Responses to my awesome reviewers-
Guest- Awwww you're too sweet, thank you!
SeeSea19- XD Thank you so much!
Nutmeg Loves Books- OMG! I totally agree! Like she isn't going to suddenly drop her millennia old grudge against men in a matter of days! You have my word to do as you asked. :)
Hey guys, just a little quick side note before I continue. I do not know as of right now who I am pairing Percy with. This may not be a Peremis story, so for those of you {and I am saying this with all the kindness I can muster from me} that believe just because he is protecting the Hunt automatically matches him with Artemis, well... I ask of you to just hang on a few more chapters. Just let the story carry on as it goes, and if it ends up being a Peremis {by the way, am I saying the ship name right?} you have my full permission to write a review saying "I told you so" and walk away from the story. I'm sorry if you are not one of these people and are actually reading this instead of just reading the story, that brings warmth to my heart. I love all of you and I mean nothing in a harmful way {except in my actual stories, those are truly gruesome, trust me. [hehe Novocaine reference]}
Percy POV-
Who knew the hunters could be cruel at heart? Oh wait...
I did.
Only two weeks into being their protector, I've experienced almost nothing else but pure hatred. They are always trying to prank me and hurt me. It's making my decision to keep my identity secret pretty convincing. If only they knew it was me they were calling the deer upon to trample, or that it was my tent they were placing poisonous snakes or bloodthirsty wolves in, they'd probably drop dead in shock and potential fear.
My tent is set up pretty far away from theirs, and that's always how it's going to be. But I mean, it's wanted by both parties in the situation at hand. They hate males, and well... Last time I checked, I qualify as a male. But also, I enjoy privacy. I enjoy privacy more than ever, because it's the only thing that keeps me sane.
Being the Prince of the Universe is not always fun and games. I have lead many armies into war, and sometimes I'm only one of the few that return from those said wars. I've been kidnapped easily 10 times in the last 2 centuries, and those are never fun to sit through nor escape. Sometimes I even have to follow orders I wish I would never consider doing... Those are the worst, especially with my fatal flaw.
But also, I have to be strategic and wise. Thus the meetings have probably strengthened those two characteristics immensely over time. Of course, I never raise my voice during the meetings or use my sarcastic remarks. Once Luke told me I'm pretty scary guy when I'm serious, and I also look as if I could blow up a planet with a single thought. What I didn't tell him is that I actually could destroy a moon of a planet by just snapping my fingers... Don't ask, I don't like it either.
But then comes the more challenging part of being a prince. Controlling one's emotions. Anyone who doesn't qualify for the job would have already succumbed to the pure pleasures of insanity. I school my emotions into light and happy, but in a way that I still don't give away my true thoughts. I think about death, and no, I am not suicidal. I think about all the death I've caused over the course of my existence all the time. I see the faces of those I kill every now and then, and I know it's just my subconscious messing with me, so I don't say anything. Well I don't say anything about it at all, and though I really want to just spill everything, I can't. I can't be weak, not when I have so many responsibilities to uphold. But that doesn't make me unkind. I will help anyone at anytime if asked of me, no one deserves to be hurt while I can prevent it.
Then there's the nightmares. As one of my powers, I can sometimes see glimpses of the future, and for some reason, they are never good. I always see the war or misery that will be brought upon a certain planet or civilization. Sometimes, I can also see the past, again they are never good. Once, when I was only a century old and still sleeping a straight 8 hour time period, I was trapped in a nightmare as I watched Saturn burn to ashes. I watched children and women die at the hands of merciless men. That was my turning point, so I usually only sleep for about an hour at night while catching 2 minute naps here and there to give me a boost of energy. Who knew the Mist could cover up the dark bags under my eyes? Thank Chaos I don't have to wear makeup.
Tonight was probably no different than the rest. Dinner was starting soon and it's my turn to hunt for the meal. Now I could just conjure up a feast, but that's just boring. I love the feel of running freely through the woods with a bow in my hand. I can be free when I hunt, and I don't have to worry about hateful hunters or a scorning goddess or the upcoming war. No, I can be the young and reckless 18 year old boy I was before all of this happened, even if it is for only a small period of time.
I quickly climb a tree when the sound of snapping twigs catches in my ears. With a dark green arrow notched tightly on the silver string of my bow, I now wait. I've taught myself how to shoot and I've trained constantly with my bow. I have to be ready to fight with any weapon given to me, because it's a hell of a lot better than fighting without one.
A pack of deer casually strolls into view below me. I draw back my bow and I release the arrow to kill the biggest one of the pack. The others run away and I let them, I have enough food to feed the Hunt.
I jump down from the tree and I walk over to the deer. It lays on the ground, limp and lifeless as I pick it up. Is it heavy? Oh yeah, it weighs easily 200 pounds, but it's a good workout. I throw it over my shoulders as I head back to camp.
A familiar sense of danger suddenly chills my veins. I frown a little and I walk faster to camp, the deer becoming weightless on my shoulders. I can't hear anything out of the ordinary, but that doesn't always mean good.
Reaching the camp, I see that everyone was okay. The Hunters were all walking around, laughing and talking. Artemis was with Thalia as they talked about gods know what. Regaining my posture, I walk into camp and into the dining hall.
"Hey Ace! Heads up!" I hear Thalia call. Instinctively, I duck down and turn around. A rotten tomato smashes right square on my face. The entire hunt bursts into laughter, some are even on the ground, holding their stomachs as they laugh hysterically.
I spit out some tomato and I go into the tent, placing the deer on the table. I'll skin it once I clean my face.
Walking out of the tent, I ignore all of the laughing and pointing fingers as I step into my own tent. I take down my hood and I conjure up some water to clean my face. I quickly clean my face and I use the edge of my sleeve to dry my face.
But that feeling won't lighten up. I can feel the adrenaline pulsing through my veins and the feeling of someone bad just being right there... My instincts have never failed me before, so I need to keep a keen eye out tonight. Maybe I should alert Artemis... I can't let my grudges hold against my true responsibility.
I walk out of my tent, my fingers tapping against my leg subconsciously as I look around for the goddess of the moon. She was laughing and talking with Thalia still, oh great, just the person to snoop out who I am.
Steeling my nerves, I walk over to the two. Both Artemis and Thalia look in my direction once I grow near. I bow to the two in respect before standing straight.
"Lady Artemis," I start strongly. The shocked expressions from both Artemis and Thalia would have been hilarious if I wasn't in the situation I was in now. "May I speak with you privately?" I ask.
The girls exchange a glance before Artemis faces me again. "Whatever you need to say you can say in front of my Lieutenant, boy." She says with an edge of warning.
So this is how it's gonna go down. I think to myself before nodding in consent. "I may be wrong in this manner, but I feel a strong sense of danger near. While there may be nothing now, I strongly advise we all keep a sharp eye for anything out of the ordinary." I explain simply, keeping all traits of emotion out of my voice. If it's one thing Thalia remembers about me is that I used to wear my thoughts and feelings on my sleeve, this will undoubtedly throw her off. But the mentioned daughter of Zeus looks at me curiously, her electric blue eyes staring right through me.
"Thank you for the warning, but I believe we will be fine." Artemis says dismissively. Setting my jaw, I bow respectively to her before stepping away. Was I really expecting her to actually take my word? I suppose not.
Instead of going to take care of the deer manually, I snap my fingers and it was skinned, cleaned and cut up into appropriate proportions for all the hunters when dinner comes around.
I go into my tent once more and I create a mist with a wave of my hand. I toss a drachma into the mist and I call for Zoë. Why? She's probably the only one who understands what I'm going through. She's been betrayed many times like me, and also knows what it's like to be in the hunt.
An image of Zoë slowly begins to appear, she sits on the grass, probably standing guard alone. I can't help but restrain from calling her name, just to see her when she isn't in public, talking, but rather lost in thought. Her dark eyes seem to have caught the stars as they glitter at every angle. Her long brown hair was braided regally over her shoulder. A small, carefree smile plays on her lips as she stares at the growing stars as night falls.
She looks pretty when she smiles. I think subconsciously to myself. That thought alone causes me to snap out of my train of thought. She is a former huntress, my mouth would have been shot up with arrows if she could read my thoughts!
"Zoë." I whisper to get her attention. No one here will hear me since I'm so far away from the Hunt. Zoë jumps in alarm and looks around in bewilderment before she finally rests her warm brown eyes down on me. She relaxes visibly as she sits down in the grass again.
"Percy, why have thou called out to thy?" She asks and I smile a little at her old english. Even after so long of trying to teach her differently, I finally gave up because she is just so accustomed to this way of talking, she won't change.
"I have a question." I lie. I really just wanted to hear someone's voice that isn't filled with hatred or disgust towards me.
"Oh?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. I laugh a little as I remove my hood again, a few remains of the rotten tomato are still on my face since I did a hasty job of cleaning it off.
"Have you been experiencing a feeling of danger likely? Like an enemy is going to jump down suddenly and attack?" I ask, blurting the first question that comes to mind.
She releases a sigh of relief for some reason when I ask it. "Yes. Thy have been experiencing that odd 'feeling' as thou proclaim. Aerin says she doesn't know what thy am even talking about! Thank the gods thy haven't finally condemned to insanity!" She laughs wholeheartedly. Her laugh is contagious as I begin to laugh also.
We finally begin to calm down and I speak up first. "How's Camp Jupiter?" I ask. Her laugh slowly deteriorates once I ask, and I feel bad.
"The girls here are brave and fearless, thy enjoy bidding thy time with them. As for the males? Swine-filled jerks." She spits, setting her jaw.
I raise an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean by that?" I ask, knowing a few of them. Frank is a softie at heart, wouldn't dare harm a fly if it was unnecessary.
She sighs softly. "They are all arrogant, save the Praetor, he is manageable." She adds, looking up at the stars again. "Thy see what they do if a girl does not listen to them. Thy shot down three just today." She chuckles a little.
I smile faintly at her joke, but what she said really hits home. I see the Romans as family, not... Not like how Zoë describes them. It really tells how much the world can change in 6 centuries.
"I'm sorry Zoë that you have deal with such horrible people. I promise to set them straight once-"
"Once what, Percy?" Zoë cuts me off. "Once you finally tell thou family that thou are alive? Percy, hiding is only going to make it worse, both thou and thy know that." She says softly.
I sigh and I sit down on the ground. I run my hand through my hair before continuing. "I know, Zoë. I know. But I just can't shake off the feeling that if I show them who I am..." I trail off, not really wanting to express my reasoning. Zoë looks down from the sky and at me, a certain conflict playing in her dark eyes.
She opens her mouth to say something, but a familiar voice shouts from the distance for Zoë. It's Reyna.
"Thy must go. Take care, Percy." She says, but hesitates ever so slightly before swiping her hand through the mist, causing the image of her to fall.
"Gods dammit." I mutter, putting my head in my hands. Why did I do that?! Zoë doesn't care about my childish worries.
"Awe, did someone mess things up with their girlfriend?" A familiar voice asks in a sickly sweet tone. I quickly flip my hood up before looking up.
And there he was, one of Order's only kids. His name fits him perfectly, Lucifer. He has a twin sister, Lilith, and they look exactly alike. Stark white hair cut just above their shoulders, milky white eyes that look as if they have no iris, delicate facial features and lean, thin body structures. The only difference between the twins is that Lucifer has a scar that makes his nose crooked. I did that to him with my sword in an attempt to kill him 3 centuries ago.
"Where is your sister? Hiding behind daddy's legs, waiting for his next command?" I ask in a sarcastic manner as I slowly get to my feet. The twins are Order's dogs, they will do anything their father tells of them, and they will do it with the biggest fucking grin ever.
Lucifer sneers at me, laughing a cold laugh. "Haha, very funny, Prince. What about you? Where's your team? Where's your little girlfriend?" He teases, but that last one doesn't even affect me. I am in no relationship, no matter what he says, unless Lilith is here. Then she would proclaim I am her lover, damn psycho.
"Enough side chat. Why are you here?" I ask, refraining from my old sarcastic ways. I could go on forever if I wanted to, but I'm sure that wouldn't help one bit.
"To kill the one threat that opposes from my father." He says, slowly taking out his Chaotic steel sword. Becoming part of Chaos's army means many things, including the fact that celestial bronze and imperial gold can't kill me any longer just from even the slightest cut. Chaotic steel however... That replaces the threat of those metals. I almost died twice from that metal.
"Oh? And who would that be?" I ask in mock curiosity, silently creating two daggers out of thin air into my hands. The sleeves of my cloak obscuring the daggers from Lucifer's sight.
"You." A feminine voice says behind me. Lilith. She giggles before attacking me, swiping her small sword at my legs, the blade catching against my thigh and making a deep gash, I don't cry out, but rather ignore her move.
I throw both of my knives at Lucifer, one catching him in the calf because he was deflecting the other. He doesn't cry out, but rather pulls the dagger right out. I turn and I swiftly throw a punch right into Lilith's jaw, she catches my hand and twists my wrist. I jump up as she twists my wrist to avoid Lucifer's sword hitting my ankles and I kick her square in the jaw. She goes flying out of the entrance of my tent.
The Hunt. Is my first initial thought once she goes out there. These two couldn't have came alone. I grab Lucifer's shoulder and I flip him over, body slamming him to the ground. He slams his head against mine and jumps up, going outside to find his sister I bet. My vision swims for barely a second before grabbing my sword and running out of my tent.
Monsters are everywhere, and the hunters are doing a pretty good job keeping them at bay for the most part. While searching for Order's twins, I quickly dispatch of a few monsters to help out the hunters. I go to kill a Cyclops when a sudden feeling alerts me to look behind me. Lilith runs towards me with her sword, silver blood streaming down her nose from my kick. I intercept her sword with my own and I keep my senses alert for Lucifer, knowing he wouldn't let Lilith fight against me on her own.
Lilith giggles manically as she continues to swing her sword swiftly at me, if I haven't trained for as long as I have, I'm sure she would have decapitated me by now.
"Awe look at us! Lovers playing around!" She giggles as she swipes at my feet. I jump but someone stabs me and pushes me forward from behind. Lucifer laughs as he drives my own dagger into my shoulder before I could intercept him. Pain flares into my left shoulder, but I ignore it.
The monsters were slowly starting to decrease in population as the hunters dispose of them quickly. That made me feel a little better as I fight off these twins. Even with the dagger shoved deeply into my shoulder, I fight with all my might.
Using Archaea's signature power, I trick Lilith into hearing Order calling her off. She squeaks in alarm and drops her sword. "I'm sorry daddy!" She cries and I try not to laugh at the incredulous look Lucifer gives her as he continues to try and cut me.
Before Lucifer can warn her, I kick away Lucifer long enough to drive my blade into Lilith's heart, forcing her to fade back to Order's palace. I turn to Lucifer and he is pissed.
We stand there for a moment, breathing heavily as we hold our swords out in front of one another, ready to attack. I don't notice all of the Hunt staring at me in awe and horror at the same time.
Yelling a battle cry, Lucifer advances in a blur of motion, swinging his sword right at my neck. I duck and intercept his blade with my own. We go back and forth many more times, not even seeing one another but just blurs of colors as we spin and duck and intercept. Finally, with a final blow to his shoulder, Lucifer drops his sword with a cry in pain.
I place the tip of my blade on his Adam's apple, staring at him angrily. He looks at me and laughs coldly as he glares at me. There's complete silence in the forest as Lucifer and I glare at one another.
"We will meet once more, Prince." He spits at me. "Order will have your head, and when he does, this world will end in its rein of Chaos." He growls, grinning mischievously.
Instead of answering him, I drive my blade deeper into his throat. He growls lowly before disappearing in a puff of white smoke. I lower my sword as I stare at the spot he was just at not a moment ago.
I look up when I hear the slightest movement. The entire Hunt stares back at me with wide eyes. Thalia whistles lowly as she steps forward. I sheath my sword and I remain silent for a moment.
"We must call a meeting on Olympus, they must be alerted of what occurred here." I say before Thalia can make a sarcastic remark. She looks at me with narrowed eyes before nodding.
"So be it. Lady Artemis? Care to do the honors?" Thalia asks the goddess, who was busy sending me sharp glares. Artemis nods and closes her eyes, that familiar silver glow surrounding us all before the next thing I see is the throne room.
While Artemis calls a meeting with the Olympians, I call upon Chaos and all the Counselors, saying it's important. No more than two seconds later, Chaos appears through a portal and the Counselors walk appear with their designated groups. Everyone stares at both the Hunt and I in shock since we were all bloody and bruised, mainly me.
The Counselors all run from their groups towards me, concern in their eyes, except Aerin, she stays behind with Camp Jupiter. Everything starts to gain a fuzzy outline as I look around, but I shake my head to clear it off as best I can.
"Percy, what the hell happened?!" Luke hisses quietly. The other Counselors nod in agreement.
"I'm going to explain it to everyone at once." I whisper to them and most of them look at me in shock. I've been silent for so long, but this is too important to not talk about. I catch Zoë looking at me and we exchange a knowing glance because of our conversation earlier today. I nod to her and she smiles gratefully before I step (or limp if you rather) to the center of the Throne room.
"My fellow Olympians." I start politely, gods this is no different than a diplomatic meeting! Holy Hera I hate being official! Ignoring the stunned expressions of the Olympians, I continue. "About 30 minutes ago, the camp of the Hunt was attacked by members of Order's army."
Uproar starts to enact. Everyone pales with realization of what has happened. The gods demand more information loudly. I wait patiently until they are finished, raising my voice never helps any occasion, so I will wait until they finish their little temper tantrums.
Once they realize I won't speak until they shut up, they all quiet down. "Thank you." I say. "Now, I believe that Order has found out about the dispensing of Counselors to certain groups and he wanted to start, shall I say, cutting down the threats. Starting with the Hunt because of me." I say, ignoring all of the glances.
"The leaders of the attacking group were two of Order's few children, twins named Lilith and Lucifer." Groans of annoyance are heard from the Counselors at the mention of the twins. No one likes them because of their insane whims to kill me. "They are hellbent on making sure their father achieves in his goal and will do anything he says. This will not be the last time we see them." I finish.
"Were there any casualties?" Hestia asks politely. I smile a little when she speaks, since I still love her like a mother.
"I do not believe so, Lady Hestia." I bow to her respectively, which causes her to blush and smile. Some of the gods look at me now with some more respect in their eyes by this small act of kindness. If only they knew...
"How many children does Order have?" Athena asks, her grey eyes bright with curiosity. Bowing to her respectively, I answer.
"We only know of three. The twins, Lucifer and Lilith. And also Order's general, Saxon. He too will make an appearance here, I'm sure, Lady Athena." I say and Athena nods as she writes it all down, probably to memorize it later.
"Have you encountered them before?" Hades asks curiously. Inwardly sighing, I nod.
"I have, Lord Hades. Many times on the battle field and off the battlefield as well." I answer, and he smiles a little at my respect for him.
"Now before I answer any more questions, we need to discuss safety precautions that are needed." I say, looking around to make sure everyone understands.
"There needs to be someone guarding the group's boundaries at all times, so that they may alert everyone if there is an attack. Second, we need to have weekly council meetings so that we may share anything that has happened and also anything we have learned. Doing this will ensure we have the strongest defense against this force as possible. Are there any objections or ideas that will help?" I ask, looking around once more. The room stays silent and I nod once more. Chaos watches all of this occur silently, when we meet eyes, he nods to me, smiling proudly.
"Good. Thank you for listening, and I believe this meeting is officially over." I say, stepping back. What I didn't realize is that I have bled out more from the cut on my leg, so some blood pooled behind me. I slip on the blood and fall on my back. The dagger Lucifer stuck into my shoulder is still there, so when I fell, it embedded itself deeper into my muscles. I could feel something snap inside, and I bite back a cry.
I can hear the hurried footsteps come near, but the fuzzy vision comes back. I can't shake it off this time and a wave of fatigue covers me. I close my eyes involuntarily and I go into a deep and restless sleep.
Third Person POV-
All the Counselors quickly surround their unconscious Prince, but it's too late. When Percy fell, his hood fell back as well, making his face visible to entire room.
Gods and goddesses cry out at the sight of the Hero of Olympus. Poseidon drops to his knees in shock, dropping his trident. Some of the campers from Camp Jupiter gasp in shock while all the campers from Camp Half Blood pale with realization, the prince of the universe is the same boy they all betrayed... All but one girl.
Mae lets out a bloodcurdling scream and runs towards Percy. Bianca, who knows who Mae is because of Percy's stories, lets her through the huddled group. Mae drops to her knees and grabs one of her savior's hands.
"SOMEONE HELP HIM!" She screams again at the gods and Chaos. Chaos steps forward and gently pushes his way towards the unconscious son of Poseidon. He kneels down beside him and gently begins to pick Percy up. Percy groans in pain and his eyes flutter open for just a moment.
His sea green eyes widen with realization, everyone can see him. He looks beside him and he sees Mae, who has silent tears trickling down her face. With the little remaining strength he has, he lifts his hand shakily and wipes her tears away.
"Don't cry. You are stronger than that." He whispers barely to her. Mae sniffles and nods, remembering when he told her that all those years ago.
A steady trickle of blood begins to flow from the corner of his mouth before his eyes roll back and he slumps against Chaos again. Mae screams his name in alarm and tries wiping away the blood, only to be rewarded with more of it.
"He needs medical attention immediately. Apollo, if you do not mind, shall we take him to your infirmary?" Chaos asks the stunned sun god. Apollo nods numbly and the three of them, Chaos, Percy and Apollo, all disappear in a flash of gold, leaving only a pool of Percy's blood behind.
Teehee. I like how this is ending up! If y'all have any suggestions {pairings you seek to be shipped and sailed, possible endings, new characters, etc} I will always be happy to hear from you! You can tell me in the reviews or PM me and we can talk!
Bye bye for now!