water out of his face, Theo glared up at Danny. The ghost kid crossed his arms and said down to the demigod, "Pull yourself together, dude. Yeah, we have an impossible job ahead of us, but that doesn't give us the time to have a brain fart and a melt down. And I'm not saying this because I'm clueless, but we have a chance. I've been in more tight situations like this than you can dream of. The only way I got through was because I always had hope. And we still have some. Now, get up and move on."
Theo sighed and hung his head. "Splash some more water into my face," he demanded in a mumble. Danny didn't hesitate to obey. Once another splash of water was dripping down his face, Theo stood up with a fatigued smile.
"I'll be good in a second," he said to Danny. Then he smoothly pushed the other teen into the pond. Danny stared up at Theo in shock and anger after splashing into the ice cold waters. Theo gave him a wide grin and said, "I think I'm okay now."
Danny's eyes flashed green before he pointed a finger at one of Theo's feet. A green ray zipped out of his finger and efficiently succeeded in tripping the demigod. Theo fell face first into the pond. He sat up quickly and looked Danny straight in the eye…then squirted water out of his mouth into Danny's face.
For a moment the two only glared at each other, daring the other to make the first move.
"We're even," Theo finally said with a genuine grin, the first Danny had ever seen from him.
"Good," Danny said. He couldn't keep himself from smiling too.
As the two pulled themselves out of the pond again, Theo looked up at Danny and asked, "What does 'dude' mean?" Danny only laughed till his sides hurt.
A/N: After many hours of going over many interesting, funny, and disturbing myths, I think I finally have my plot to this fic planned out. This whole time it had been made up chapter by chapter. And now that I have a plot, it means I'm committed to finishing this fic. Yay! Ha, ha! I just felt the need to tell that to you faithful readers. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!