Chapter Eight: Decision Time

Micheal grumbled in annoyance. The deer they had been tracking had just now been taken down, it's urge to get away forcing the brothers to use several arrows where only one should have been necessary. It was amazing what fear could do to animals.

Micheal and the others went over to it's final resting place and began the process of initial cleaning, before beginning to carry it to the camp. This was actually the third deer they had killed today. And the several other hunting groups were busy too. Sixty-five extra mouths to feed was not a small amount, at least for a group of twenty five brothers...well, twenty four now.

Micheal had been saddened by the loss of Mikhail. he had been one of the best fighters and most loyal of the brotherhood. They all showed incredible devotion, but Mikhail had set an example for all those that followed. And the way he died, buying time for dozens of people to get some safe distance away from that place, showed all he would need to enter Elysium, or whatever paradise he may have believed in.

But for now, he had to push aside the memories and focus on getting this damn stinky deer back to camp. While he had absolutely no disagreements about freeing those poor souls from that hell, this was going to be hell trying to feed them. He hoped Orion had a plan to get them to safety soon...

-Brotherhood Camp-

Orion stood outside his tent and sat in a fold-out chair, resting for a moment in the surprising warmth of the day. The brothers, who would usually be training, were now having to devote most of their time to caring for the group of refugees that Jason and the others had brought in. Several of them were here, tending to injuries and those refugees whom were weak or sick.

He had kept his Apollonian brothers here to care for them, as well as several guards to patrol the area around the camp. Beside them, everyone else was on a mission to gather things, most notably food. There were several hunting parties combing the woods, getting anything they could, from deer to squirrel. The Hermes brothers and the rest were stealing what they could from the various stores in the local town.

Right now, they were still huddled in some tents that the brothers had erected for them, though they mostly stayed outside, huddled in groups. The significant number of children they had played and ran around them. Orion found their laughter as they enjoyed their new found freedom to be a very calming noise.

Garret and Elizabeth had been inseparable from each other in the time they were now together. They ran together, played together, and ate and slept together. Orion found it very sweet last night to see the two of them asleep, hugging each other for warmth, the warmth only a sibling could give you.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, allowing himself to meditate in a way. He had discovered the skill several years ago, and he was surprised at it's effectiveness at clearing his thoughts and troubles, at least for the moment. That was when he felt a tug on his pant leg, and raised his head and opened his eyes to see the wide eyes blue eyes of Garret, with Elizabeth next to him, grinning.

"Well, what can I do for you little ones now?" he asked.

"I wanted to...well, I wanted to give this to you..." Garret said, holding what seemed like a kind of necklace. Orion leaned forward to inspect it when Garret held it out.

It was a necklace of some sort. That was certain. But what shocked Orion beyond a shadow of a doubt was what the symbol hanging from it was. It was the crescent moon, in a bright sliver color. It practically sparkled in the light. Orion opened his mouth to say something, but it was cut off by Elizabeth's giggle.

"You like it?" Garret asked.

"By the gods Garret...it's beautiful..."

"I thought so too!" Garret was practically jumping for joy.

"How did...how did you get this?"

"I made it."

"You what?"

"I made it!"

Orion was thunderstruck. These children made something so beautiful? How?

"How did you-?"

"We managed to gather some metals that you guys said you didn't need anymore. We just kind of put our heads together and made it."

"And your giving such a treasure to me?"

"Yeah! Your the one who let us go get my sister."

Orion slowly reached out and grasped the necklace. It was beautiful and strong at the same time, so rare for a necklace. Orion slowly brought it up to his face and stared again at it. It was the symbol of the moon...her symbol...

"How did you...?" he tried to ask, but Garret and Elizabeth only laughed and ran off, finding sudden attraction in an unknown child's game. Orion stared off at them, and then at the necklace, before fitting it around his neck. It fit his broad neck perfectly, almost as if it had been designed by something other than simple children...

-Holding Center-

Carlos Negrero scanned the map of the surrounding area, stroking his chin softly. He studied the terrain, the marks indicating pools of water, and the elevations. He needed to find out just where would a camp of adolescent boys would be hiding if they did not want to be found.

Adolescent boys...teenagers...just what was going on here? Who were these teenage boys to go around in strange armor and gear and to make his guards and other employees shiver in fear. He had lost quite a few to them. There were the two he executed for stupidity. They deserved that, and he saved himself valuable money in paychecks.

Then he lost those three that were in town looking for that runaway, and were diced by what was apparently another of those boys, seemingly sent straight from hell by El Diablo himself. And then was the most embarrassing, the most infuriating part. A group of them had infiltrated the camp, killed five guards in their visit, and escaped with over five dozen of his workers.

Who were these people? Where had they come from? The answer was running wild, like a blind wasp. But who ever they may be, they made one big mistake. They chose to fuck with his operation, and now they were going to pay for it with their lives. And those people that dared to run from him would soon realize the folly of their endeavor,m as he made them more miserable than ever before, if he didn't decide to simply kill the bunch, every man, woman, and child.

He leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his eyes. He had not slept much lately, for providence seemed to have frowned ion him in the last few days, ever since the boys started their reign of terror. In fact, he really did not remember the last time he got a decent nights sleep.

Well, he had better get back ti work. he leaned forward again and examined the map, looking at the areas close to the compound, or at least relatively close. Where could a camp go unseen around here. Then he glanced at the area south of the compound, and then it was like a light bulb went off.

Those woods there were very thick, and it was highly possible that planes could not see the ground from there. Furthermore, there was a lot of cover in such an area, and so if you wanted to blend in, then you could very well have colored tents set up and then you would have the perfect camp, almost completely hidden from prying eyes.

It all came together in that instant. That is where they were hiding.

He called in his top lieutenants and informed them of what the situation was regarding the location. He had a new area for them, and he was sure that their quarry was there. In turn, he pointed out the possible camp site to them all, and they each agreed, whether it be out of fear or sincere agreement did not matter to him. He knew he was right, and that was what truly mattered.

"By this time tomorrow, I want those boys dead!"

-Brotherhood Camp-

"Very good. Now try again," Jason said.

He stood several feet in front of Garret as Garret tried the several new sword moves that Jason had taught him. Due to his small stature, Jason had recommended he try and go for the lower parts of an opponent, the areas that they usually did not see coming under attack. So Jason was forced to keep his sword low to block Garret's blows.

Garret came at him again and slashed at him from left to right, while occasionally stabbing at his thighs. Jason was able to block the blows easily enough, but if Garret kept getting this good, then Jason could see him becoming am master swordsman within just a few years. He was already far surpassing himself from when he was first starting. Granted he knew nothing of sword-fighting when he started, but it was still amazing how quickly he grasped it.

Seeing Garret's growing skill made Jason wonder. Very few could manage a sword as fast as he was doing. Could it be that garret was not exactly...well, human? Could he have the blood of a god within him? Could he be a half-blood? Jason did not think much of it, but as Garret showed his more and more capable abilities, Jason could not help but start to believe.

"Again!"

The duel began once more, and Garret attacked with the same ferocity that he always did. It was amazing how much spirit the little guy had. Jason thought that someone in his situation would be scared of his own shadow, but Garret seemed practically fearless. He was surrounded by tough, deadly teenage boys, and he was still abler to play and laugh and run among them without the slightest sign of fear. Could his experience have had the opposite effect? That was not unknown, for Jason was a living example of it.

He remembered his own first days with Orion, before the brotherhood really was even a brotherhood. He had been the first after all, so in a way, he guessed he had been the one that anchored the rest. He was the lead recruiter anyway. People who wished to join were brought before him before they came close to Lord Orion. The huntresses may just let any little girl join, but to them, the group had to approve before you even saw the leader.

He remembered his abuse, and instead of allowing it to control him, Orion taught him to control it instead. To use his anger and fear and bring it out when he needed that extra boost when fighting for his life. And so Jason learned to bury it all beneath his heart, and not to dwell on it, but only use it.

But Garret had not had the same upbringing with supporting people that Jason had. While he had probably suffered even worse than Jason had, he was not showing any of the sign of a abused child, more like a child that was free and unbound by the world. He seemed to be doing the same thing Jason had done through training, completely through his own willpower.

What made a boy able to do that? Jason didn't know, but he was grateful for it.

"Can we take a break?" he heard Garret ask.

Jason turned his head at him, looking puzzled.

"Why do you want a break?"

Garret was panting, and sweat poured off his little brow.

"Because I'm really tired..."

Jason approached slowly, lowering his face to look Garret at his level, eye to eye.

"Do you think you will be able to take a break in the heat of a fight?"

Garret did not respond for a moment.

"You won't...won't you?"

Garret seemed to get the picture that he had asked the wrong thing, and slowly shook his head.

"If you ask for a break in the middle of a fight for your life, then the nly break you will get is when your soul is sent to Hades. That would be the break for you. You must keep fighting, until either you are alive and your opponent dead or defeated, or the complete opposite. Do you get what I am telling you?"

Garret slowly nodded. Jason nodded his acceptance and gestured toward the water jugs.

"If you need a drink, then go ahead. But make it quick."

Garret ran over and began to drink from the metal cups that were set out for everybody to use. He took a long drink and then set it down, racing back toward Jason. He assumed his fighting position and Jason grinned, twirling his blade for good measure. He looked at Garret with the look of a viper, and his grin only seemed to enhance that image.

Garret was not intimidated as Jason hoped, or rather, Jason was happy he was not, and attacked. He seemed to follow a pattern in his attacks, which Jason noted. He would attack from the left and then the right in several cycles, and then a vertical slash before going back to his horizontal attacks. This would not do.

As Garret made another repeat, Jason anticipated the move and slammed the sword out of his hand. Garret seemed shocked at the unexpected move and stood in stunned silence afterward for a few moments, looking at his fallen sword, and then to Jason.

"You were attacking in a pattern that was pretty easy to follow. That is something you can't do and still fight good. You have to learn to be unpredictable Garret. An unpredictable enemy is a dangerous enemy."

Garret took it in and then nodded, and then picked up his sword. He stood facing Jason, who gave a nod. Then he attacked once more...

-In the Woods, near holding compound-

Darren slowly made his way through the brush and the trees, making neither sound nor sudden move. He practically crawled through, so low he was to the ground. His armor was camouflaged, and he had covered his face with some dabs of paint in in order to blend in better.

He had been sent to check on the camp where the refugees had been freed from. The camp that had claimed Mikhail's life. Orion was worried about them possibly sending out search parties and discovering their camp without warning, and the weaponry they could probably bring to bear would leave the brotherhood severely outgunned.

To the twigs crushing against his body, he paid no heed. To the leaves and grass that tickled and pricked his face and arms, he made no acknowledgment. He was trained to remain silent and make no more movement then necessary. To make even the slightest move to ease discomfort was paramount to suicide. He needed to remain alive at least long enough to report back to Orion of what he might find at the base.

Finally, it came into view. The hated base of torment, of slavery. Darren wondered why they did not report this to the local authorities. But then the thought that they may very well know about this place, and are being paid quite handsomely to not do a thing about it. Hell, the cops were probably enjoying the lack of homeless on the streets.

He stopped at the edge of the brush and lay rock-solid, and whe he did, he knew he was virtually invisible. The only possible way for something like people to find him was to step on him. From this position, he looked out at the compound. And he nearly gave his position away with the flinch he gave when he saw the sight.

Within the fence of the compound was the largest gathering of armed men he had ever seen. They wore black uniforms, military style by the look. They were carrying boxes out of several trucks and stacking them to the side, while several opened them. Darren saw them take out rifles, military style looking ones as well. He guessed they were semi-automatic AR-15s, but they definitely looked like the real M16s, which were also capable of fully automatic fire.

They were gathering together for a massive operation. Many of them were in groups, talking when they were not helping to unload. Darren could not hear their chatter, but they sounded excited about something. One of them let out a heart laugh and gave a pointed gun sign toward the woods, seemingly right at Darren. he made the motion of firing his invisible gun, before turning back to his friends.

Did they...could they have figured out where they might be hiding? If they did...

Darren knew that this was bad. As if the gods had decided to scourge them right off the face of the Earth bad. If these people were about to comb the woods for them in this massive group, with all the firepower they were now bringing out, then the huntresses were a comforting fairy tale. At least they could match them in those terms any day.

He saw larger boxes, but he couldn't make out the markings. But if he was right about that feeling he suddenly got in his gut, then they were in the worst trouble they could be in right now. Orion needed to be told. They all needed to know what he had just seen...

He slowly turned and began to go back the way he came...

-Boss's Office-

Carlos stared outside his office window at the gathering troop. He smiled and nodded at the sight of the trucks full of ordnance, and the guards he had called in unloading some of the more heavier boxes. He had called these in from all over the area, from the smaller camps that he had from around the state.

He felt excited, almost feverish with joy. He had phoned in to his reserve guards from all over, calling in around seventy-five extras. He then fed these to the group he had guarding the compound that he could spare for this. By the time they were all arranged, they would be a formidable group.

He looked off into the woods in the distance, and just imagined the possible camp for these little troublemakers. He truly was bringing the hammer down on them, and the hammer would drop very soon. He almost giggled with joy.

Walking over to his desk, he called in to his second-in-command, who would be staying here to watch over the remaining guards and the workers that did not get away. He heard his voice answer and asked for an estimate for how much longer it would be before they could begin the sweep.

When he heard the answer, he was almost giddy with excitement. Tomorrow morning, they could begin to sweep through the woods that he had mapped out. He was already calculating the orders to give, the formation he wanted. He wanted to miss nothing, to catch any sign of a possible camp or previous campsite. And when he found that group of little urchins, their firepower would utterly level it completely.

This was what made life good...

-Brotherhood Camp-

Dinner time, for the brothers and the refugees alike. Micheal had brought in their third deer that day. The brothers who had gone into the town had come back with their backpacks full of food and condiments. Garret and his sister were eating off with the others, so Jason and several other brothers were sitting off by themselves, eating in peace.

Micheal was about to drink from his glass of soda when he had an idea. He raised his glass high, toward the heavens.

"To Mikhail..."

Jason did not feel the twinge of sadness. That had already come and passed. Instead, he raised his glass with the others in the group, and they all repeated the blessing. The deer meat was good. Two of the deer had gone to feeding the refugees, along with most of the things the brothers had taken from the town. But there was plenty for all, due to the exertions of the groups best hunters and thieves.

The meal was going good until they saw Darren. He was running at a full sprint toward the camp. Jason and the others saw the look on his face, and put down their eating utensils and food to stand up. Jason was heading over toward him to see what was the matter. Darren saw this and hollered at him.

"Gangway Jason! Orion needs to hear this right now!"

Darren ran right past him and through the other brothers, all wondering just what the hell had gotten into the guy. He was wild and crazed, seemingly. He reached Orion's tent and then threw the flap open, quite non formally. Then he disappeared within.

Jason stared at the tent with the same surprise as them all. One of the brothers nearby scratched his head.

"Just what the hell got into that guy?"

"Maybe he saw a spider," Lance remarked. There was some general chuckling, and even Jason had to crack a smile.

The group slowly got back to eating, glancing back toward the tent at intervals. Jason was troubled by what he saw though. Darren had the calm and collected mentality that you would expect from a child of Athena. What could have made him so panicked that he would run right past his lieutenant and burst into Orion's tent? Even spiders didn't scare him that badly.

The meal was almost over when he saw the tent flap open. he sat up straighter when Orion walked out, Darren slowly walking out from behind him. Darren was slowly walking toward the left-overs of the meal when Orion approached Jason, his face a pale color. When Jason saw this, and then noticed the look of fear in Orion's eyes, he immediately stood bolt upright, the others doing the same.

Orion approached Jason and leaned close to his ear.

"Jason, gather the brothers in the clearing nearby. There is something...some new situation that we must discuss..." Orion's voice trailed off and he returned to his tent. Jason stood in shock at the tone of his lord's voice. It sounded rattled, shaken. Orion showing fear? Impossible! He was utterly fearless, bowing to neither man nor god. Even Artemis herself could not have scared him.

Jason could not think of anything to say. All he needed to do right now was to assemble the brotherhood in the clearing where he had mourned for Mikhail. That was obviously where Orion was meaning. After informing the rest of them as to the location, they made sure the refugees were tended to. Then the brothers all left in mass toward their selected rendezvous.

The walk was quiet and silent. Most did not know why they were going there, and most were also confused at to why. But they did as Orion had said and marched toward the location in question, with Jason leading the way. When they reached the place, Jason stood in the middle, with the brothers all mingled around him.

"What now?" one of them asked.

"Now we wait for Orion."

And so they did. They waited for a good fifteen or so minutes before Orion came, with Darren tagging along next to him. Orion was walking straight and proud, but there was a general feel in the air. A feeling of fear, and it was coming from Orion himself. He stood before them, the powerful presence that he was, and addressed them all in a quiet voice, almost like a father telling his children something that was going to make them burst into tears. He took several deep breathes.

"My brothers...we are in the face of a rather serious dilemma..."

There were some murmurs, but Orion continued.

"Darren has reported back from his mission to check on the compound. I wanted him to report back to see if there was any increase in activity. In case they sent out a scouting group to search for us and the refugees we rescued. And he has confirmed that they are indeed sending out a party..."

"Then we'll just ambush it in the woods, and then be done with it!" one of the brothers called, and their were some calls of agreement. But Orion was silent, and he glanced up at the moon for a moment. He had done that a lot lately, for reasons Jason did not know. Then he turned toward them all, and gave a smile, a rather sad one.

"Your confidence is unshakable, as always. But Darren has something to say, what he saw gathering there."

Darren stepped forward. The group was as silent as the night sky. Darren looked at them with a grim expression upon his intelligent face, and when he spoke, his words were louder than Orion's but that may have just been coincidence.

"I did as Orion said I did, I checked on the compound where we freed those people. And they are indeed sending out a party..."

"And the point is?" a brother asked.

"My point is that it is a rather large party. As in a small army."

That got their attention. A silence filled the air that was more silent than possibly even the grave. An army was coming for them?

"How many?" Jason asked, his heart going overdrive in his usually calm heart.

Darren swallowed and the opened his mouth. He couldn't get the words out, trying as he might. Jason stepped a little closer and raised his voice to his command tone.

"Darren...how many were there?"

"I couldn't really count them. But if I had to guess...I would say at least a hundred...possibly more. They were scattered all over, and so I couldn't get a real count. But there is a lot of them."

The brothers looked at each other with stunned expressions. Just what kind of madman sent an entire legion to retrieve a group of weakened people? Over a hundred armed men going after a group of just over five dozen? Was it really worth it?

Unless they were not only going after the refugees...this seemed like a move to wipe them out as well.

"That's not all..." Darren said.

This just kept getting better and better...

"They were unloading boxes of armaments. If I was to guess, they were military grade rifles, semi-auto at the very least. And full-auto at the worst. And bigger boxes as well, but I couldn't tell what they were..."

Brothers were lost in thought at the information they had just been told. A whole army of thugs was coming for them, armed to the teeth with military grade gear. And they were armed with bows, swords, and knives. In the firepower department, it was arrows against machine guns...literally.

Darren finished his report. He stepped back and Orion stepped forward, grim looks upon his features.

"You have heard what we now are facing. Now, what do you think we should do about it?"

Orion was different from many leaders. While he still had overall authority, he tended to allow them to consider their own course of action. And so the brothers were lost in thought, or maybe shock of what they heard. Gradually, voices rose and quested.

"What about the town? Could we possibly hide the refugees there?" a brother asked.

"If the authorities had not already done something about this place, then their probably being paid off or something. We can't go there for help."

"What about getting the people away from here through the woods, toward the next town over or something?" another asked.

"They are really weak from being in that place. They barely got away during the raid. We'd be like a bleeding deer trying to get away from a pack of wolves. And we can't ditch those people...we can't!"

There was a general understanding. There was no question in the minds of the brotherhood. They had got the people out of there in the first place. To abandon them would be inhuman, something that simply could not be done. No one in the right mind could ever do so, and not lose sleep for the rest of their days.

Jason decided to speak the reality of the situation.

"So we can't leave those people, and we can't get them away..."

Nods all around.

"We are vastly outgunned and outnumbered..."

More nods from more grim faces.

"And so we are left with only two alternatives..."

Dead silence. Jason rose his voice.

"We can either abandon these people and flee, or we can stay and hold this army of thugs off for as long as we can, giving them as much time as possible to get away. We die and give them a chance, or we run and live, and they die or worse."

Orion then stepped forward.

"You have heard all we know..now I let you decide...what do you do?"

Silence. There was neither talk nor even breathe, and one would think they went deaf. Even the animals of the forest were silent this night, as if they knew that something was going down. Each brother was lost in his own thoughts, his own battle of morals vs self-preservation. There was no way they could win this battle. The numbers and weaponry was too far in those guard's favor.

Dean stepped forward. All eyes were immediately on him.

"I was there...in that hellhole. I saw what was done to them, the brutality. And I declare it now, that I will stand in front of them, and give them as much of a chance for freedom as I can."

There was some nods. Dean stepped back. Micheal stepped forward.

"I first thought that these people would be a burden to care for. I didn't argue with freeing them, but I knew that it would be hard to care for them. I honestly felt that it would be better to give them some help and then send them on their way. But now, with that army coming...No. I can't just let them be massacred. And so I will defend them to my last breathe. If that is what is necessary, then so be it."

More nods.

Then it was like all eyes were on Jason. Jason felt them all upon him. There had been no calls to him, and he did not step forward to speak. But nevertheless, the brothers seemed to look at him in unison. He was the lieutenant, and so it was possibly because his opinions would matter the most. He stepped forward. He did not know what to say, but he opened his mouth and simply allowed his heart to do the talking.

"When I was young, I was abused, really badly. I think we can all relate to that in some way."

No one spoke a word, but the feeling through the air was all the answer he needed.

"I know that we were all afraid and scared. But we were given a second chance by fate, and Lord Orion..." he indicated him standing nearby. "Lord Orion gave us a second chance. We have all become brothers to each other, and all of us would sooner die than see it destroyed."

Brothers around him were breathing at an increased pace. It was not emotions rising, but a quiet determination running through them. A power was waking up in them, something that they had never felt before, even during the war with the huntresses.

"These people have suffered in ways we can not even imagine. They have taken it through all this time. These people deserve a second chance, and I feel that they should get it. And so I will take a stand and get them to safety...or I vow that I will die trying."

He meant every single word. There would be no more suffering for these people, not while Jason was still drawing air into his lungs. He stepped back and there was a different mood, different from the grimness that had filled the air initially. There was now a feel of determination, and Jason felt it coming from every single brother that was standing there with them on that ground.

Orion stepped forward.

"Do we stand and defend these people?"

Instead of gentle answers and nods, there was a cry of agreement. Battle cries of agreement. The time for silence was over. THe borthers were determined now. Orion nodded and then slowly stepped back.

"Very well. We will make our stand here. I will pass the news af what is to come to the refugees. Make your plans. We will go over the final preparations tonight."

He paused for a moment, as if he was lost in though for a moment, and then he slowly smiled.

"You brothers make me proud that I was brought back to life. If I had not...then I would never know such courage as what I am seeing from you all. I am...proud of you all," then without a word, he slowly disappeared into the woods going back to camp. Brothers were immediately talking all at once, trying to theorize how to overcome this pending attack.

Jason turned toward Darren.

"Hey, Darren. Your supposed to be our best strategist. So what do you think?"

Darren was indeed the best strategist among them, being a child of Athena. But he looked at him with weary eyes.

"You want my honest thought?"

"Yeah."

"My honest thought is...were are royally screwed..."

He turned and left without a second comment. Jason stared after him and felt a twinge in her gut. Despite the morality of what they were doing, Darren was right.

This was going to be one hell of a fight...

A/N

The fight of their life is coming. Will the brotherhood prevail? Or will they be overpowered by the numbers and firepower of the army of thugs coming for them?

You all have been great supporters. There is going to be just a few more chapters before the end. And I already know how it will all come down. I'll be working around the clock to bring it to life for all of you, so stay patient.

If anyone is interested, I am working on another OC fic, titled "Beneath The Winter Sky". I would love for you all to go over and see what you think.

See you in the next chapter, "The Stand".