(A/N) Hello, my name is Iwovepizza. For the record, there will be no Pertemis. I don't care whether you approve or not, but I believe that Artemis doesn't fall in love so easily and certainly would never break her vow of maidenhood, if it even can be broken. With that aside I'd like to introduce a new AU idea that I, personally, have never seen before in my entire experience on this site, so therefore there is guaranteed originality. I hope. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON OR HEROES OF OLYMPUS
And it was in darkness so darkness it became. As it approached the shimmering water, it raised its head and took a deep breath through its mouth, tasting the air. However aside from the birds, which were silent in the trees at its approach, there was nothing in particular that would alarm it. It strained its ears and reached out into the depths of the forest, and even then not a sound could be heard that wasn't made by the native wildlife. Nevertheless the figure was certainly not native, and it scanned the darkness with eyes the color of a raging sea, its pupils slitting like a snake's and then returning to normal. It skimmed the area once more and leaned down to take a drink, cupping its hands and bringing the unsatisfying water up to its lips. The stars shined down critically upon it, barely outlining its ominous form. Its silhouette was not in any way paranormal, but despite this it only made it all the more easier for the thing to kill you.
The clearing in which the small pond lay was swathed in complete and utter darkness, but the darkness was its home. It lived in the darkness and feasted on the terror of those who feared it. On the outside it looked like a teenage boy. His hair was a glossy black that shone against the moon's white-blue glow, and his skin was sickeningly pale, like that of a fresh corpse. Its veins were defined against its skin, spider webs of blue racing up and down its arms and outlined against its neck like streams drawn upon a map. However the most daunting thing were its eyes. They were a deep green, just as wild and dangerous as a viper's, and the pupils could even slit like a viper's as well. Its eyes were filled with a sharp intelligence, as well as a power that one who was not acquainted with its kind would not care to notice. It turned, its mouth dripping with water, and doubled over; coughing it all up onto the grass, which withered and died as the water droplets, which had been normal and untainted before, touched their stems.
It growled, a low sound that was more akin to the growl of a panther than that of a teenaged boy. Nevertheless it was more menacing, and it wove through the hearts of the animals nearby like a disease, freezing them into a terrified stillness. That was the growl of a hunter, a hunter whose thirst could not be satisfied with water but rather with blood, whose cravings could not be contented by human food but with the flesh of the humans themselves. No animal made that sound, at least no animal from this world. The huntress was well aware of this, and had taken it upon herself to track this beast down, secretly afraid despite her power. She hadn't even told her band of ragtag huntresses where she had been going, only had advised the head, Thalia, to watch over them in her absence. She picked her way through the brush in the form of a stag, her large horns grazing the low-hanging branches and foliage. She looked like a stag, smelled like a stag, and did her best to act like a stag, praying that the monster had not been alerted of her presence. However despite her cunning disguise, it raised its head in alarm, clearly startled.
The huntress cursed herself when she realized that she was the only "animal" that was moving at the moment. The birds were petrified in the trees, the rabbits and squirrels like statues, and yet here she was blundering through the foliage. She knew that, had she not been so utterly terrified, she would not have made such a mortifying mistake, but the deed had been done and it was best to stop beating around the bush. The huntress broke through the trees and emerged into the clearing. The night was utterly silent, the new moon but a black smudge in a star-spangled sky. Even then, the stars seemed fearful. Orion suddenly didn't look very sure as he raised his club and Ursa Major seemed to cower in fear.
"Oh, hello Artemis. I thought you'd show up at one time or another. It's a pleasure to meet you." Its voice was as cold as ice, and just as sharp and deadly. The stag's fur melted into its skin and was replaced by a silver ski jacket, blue jeans, and black combat boots. Her horns folded in on themselves, her ears shortened as well as her snout, and her short tail and hooves disappeared. In place of the stag was a young girl, roughly thirteen, with silvery eyes that could pierce the hearts of anyone who confronted her, however they did not seem to faze the monster in the slightest. Despite the fact that the year was still well into summer and the weather was supposed to be fairly warm, her breath clouded the air. The temperature seemed to plummet whenever it was around and, despite its mundane appearance, Artemis was well aware of the killer hidden beneath.
"I would like to say the same for you, had you not just slaughtered an entire family in Kingston. By the time I arrived, it was too late. You have quite the appetite; you gobbled them up and licked the floor clean. It was like no one was ever there, and the mortal authorities believe they simply disappeared." she replied, her tone guarded and portraying no emotion whatsoever.
"That is a fair point, but I'm not sure if you were addressing me or the air." it sneered, revealing fangs that would cause hellhounds to either make a run for their money or flee for their life. Probably both.
"Have I offended you in any way?" she asked, the politeness in her voice laced with a ferocious venom. She kept one hand on her silver bow and the other on her two daggers that were nestled inside her jacket pocket.
"No, it's just that I'd like to be addressed by my name, if you please." Its snarky demeanor was causing Artemis to become quite irritated, and the only reason this monstrosity wasn't in Tartarus was because she needed to be prepared to hunt others like it, if there was even such thing left in the world. She was studying its movements, its posture, and its eyes. However it didn't seem the slightest bit alarmed at the fact that it was being hunted by the moon goddess, and the green orbs that swirled with hatred and malevolence portrayed nothing more.
"In my opinion, all monsters are the same and do not deserve to have ownership of names. And I don't understand why you'd be drinking from a lake when your kind's stomachs can only digest flesh and blood." she hissed, her silvery aura glowing dangerously brighter.
"In all honesty, I have no idea why I even tried. It was an attempt to try and adapt in order to integrate into the mortal ranks. I already look like a walking cadaver, wouldn't you agree? But if humans see me eating and drinking, they'll get lulled into a false sense of security. Then it's easier to knock on their doors, take a sip of water, give them a winning sweet-boy-next-door smile, say I'm collecting for some charity, and bingo, I'm inside. Mortal homes have always confused me; they block sound from getting in, but wouldn't you want sound to come out if you were being murdered? Mortals puzzle me, though the only thing that I think they are is appetizing." It threw that last comment out there as if it were completely normal and no big deal, but in reality it was the complete opposite, causing chills to race up and down Artemis' spine.
"What do you beasts want? Why are you killing all these innocent mortals?" she spat angrily, and had any mortal been in the immediate vicinity, they would've downright exploded as anger pulsed off of the moon goddess in waves of unmanageable fury. It smirked, pleased at her irritation, which was all the more fuel to the fire.
"See, the thing is, I don't kill for revenge, nor do I kill out of hatred for the gods." It strode over to her, and she felt that if she backed away it would make her seem weak, so she stood planted into the ground, glaring as it approached. If anything went awry she could always turn it into a mole rat, though she felt quite uncomfortable letting her prey come this close. It leaned in a whispered in her ear, "I do it because it's fun." This sent a shiver down her spine and she shoved it away with more strength than any normal thirteen-year-old would possess. It did not stumble, nor did it seem offended. On the contrary, it seemed quite amused at her rebelliousness.
"You're a psychopath." Artemis growled, now hostile. Her bow was now drawn and an arrow whose head was made of Celestial Bronze was aimed right at its chest.
"I prefer the term 'gruesome and creative artist.'" Its voice was frustratingly smooth and unwavering. The monster was not afraid, simple as that. "But I do, indeed, have a name, and I like when it's uttered aloud. Especially in a fearful voice; the last words spoken by my victims before I plunge my fangs into their throats. Honestly, have you ever experienced the thrill?" Its eyes now held a crazed light within them, the kind of light that a rabid animal infected with rabies would possess. He spun in a circle, his arms held out wide.
"Have you ever experienced when you see the hope in their eyes flicker out like a candle along with that little light of life? When your teeth sink into soft flesh and blood explodes in your mouth and drips down your chin? That burst of flavor, the exhilarating adrenaline when one of them puts up a fight? Mortals are useless, Artemis, like rats. Now that they have advanced and multiplied; all because your hunters have killed off most of my kind, they are simply too many, and now they have no cats to hunt them. They've infested this earth and tainted it with their machinery. I am the last cat, the last natural enemy of the human race, the only being that's higher up on the food chain. Do you wish to carry out this genocide?"
"I know what you are." Artemis' voice was now uncertain, and she knew that it had noticed. "And I know your name."
"Well then, let's see if the rumors you've heard are true." It smiled menacingly, and it wasn't hard to picture blood coating its lips and teeth, dripping down its chin and onto the mangled body of a victim at its feet. She shook her head clear of the image and her hands trembled, causing her bow and arrow to quiver slightly. "The darkness is singing, Artemis. Can't you or any of the other gods hear it? It's singing to me; calling to me like a siren's song, yet just as sweet and promising. The darkness is singing about a better future, a better world where the human race isn't an issue. It's singing about a place where things are not only chaotic, but better. Newer. My kind can be released from the depths, yet not of Tartarus, from the depths of Hell, Artemis! We can flourish once more, and certainly be subservient to the gods, and all you need to do is lower your bow."
She did not believe a word it was saying. Its kind lied through their teeth, lied right to the faces of those confronting it, and yet somehow those people somehow believed it. They believed every word, and yet how could they? The huntress gulped and then whispered its name under her breath, knowing that names possessed power like no other. It cupped its hands against its ear mockingly and leaned in.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't hear you." it taunted. She was well aware of the fact that it had undoubtedly heard what she'd said, but was making her say it aloud for the average mortal to hear. It was as if saying its name would only confirm the fact that it exists, and that was something that Artemis did not desire to do. She said it a little louder, but it was still very, very soft.
"Again, dear, I'm afraid I'm very old and my hearing isn't as good as it used to be." Its words were worse than blows, and it was very keen of that fact. Artemis squared her shoulders and tilted her chin up, preparing for the undeniable truth.
"You are Perseus, the last demon to walk this earth."