The group hiked up the volcano looking down at the forest below every now and then. When they finally reached the summit they collapsed. They had a beautiful view. Everywhere they looked it was just a sea of green, that was until Piper decided to look behind them.
Fire.
She stood up observing the fire. It was a ways away but it traveled quickly burning everything in its path,"Uh guys. You wouldn't think she'd be in that, right?"
They all turned, finally noticing the distant fire. Thalia looked on with a bit of worry, "She never liked wildfires. I never thought she would be afraid of them."
"We should check. Make sure she isn't there and help her escape if she is," Frank quivered.
They nodded in agreement. Frank turned into a large dragon and all, except Jason and Piper hopped on, and they flew toward the fire.
It didn't take long to reach. It spread so quickly one could assume Hermes was behind this. They flew over the flames for awhile searching for any kind of life. But all they saw was fire.
Piper wished Leo was still alive to help. They would've been able to drop him in and have him search with Festus on the ground. She knew Jason was thinking the same. Every now and then she'd notice him look at one of the flames longingly.
Finally, they heard a cry.
They flew in closer to find a young woman running through the sea of fire. Every now and then she'd panic and get herself turned around so she ended up running deeper into the blaze.
"Lady Artemis! It's me! Thalia!"
The young woman only shrieked in response as fire began to entrap her. Soon it covered their only point of view they had of her.
"We've gotta hurry. Jason! Piper! Try squeezing through those trees and use your charm speak to calm her down!" Annabeth ordered, pointing at a small opening of trees, which was barely large enough for a drone to go through, not too far from where they hovered.
The two flew down toward the branches as Frank flew away looking for another way in. Piper held onto Jason tighter as the heat licked their skin all around them.
They landed on the ground searching for the goddess frantically. Smoke filled their lungs and burned their eyes. They squinted through tears and sweat, holding onto each other's hand, calling for her.
They ran around, avoiding the burning sea to the best of their ability. They were thirsty in a couple of minutes. They were sticky with sweat. The flames had crawled overhead blocking any opening within the leaves trapping them in.
Piper couldn't understand how the kids in the forge back at camp could work in temperatures similar to these. Heck, she didn't know how Leo could light himself ablaze. Could he even feel the heat?
!
Jason and Piper jumped out of the way of a falling branch; they landed near a bonfire like shrub and quickly picked themselves up as its heat roared at them, backing them into a cul-de-sac of bushes.
Jason grabbed Piper's wrist and dragged her through one of the hedges before the fire trapped them in completely.
They fell through the other side of the wall of shrubbery with a new burning sensation of freshly made cuts and reopened scars. On this side of the wall, however, they found Artemis screeching at the fire like a wild animal.
"Artemis!" Piper cried. The goddess turned to them with wide eyes,"Stay back! You fiends! You did this, didn't you!?"
"No! Lady Artemis, my name is Jason Grace! My sister, Thalia Grace, she's your lieutenant! We've come to help you!" Jason held a hand out to her. She hissed shrinking away.
"Go burn!" She shrieked. The fire around them roared in response letting a tree fall over as a final statement. "My lady, please! We can help you get to safety but you must cooperate!" Piper chimed.
For a moment the goddess stared in a daze, nodding in agreement, but then she shrieked scrambling away from them,"N-no! You mean to hunt me! You've used the fire as a distraction! You've used it to make it easier to hunt me! I will not be hunted! I am not prey! I am predator! ! ! ! " In a swift movement she took out her bow and shot two arrows at them.
Piper let out a squeak and the two dropped to the ground, the arrow nicking the top of Jason's hair while Piper's braid was snagged with the other arrow and embedded itself in a tree.
She pulled at her braid but the arrow wouldn't let go of her,"Jason!"
A gust of wind blew and the flames jumped onto the leaves Piper was caught under and began to crawl it's way down the tree's trunk toward her. Artemis aimed a third arrow at Jason her misty eyes reflecting the heat of the conflagration blazing around them.
Jason looked at Piper, at the fire, at Artemis. He ran to Piper dodging a second arrow Artemis shot at him. He took out his sword and brought down the blade on her hair she fell backward as she was cut free.
Jason turned to Artemis, dropping his sword. Piper picked herself back up, she kept a nervous eye on the approaching fire that was closing in on them. "We promise, we won't hurt you."
She pulled back another set of arrows threateningly,"Hogwash, you lying swines."
They heard a roar overhead and the sound of branches snapping, Artemis dropped her weapons. She screeched in terror bucking around like a wild bull. Frank landed over them flapping his wings blowing out any nearby flames.
Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth jumped off, grabbed Artemis, and dragged her back onto Frank. Jason and Piper led the way out of the inferno.
~o0o~
Will sat in the front seat of the car next to Argus. He shuffled through some medications in the suitcase he was bringing with him to the Underworld. He kept opening and closing it checking that everything he needed was still there.
He noticed the eye on the back of Argus's hand gave him a quizzical stare. He sighed,"I'm scared of leaving something vital behind while I'm trying to help Nico. I can't afford leaving anything behind right now."
Argus nodded in understanding. They drove on in silence for awhile toward Central Park. Will turned up the volume to the radio to help calm his nerves but he didn't really appreciate the genius of Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" especially not with the thought of Nico on the brink of death.
He searched a station for an uplifting song when he was suddenly thrown forward against the dashboard.
"Ow, Argus?" He whined as he sat up rubbing his temple. Argus stared forward at the street in shock. Will looked in the direction where Argus was gaping at and he couldn't help but let his jaw drop.
Hera lurched along the middle of the street cowering at everything around her. At one point, one of the cars honked and she let out a cry attacking the source of the noise. Argus and Will were stupefied. They stared on as Hera attacked the car's hood.
"Oh my gods," was the only thing Will managed to say. He and Argus exchanged several glances and simultaneously stepped out of the car toward the goddess.
They each grabbed one of her arms as tightly as they could, Argus having to wrap an arm around her waist. Will apologized for the damage done to the car, and they dragged a rabid Hera back to the van. Will sighed,"At least we gotta head the same way."
Argus nodded with a grunt as they strapped Hera to the backseat in twenty different ways and continued on to Central Park.
~o0o~
Thalia and Jason set down the shrieking goddess on the forest floor. She scrambled away from them, climbing up the nearest tree.
Thalia looked over at her brother,"Was she liked this when you found her?"
"Nope. She tried to kill me and Piper and she was talking in some pretty coherent sentences, so no. She was a maniac but not a complete lunatic," he quipped.
Thalia approached the goddess very slowly her hands up in the air,"M'lady? It's me, Thalia. We've come to help you."
The latter hissed camouflaging into the leaves. "M'lady, you're sick. Everything around you right now isn't real. It's your own mind playing tricks on you."
The goddess let out a growl, she ducked her head out of sight,"You're the one who's sick, you eco terrorists."
Annabeth gave out a frustrated sigh,"We're never going to get any information from her."
"Yes we will. We just have to be patient. Lady Artemis, please. We are here to help," Thalia pleaded.
Artemis hissed once more,"Why should I believe you!? The last band of 'heroes' that stopped by hunted me down! They burnt down half my forest trying to catch me! How do I know you're not with them!"
"Because I'm your lieutenant! Lady Artemis, don't you recognize me?" Thalia gave Artemis a glassy look. The latter turned up her nose.
"I know exactly who you are, Niobe." She took out her bow once more. Jason stepped back, hadn't she dropped it? And aimed an arrow at Thalia,"Still haven't learned your lesson, have you? Insufferable mortal, I shall end you for causing me such distress."
Annabeth stepped in front of Thalia protectively,"No! Artemis, remember me? I'm the one you saved from the sky's burden! I'm Annabeth Chase! We are here to help you! From what I can tell you have pyrophobia and what I assume to be a form of claustrophobia."
Frank stepped forward,"I have pyrophobia as well. I can help you with that. Maybe I haven't exactly gotten over my fear of fire but it doesn't inhibit my ability to work either."
Artemis held her head high shooting them nasty looks.
"Liars! The lot of you!"
She let out a scream dropping out of the branch. The three rushed forward catching the goddess before she hit the ground. An arrow stuck out from her back staining her chiton into red color.
"Set her on her stomach gently!" Thalia ordered. They did just that. Artemis writhed trying to stand but the demigods held her down.
"I knew it! You mean to kill me! Liars! Scum! All of you! Damn you all! Damn you!"
Thalia looked up just in time to see an arrow lodge itself in Percy's arm.
He let out a cry and Annabeth pulled him down to the ground. As they fell Thalia heard the slightest hiss of a spark. When she turned a tree burst into flames. Artemis screamed in horror bucking wildly.
Thalia cried,"Artemis! M'lady, please!"
She felt a sharp pain in her chest and her vision blurred.
"THALIA!" Annabeth cried.
Thalia looked down at her chest. A silver arrow protruded from there. She opened her mouth to say something. Anything. But she could only spit out blood. She looked up her vision blurring. Jason ran toward her and took out his sword. He raised the blade over Artemis.
She finally managed a word,"No!"
The half bloods appeared on the dungeon floor once again covered in sweat. Thalia coughed and gasped for air sitting up. Annabeth ran to her. She hugged Thalia tightly as she cried into her shoulder.
Thank didn't hug back. She couldn't. She stared into the cell of the goddess who now writhed in pain and called her traitor.
~o0o~
Maybe not the best chapter. A shame it's out so late. But with school and other things coming up it becomes more difficult to get over writer's block and write something. I deleted this chapter twice because it didn't flow the same and yadda yadda. I'll try updating more quickly.
~LionCub 101