(A/N) I've been having a bit of writer's block trouble. So I apologize. Any ideas on where this story should go? I have no clue whatsoever.

Nico was sure that something was wrong the moment he showed up at Camp Jupiter. It looked like they were recovering, not to mention the fact that the fauns were acting more skittish than usual, and he really didn't feel like going through this stuff when all he wanted to do was visit and hang out with his little sister. Speaking of whom, Hazel looked a bit worse for wear, simply telling Nico that Frank had been anxious and therefore she'd been anxious as well. With this anxiousness came terrible insomnia, and Nico would be lying if he said that he wasn't concerned for his sister's wellbeing. She led him to his usual quarters that he insisted on every single time he visited; his old bunk in the Fifth Cohort barracks. It was a bit lonely without Dakota and Gwen there, and Hazel and Frank had both been moved to the Praetor's quarters. It smelled and felt like home, though, and he had Will to keep him company.

"So this is where you were when I spent fucking forever trying to find you," Will remarked, looking around at the simple and bleak demeanor of the barracks. "I thought it would be more…grand."

"You've stayed here countless times, Will, you already know what it looks like," Nico snapped as he rummaged through his duffel bag to make sure that everything was in place. "Top or bottom?"

"Top," Will exclaimed, getting that look. Nico quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh wait, you mean on the bunk bed? Then bottom, please." There was a chorus of groaning amongst the soldiers that'd been unfortunate enough to overhear, and Nico's growl of disapproval joined theirs. The son of Hades felt Will's arms encircle his waist from behind as his boyfriend nosed his neck affectionately, and he only grunted to let him know that the apology had been accepted. "You're such a downer," the son of Apollo tutted as he noted Nico's sour expression.

"Enough innuendoes, let's get going," the black-haired boy snapped and seized Will's arm, dragging him out of the barracks, their exit being followed by dozens of cat calls and wolf whistles.

"Ooh, I like it when you're all bossy like this," Will crooned and winked suggestively, ignoring the withering glare that his boyfriend cast back at him.

"We're not having sex in a roomful of Roman soldiers if that's what you're getting at here," Nico replied, his voice like acid, releasing Will's arm so they could fall into step side-by-side. Despite having come out, as well as the fact that everyone and their grandmother knew that Nico was hella gay for Will, the son of Hades still felt his cheeks heat when his boyfriend's arm wrapped around his waist, his hand resting on the boy's hip. They'd discussed PDA and Nico had deemed it alright only in the smallest forms, but he couldn't help but feel like everyone was staring at him, even though they weren't. Yes, there have been people who thought that Nico was not only an abomination because of his heritage, but a sinner by mortals as they eyed their lingering touches and fleeting kisses. He'd stopped caring, at least slightly, and felt comfortable to say the least.

"I'm pretty sure Frank wanted to talk to us, so we should swing by their place later," Nico said offhandedly, perfectly content to just take their time in New Rome. Children romped around while adults chatted and watched from afar, grappling at each other and imitating different monsters and heroes. There were grandmothers showing their granddaughters how to feed the birds and grandfathers testing homemade kites out with their grandsons. It was an endearing sight, especially when Nico caught wind of the couples sharing milkshakes at the outdoor cafés. He wanted to try that out, but Will had apparently missed his implications of taking their time and was now dragging him towards the Praetor's quarters.

Nico imagined a hearty reunion and then a trip to go get ice cream, but what he certainly didn't expect was Reyna and Gwen to be there, along with Frank and Hazel. Their expressions were grave, and Nico almost scolded them for putting a damper on his fairly good mood, though he knew that his actions would've been unappreciated and inappropriate for the situation. There was a tablet set up on the table, and Nico felt proud when he saw that it was one of Leo's designs; a tablet that did everything a normal one could do, and also functioned without magical barriers and demigod powers affecting its performance. He'd also installed a software that prevented a signal from flaring up when a demigod searched something, within the borders of a camp or no, so when a demigod looked up "hellhound" they wouldn't have to face the actual thing afterwards. The son of Hephaestus, along with his girlfriend Calypso, had replicated all of the gadgets in the world like this, from phones to laptops to IPods, they had them all. The two bozos were actually making serious drachmas and denarii from it.

On the screen, though, was a play button that signaled a video ready to be broadcasted, and by the looks of it, they weren't going to be showing them the newest cat videos. Aurum and Argentum trotted over, their tails low and their ears pinned back, as if they sensed the tension in the room, and for the first time in years Nico actually felt afraid of them, their ruby eyes glaring at him sharply. Reyna didn't even bother with an introduction once we'd all gathered around the device, clicking play. There was no sound, but it was dark as all hell. Sometimes the room lit up with a chilling blue-white, indicating a thunderstorm outside, and no sooner did the video begin did a small shape begin to weave in and out of the furniture.

"That's just his griffin, Buckbeak," Reyna explained before Nico could even open his mouth. Another few minutes passed with the griffin maneuvering throughout the living room, stopping occasionally to sit by the front door but eventually scampering back towards the couches. He sometimes disappeared from view, off to go play in another room, but he'd usually return shortly afterwards to monitor the front door. Eventually, the door opened and in stepped a person whose face was too blurry to make out on the recording, which was obviously from a surveillance camera of sorts.

"That's Lukas Reagan. The pilot who flew us away from my grandmother's house," Frank told them quietly. Will's eyebrows shot towards his hairline, and Nico finally saw the resemblance between the two. He never really thought about the pilot that'd helped them all those years ago, was only grateful for his actions, but he never considered his personal life. He took off his boots and coat, as well as his socks, and Buckbeak soon ran over to greet him jovially. His lips moved, and Nico cursed the fact that there was no sound, but he couldn't really dwell on that when he caught a glimpse of two shadows illuminated by lightning that were following Lukas into the kitchen. Buckbeak soon ran out of the room and out of the camera's view, and the lightning flashed again to reveal a small figure, with horns, a tail, glowing green eyes, and sharp talons. Its mouth was filled with needle-like teeth to the point where it couldn't close it, and for a moment his form flickered to reveal a small boy who had matching eyes. His gaze was trained on where the griffin had gone. When the lightning flashed he'd long since disappeared, but there was a dark spattering of liquid that hadn't been there before. When Lukas returned, it was too dark to see the blood and he started to read.

Lightning.

Two figures stood behind the man on the couch. The same one as earlier, along with another that looked exactly like him but only bigger and just as horrific looking.

Lightning.

They were gone.

Lightning.

Lukas looked around warily, his eyes scanning the dark room and failing to see the twin, disembodied shadows on the wall.

Lightning.

They were upon him, and the three began to struggle.

Lightning.

The beasts were tearing into the pilot's corpse, burying their faces into his body and tearing out huge hunks of meat. Nico could almost hear the sound of ripping flesh and smell the sharp metallic tang of blood, and Will had excused himself to go to the bathroom, looking a little green. The body was no match for their serrated claws and teeth, and pretty soon he was nothing more than a skull, for all the other bones had been eaten. The big one turned to the camera, its green eyes trained on it as if it knew it was there, and its form flickered. Reyna paused the surveillance tape.

There, with Lukas' blood slathered on his nose and mouth and dribbling down his chin and neck, was Perseus. He was smiling, revealing serrated teeth that glinted in the light of the thunderstorm, and Nico's stomach plummeted to the ground. Perseus was back at it again, and now he had a friend, which would explain how he's not being tracked down by his brothers and sisters anymore. He looked nearly identical to the other demon, and Nico remembered reading somewhere that demons were always birthed in pairs. This must've been his brother…his real brother, and with the two killing machines together, they may be just enough to break the world.

-Ω-

Never had a man hunted within the Hunters of Artemis. Never had the Hunters of Artemis hunted with a man. Orion was strong and fast, his movements were quicker than lightning striking the earth, faster than any demigod imaginable. He was faster than Perseus with his winged shoes, faster than Bellerophon on Pegasus, faster than Hercules himself as he danced around the Nemean lion. He was a fiercer fighter than any of those heroes ever would be, and one would almost assume that he was immortal, though the gods had never granted him this immortality. His story was misinterpreted, the real version left untold purposefully to keep the whole matter hush-hush, and it was the gods that had commanded that his story die along with him. It was a time where Christians were being executed in droves upon droves and the Roman Empire was the largest of its time. It wasn't just the mass extinction of Christians that was occurring, though.

Deep within the woods, where no mortal foot had ever left its print upon the ground, a band of young hunters leapt through the underbrush. They were as swift as deer and as crafty as vixens, with the graces of panthers and the loyalty of lionesses pumping through their veins. All were young, and all were female…except one. A person would be surprised to see this young man running with these agile hunters. He was gangly and thin, his skin so pale you could see his veins despite the fact that he spent all of his time outside. He stayed in the shade, though, and showed distinct aversion to sunlight, and sometimes if you watched him for long enough his pupils would slit like a snake's. They returned to normal so quickly though that the untrained eye would never notice it, and even though his skin looked soft, it actually concealed rippling muscles that could rip trees from their very roots. He kept incredible pace with the hunters, though, and people whispered of a lone young man running with the girls in the forest.

The young man and the goddess of those hunters were quite close, friends even. It was a feat, considering that any man that dared to come near Artemis or her huntresses was smote where he stood. Orion was different, and even though all of the myths and legends depicted him as a strapping fellow with a scraggly beard and bulging muscles, he was really far from it. He was quiet and only spoke if necessary, which helped the hunters warm up to him. The young girls had rejected the goddess' decision to allow him to join their everlasting hunt for two explanations; one obviously being because he was a man, and two for much darker reasons. They had ceased their complaining soon after, though, when they were faced with the monsters that they were now required to hunt.

Demons.

Orion was one of them, and he was the only one who could kill them. It was, of course, because he was a demon himself, but the hunters didn't know that that was the reason (They weren't stupid enough not to notice the fact that he was, indeed, a demon). The hunters wore the beasts down and wounded them, but Orion always made the final kill, and demons never forgive. He had to, for no one else, not even the goddess, could do so. No one knew why Orion would abandon his own kin for the hunters and the very beings whose flesh he ate, but it was rumored that he loved Artemis and would follow her to the ends of the earth if he had to. They slaughtered millions upon millions of demons all over the world, until only one was left. They didn't know this, however, but he did. He purposefully let one live, because he didn't like the humans. He liked Artemis, and even though he had killed all of his kin down to the very last one, he wouldn't commit genocide and leave him to be the last demon standing. That was a problem, because demons never forgive. It would be just him in the world, alone and most likely prosecuted for who he was. Why should he risk it all for the goddess?

It was rumored that Orion died because he made a move on Artemis or one of her hunters, but that wasn't the case. He ventured out for a while to visit the last demon, the demon whose name was Abaddon, but eventually assumed Perseus' name as to not attract attention to himself. He hadn't gone by Abaddon since the beginning of the world, and had long since assumed Perseus' name. In fact, it was said that Perseus' mother had actually named her son after the demon as to ward away any monsters that wanted to take a chunk out of him. Orion, however, was foolish to visit Abaddon. Abaddon had been thrown into a rage at the death of his brother, and was in no such mood to see the person who'd killed him. The demon's rage sizzled and burned slowly, an undying layer of hatred that formed the ultimate grudge against the hunter and what he'd done.

Artemis soon found Orion's body. She and her hunters mourned him, but they never really knew why he was the only one able to kill all the demons. They assumed he'd died of natural causes, since they knew very little about demons and their traits, and supposed that all of the demons in the world were gone. But one demon still remained, alone and sullen in the world with nothing left.

And demons never forgive.