~ Hunters Become the Hunted ~

CHLOE

"Would it be out of the question to pull over somewhere and sleep properly? I've been cooped up in this car for so long my muscles have gone into hibernation."

The son of the sea god groans, trying to stretch out in the passenger seat, but lacking any room to really extend his limbs. Chloe feels some pity for him. Percy is rather tall, and while the girls may find it spacious, he clearly needs far more legroom. One look at Saphira tells her that the Hesperide means to deny him his request, but when her friend catches her stare, a silent dispute fires between them, one that Chloe wins. Saphira sighs and nods her head.

"Yes. I suppose we have driven long enough."

At this point, they're about halfway through Nebraska, and the sun has set about an hour ago, leaving them on a dark highway that's illuminated only by the headlights of their vehicle. Aside from brief stops to refuel, switch drivers, and hit a restroom, they have driven nonstop since the fiasco in Illinois.

"Find me a side road. We can set up camp in these woods," Annabeth says.

Percy spreads out a map on his lap, studying it for a few seconds before he replies. "We're coming up on one on our right in about a minute."

Only moments later does the side road appear, and Annabeth steers them onto it and into the woods that line the road. Gravel and dirt crunches beneath the tires as they travel on this road for a few minutes, before they are finally brought to a stop in a small clearing that looks like it might be a recreational site. Annabeth kills the engine and the group begins to pile out of the car.

"Ugh. Finally! My joints feel like they're locked!" Percy groans, stretching himself out.

Lykos, still a pup, lopes off to sniff around the perimeter of the site while they begin to unpack and pitch camp. He's doing a brief check of the area. Even in his shrunken state, he's still trying to make himself useful.

It takes only seconds for the magical tents to be released and pitched. Saphira then does them all the courtesy of building a fire, which no one wastes time in gathering around. The night is a bit chilly after all.

"Thanks for letting us pull over," Percy says as Annabeth snuggles into his side.

"I was going to say 'no' but Chloe made me say otherwise," Saphira admits.

Chloe slips her arm around her friend. "You know we needed to stop for a night. We drove for over twenty-four hours. We came across half the country. We can do with one night of proper sleep."

"I suppose." Saphira looks at the couple across the fire from them. "I'm sorry for being pushy."

"It's okay. We understand," Annabeth assures her. "We don't blame you. When I led my first quest, I was pretty pushy too."

"Very pushy," Percy adds.

Annabeth rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, besides the point. You're fine, Saph."

Leaning forward in interest, Chloe asks the wisdom child, "what was your first quest anyhow?"

"It was when we journeyed through the Labyrinth, searching for Daedalus, one of our hardest quests ever… especially for me," Annabeth replies, then leans into Percy with a sigh. "While it was my quest, I had to let Rachel help because she could navigate the Labyrinth. It was… difficult for me to accept that I needed help, my fatal flaw being pride."

"You still did amazing," Percy says, nuzzling her. "Plus, despite all the bad bits, I still have one very special memory from that quest."

Annabeth frowns at him. "What?"

Percy grins at her. "Our first kiss, before I went off to blow up Hephaestus' forge."

"Oh." Annabeth blushes. "Yeah."

Chloe raises a brow in surprise. "And that old blacksmith didn't smite you for it."

"He's actually not a bad guy, which is more than what I can say for half the gods," Percy says.

"Sounds like you have a good number of the Olympians who have you in their favor," she replies.

"And a good number who don't," Annabeth remarks. "Zeus is… well, Zeus. Naturally he doesn't like Percy as Poseidon's spawn, but I don't think he hates him anymore."

"Ares for sure hates my guts," Percy says, then looks at his girlfriend. "I'm not sure about your mom anymore."

"Athena doesn't hate you… she might not like you, but she doesn't hate you," Annabeth says. "I know Hera hates me and by extension of being my boyfriend, she probably hates you too."

"Awesome."

Chloe decides to offer some assurance. "Well, at least you have more gods that like you than those that don't."

"Who? Besides my dad?" Percy asks.

"Well, Lady Artemis, for starters, though you already know that," Saphira says. "Hades may also like you since you did help restore his seat on Olympus. There is also Hestia and Apollo."

"Aphrodite adores you two. From what Artemis relays to us after council meetings, the love goddess sees you as her favorite power couple of the millennia," Chloe adds.

Annabeth wrinkles her nose in disgust. "I could do without Aphrodite's favor, honestly. Between her and Hera screwing with my relationship life, I've had more than enough."

"So, not including our parents, that's five Olympians who like us," Percy says, scratching his chin. "More than I expected."

Saphira nods. "Should another war break out between the gods, your odds would be fair."

"Do you think there will be a civil war in our time?" Annabeth asks.

"Well, I have seen several wars in mine. Two wars occurred within the same century. It wouldn't surprise me if we saw another some time soon, especially with what's happening now," Saphira replies.

Chloe turns her gaze on her friend in questioning. "Why would they fight each other now? If anything, these past events should have brought them closer together."

"They're gods, Chloe."

Oh good. That explains everything.

"I would like to think that they would have reformed some by now," Percy says.

Saphira shakes her head. "I would like to think so as well, but almost five thousand years and very little has changed overall. I cannot forget how Lady Artemis and Dionysus reacted upon realizing Asteria's heritage. I saw more than awe and shock in their eyes. There was fear, and we all know how the gods can be when they are afraid of a powerful child of an immortal."

Percy sighs. "Yeah. I hear that."

"They were at odds with letting you live for years. It took you defeating the Lord of Time and saving Olympus for them to finally stop debating to kill you," Saphira points out. She wraps her arms around her waist. "While I don't think Artemis would ever even think of harming Asteria, I cannot say the same for many of the gods. Zeus in particular. I expect there to be a dispute when we return."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Chloe says.

"For now, we should just get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll-"

"MOOOOO!"

The bellow that cuts off Annabeth's sentence pierces the night and echoes through the woods around them. Then it goes silent, and instantly, the gang is on their feet. Chloe practically rips an arrow from her quiver and fits it to her bowstring, while the others draw weapons as well. Lykos' little mane bristles, and he growls, staring off into the darkness, before Saphira scoops him up into her backpack. That roar, it had sounded like a huge, demonic cow… surely, it couldn't be-

"Minotaur? Again?" Annabeth hisses. "I thought you killed him on the bus!"

Saphira shakes her head. "No. I merely stabbed him in the eye."

"He's gonna be pissed. I know him well enough to know that he never forgets someone who beat him before," Percy mutters, brandishing Riptide."

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A series of heavy footfalls reaches Chloe's ears. The beast is moving towards them and fast. Already, she can his huffs through the woods. Either he is alone or his steps are so loud that they drown out the sounds of any others who might be with him. She thinks back to what she knows about the bull monster. One of the strongest monsters to ever exist; fast, but not agile, and he relies on his nose more than his eyes. That must be how he's found them again. He's tracking their scent, and with Percy's aroma as a Big Three child, their trail must not be that hard to follow.

"We should get in the car and floor it!" she declares.

"No! His nose is strong. We will never lose him. The only way to get him off our trail for good is to kill him here and now!" Saphira snaps.

"I've beaten him twice before!" Percy adds.

Annabeth purses her lips and shakes her head. "You got lucky the first time, Percy, and you had Achilles' curse the second time!"

Percy rolls his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, babe."

"You know I'm right!"

"Together, we can take him!" Saphira insists. "As long as we work together!"

Chloe studies her friend closely. Saphira's volcanic-obsidian eyes are hardset, cold, focused… very different from how she had looked only a day before.

Something has changed in her, but for better or worse?

"Saph, we-" Chloe is about tell her that they should try for an escape, but she never gets the chance before the trees north of the clearing suddenly explode. Splinters of wood shower around them, and she shields her eyes from the debris for only a moment, then looks up to see the hulking figure of their enemy looming in the shadowy edges of the firelight.

The Minotaur, somehow looking even bigger than a couple nights ago. His horns are long and curve upwards into vicious, blood-dried points. His muscles bulge and ripple beneath his coarse furry hide. A tunic made of thick, iron-studded leather straps flow around his waist, complimented by a shoulder plate, and a pair of gauntlets, one on each forearm. And last but not least, that huge, fearsome, double-bladed axe strapped to his back.

He looks prepared to fight a war, all on his own.

Upon seeing them, his single good eye narrows in a burning, hateful glare, and he roars, his voice sounding like nothing short of a thunderclap.

"Bring him down!" Saphira yells, releasing her arrow so that it may embed itself in the beast's chest. The Minotaur doesn't even seem to notice he had been shot, only pounding the earth before him. He drops down to all fours, on his knuckles, and charges. Chloe can feel the tremors through the ground, through her legs, before she and the others dive out of the way. The Minotaur thunders past, and Chloe pivots around to fire her arrow into his leg, joined by a second arrow from Saphira into his back. Their monstrous foe whirls around, flinging a gigantic handful of earth at them, but they evade his hail.

Chloe sprints around the left flank, taking shots at what would be vital points on any other foe; beneath the arm, between his ribs, and into his neck. No matter where her arrows strike however, the Minotaur isn't even fazed. Already, over a dozen arrows stick out from his hide, from her and Saphira, but only just the points. His skin is too tough for their arrows to reach anything vulnerable beneath the flesh.

The Minotaur turns his attention on her suddenly, trampling his way towards her with both fists raised up, ready to smash her and whatever else may be in his way. Timing her move, Chloe darts forward right between his legs with a forward roll, feeling and hearing his fists bludgeon the ground behind her. She's quick to turn and take her next shot, but so is he. The beast spins around with one massive, meaty arm outstretched in a wide backhanded swing that she just barely manages to duck below. He tries again with the other arm, but she's able to throw herself over his limb in a corkscrew maneuver, landing lightly and bolting away from him.

She can hear him right behind her, and at the last second, throws herself out of the way to the side. Once again, his inability to make a sharp turn proves to be her saving grace, because he barrels right past her again to collide with a tree. The Minotaur lets out a grunt of surprise and stumbles to turn around, and that's when the others make their attack.

An arrow from Saphira distracts him from the son of the sea, who runs up behind him to slash Riptide at his thigh. The Minotaur grunts again and turns around, swinging at Percy who wisely saw it coming and had backed off. This time, Annabeth runs in while the beast is distracted, slicing at the Minotaur's ankle with her drakon-bone sword. She ducks between his legs, slashing again at his inner calf and disengaging before he can catch her with his huge fists. Her place is taken again by Percy, who leaps and takes his shot at the Minotaur's head, but only manages to knick the monster's cheek.

That only enrages it even more.

With a thunderous growl, the Minotaur reaches over his shoulder to grasp the hilt of his weapon. Just the hilt of the axe alone is nearly two meters in length. Each blade is wider than a human torso. Such a weapon should have been extremely heavy, yet the monster wields it in one hand like Chloe wields a knife.

"Oh, he's mad!" Percy remarks as he hurries out of the way of the falling axe. Grass and soil fly up from the impact, and more follow as the Minotaur rips his weapon from the ground to swing it again. Percy ducks low, narrowly evading the swing as it takes out yet another tree with a single blow. The tree's trunk explodes into a million shards of wood and bark, toppling over with a heavy, leafy thud.

"Like he wasn't mad before?!" Chloe shouts, reloading her bow and taking aim.

Her arrow is joined by Saphira's, and both shots find their mark in the Minotaur's shoulder. He hardly flinches, but it was enough to get him off Percy's tail and face them instead. He roars and prepares to charge them instead, bringing his axe up high over his head, only to receive a cut in his back from Annabeth's blade of bone. Wisdom's daughter quickly backs off before he can turn around, avoiding his wild swing.

Chloe takes another shot, then notices Saphira departing from the fight. She is about to call to her, but holds her tongue when she sees that the Hesperide is only putting her backpack at the clearing's edge, with Lykos' little head poking out from the open zipper.

"Stay here!" she commands him, before returning to Chloe's side. She locks eyes with her, and again, there is that unfamiliar glint in Saphira's orbs.

"I'm going to take out his other eye," she growls, tightening her grip on her bow.

"I'll cover you," Chloe quickly offers. Saphira nods in reply, and together, they face the Minotaur who is still being hassled by Percy and Annabeth. In this brief moment, she is in awe at their teamwork as they take turns attacking the monster and drawing its attention so that the other may strike. Even despite their tactic and its success, the Minotaur does not seem to be getting any weaker. The numerous slashes and stabs he's sustained don't hinder him at all.

"Just keep his focus away from me so I can get close enough," Saphira says.

Close enough? For what? She has a bow!

Before Chloe can point this out, Saphira is already darting off, forcing Chloe to sprint after her while loading her bow. Whatever her friend is planning, it must be daring, so she decides to fit three arrows to the string. Triple the arrows, triple the attention, right?

Splitting off away from the Hesperide, she raises aim and fires. Being a child of Apollo and a Hunter of Artemis, she has twice the blessings in archery, and all three arrows hit their mark in the Minotaur's center back. The Minotaur grunts and spins around, zeroing in on her with his single hateful eye. With a roar, he hefts his axe up in one hand and charges her. Chloe backs up hastily, sending arrow after arrow to meet him. The goal isn't to halt or even hinder him, just to do as Saphira ordered and keep his attention. The beast closes distance and slams his axe down to bludgeon her, but she sidesteps, narrowly avoiding the huge blade. He then tries to grab for her, and she slips his grasp, hopping up on the hilt of the axe that's still embedded in the ground and using it as a launchpad. She surges upward, driving her knee right into his nose.

"MOO!" the Minotaur barks in pain, recoiling as she lands with a roll. He brings his free hand to his nose, rubbing it furiously.

Chloe is actually surprised she hurt him that much. Is his nose truly that sensitive?

"Har!"

Percy's snarl cuts the night as his sword cuts the Minotaur, deep in its thigh. The wound drops the monster on one knee, and he flails at Percy with his axe, albeit clumsily, and the weapon gets stuck in the earth once again… just in perfect position for Annabeth to appear and hack at the wrist of the hand that clutches the axe's hilt. Her sword goes deep, deep enough for the Minotaur to bellow in pain once again and drop the axe.

They've crippled him!

And that's when Saphira takes her chance.

The Hesperide shoots toward the beast like a bolt of silver lightning. Chloe is in awe as she watches Saphira hurtle up the hilt of the axe sticking up out of the earth, and leap up with the grace of a panther. She lands on the Minotaur's shoulder and despite his furious thrashing, manages to stay balanced on him long enough to step up on his head. The Minotaur grunts and reaches up to grab her, but before he can, she springs off high. Twisting through the air while drawing her bowstring back, she takes aim.

Chloe can see the Minotaur's last good eye widen in fear, just before the arrow pierces it.

"MRROOOOR!"

The beast bellows in pain and stumbles backward, clawing at his shot eye while Saphira lands lightly on the grass.

"We've got him now!" Percy cries. The sea child charges forward with Riptide raised.

Annabeth reaches out, as if to stop him, but she's too slow. "Percy, wait!"

Before Percy can get close enough to deliver a finishing strike, the Minotaur's head snaps towards him, as if it still has eyes, and lashes out with a huge, rippling arm.

Wham!

Chloe's eyes widen as Percy goes flying backward into their parked car so hard that he leaves a dent in the door. The driver's side tire pops and deflates as his sword impales the rubber. His shield had taken the brunt of the blow, but even then, the Minotaur's strength would have been enough to knock the wind out of him.

"Percy!" Annabeth cries, and rushes to his side. Her voice draws the Minotaur's attention. Again, the beast turns like he can see, and somehow, seems to zero in on her and her boyfriend. Chloe can see his ears swiveling about, and his nostrils flaring…

Of course! He was never reliant on his eyes to begin with. Scent was always his greatest sense. He's tracking their movement with his nose and ears alone!

The monster roars and pounds the earth with his knuckles, preparing to charge. Chloe acts quickly, loading two arrows to her string and firing both into their foe's rump. It definitely got him to change focus as he grunts and whirls around to her general direction.

"Over here!" she shouts, reloading. She needs to keep him busy while Percy recovers, and stealing a glance past the Minotaur, she can see Annabeth kneeling beside him. He's conscious, but it's clear he's injured. His attempt to stand ends with him buckling on one knee.

Meanwhile, the Minotaur huffs through his nose, sweeping his head side to side, searching for Chloe's exact place. If it's his nose that is the problem, then all she needs to do is…

Chloe lets out a loud whistle. Instantly, the beast faces her, giving her a perfect shot at his nose.

And she takes it.

Her arrow hits dead center of his left nostril, causing him to recoil violently and rip it out, but the damage is done. Blood pours and floods his nose as he desperately tries to sniff, only to snort said blood deep into his nostrils.

He flails about, swinging wildly and smashing up the earth around him. He's panicking, which means he has no bearings. Without his nose, he's running blind… well, even more. For a moment, Chloe believes they finally have him.

But it's just for a moment.

The Minotaur suddenly turns his head to the night sky and releases a mighty howl. The sound reverberates through her body and echoes around them. Anyone within a mile would have been able to hear that roar. That sounded almost like… a cry for help.

And it's heeded.

The few seconds of silence that followed are now interrupted by a response. A chorus of cries from somewhere in the distance. Chloe's blood chills as she can make out some of the more distinct calls… the bays of hellhounds, the screeches of harpies, and the hollers of laestrygonians. It's a hunting party.

And they are the prey.

Chloe snaps her gaze to her companions. Saphira is looking back at her with wide eyes. Annabeth has finally gotten Percy on his feet, but he's in rough shape. With his girlfriend supporting him, he's keeping his weight off his left leg. Lykos is still huddled inside Saphira's backpack, where she had left him. They're now two members out of commission, and with Annabeth having to support Percy, that leaves only Chloe and Saphira as the only two free to fight.

"We can't take this fight, Saph," Chloe warns her.

Saphira shakes her head rigorously in agreement. "No."

She dashes over to snatch up her backpack and Lykos, slinging the straps over her shoulder. She then looks over at the couple hobnling towards them.

"Can you run?" She directs the question to Percy, who shakes his head.

"No, my leg's screwed." Percy glowers at his injured leg. "You all go on ahead. I can hold them off long enough to-"

"Not happening!" Annabeth and Saphira say in unison.

"I'll slow you down!" he insists.

"Only if Annabeth is the only one carrying you," Saphira retorts as she shoulders her bow. "Chloe, get over here."

Wasting no time, Chloe also shoulders her bow and joins them as Saphira takes Percy's other arm. She nods towards his legs, and understanding immediately what she wants her to do, Chloe leans down to grasp his ankles, which he protests to.

"Hey! What are you- gah!" Percy cries out in surprise as they suddenly hoist him up between them. Annabeth and Saphira have his biceps, while Chloe maintains her grip on his ankles. With his weight spread between the three of them, she finds it fairly easy to keep hold of him.

With a brief glance over her shoulder, Chloe notes the Minotaur still trying to gain his bearings back, but with his eyes and nose gone, he has only his ears to fall back on, and it seems those are not as good as his nose. She can hear the incoming war party getting closer with their battle cries, and feels a strong urge to get moving.

Saphira obliges her, much to her limited relief.

"Run!"