Final showdown at Mount Lassen, a big battle coming up in this chapter. It was an exciting one to write, hope you enjoy reading!

Artemis

Artemis did not know what to think of him. She watched him as he talked in low voices with a couple of young male wolves, whose names she did not know. The young black wolf stood a tall, imposing figure even at his age. She could see the rest of the pack began to look at him as a leader, and she had started to see why. It was not only that they respected his strength and battle prowess, but his willingness to talk with the unstable mountain god Kithairon was testament to what he would for his family. The pack respected that even more.

Artemis herself did not hate the young male, as many would suppose she would. She saw him as more respectable each day, but there were still aspects of him that unnerved her. He was the spawn of Lupa, but his physical abilities as a very young adult far surpassed what the rest of his half-brothers and sisters possessed as mature adults. She did not know who his father was, and Lupa never spoke to anyone about her partners, but Artemis was almost certain it could not be a mere mortal.

He was sitting close to the fire, staring into the flames as if he looked to see something in them. His eyes were set with a strong determination, ready to fight. His eyes… they were another mystery Artemis did not have the answer to. They were brilliant blue, like his mother's, but ringed in red, fiery and alive. This unsettled her a great deal. Artemis knew this passed down from Percy's father, but no mortal had red eyes. She had seen Percy get angry once, with a small youngling, and the glare he gave him was enough to all of those who saw it to tremble. She had felt a presence in his eyes, one that she had not felt for some time… Artemis knew it was impossible, but then who could be the boy's father? Did anyone make more sense? She doubted it, but pushed the unsettling thoughts down.

'I need a clear head', she thought.

Percy had returned from his mission successful, northern reinforcements dealt with, and a war council had been convened immediately. Lupa looked at his second-in-command, a veteran wolf by the name of Charlie, and he stood to speak. Artemis had always admired this about Lupa; even as the alpha, she delegated responsibilities and trusted all of the members of her pack, using all of their talents. Charlie was a skilled tactician, and she knew this, and took advantage of it. She took advice well, and put it to good use, while maintaining unquestionable authority. The same could not be said for even her own father.

'So', Charlie began. 'We will commence the attack tomorrow. The mountain stands an imposing figure, many of its cliffs too steep to climb. Lyacon's pack have created barricades using felled trees, some almost 10 meters high in some places. They must have used the giants, because they are well built and solid. They block all ascent to the mountain, except for this narrow passage.'

Charlie had been drawing the slope on the muddy ground with his claw, and sketched a line passing between the barricades.

'It is a narrow valley, with steep sides. A perfect deathtrap. If they manage to funnel us through it, we will be slaughtered.'

A gruff voice, belonging to a large wolf with a scar across his face, spoke up. 'Can we not attack the barricades? We will surely be able to break through some.'

'No. They are well built and surely well protected. My guess is they will position dracaenae archers and spears along the sides of the valley. If we make it to the end, cynocephali and giants will await, as well as Lyacon's pack and the bastard himself.'

'What then?', asked a pure white wolf. 'We do have a plan, right?'

Charlie gave her a wolfish smile, his eyes dancing with mischief. 'Of course we do'.

—

Zoë

Zoë paced the outer edges of the camp, getting ready for the incoming battle. She had lived and hunted for more than 2000 years, but she knew this fight would a tough one. Especially so. The hunters were ready, bows set and knives sharpened. Lady Artemis stood at the front, giving the youngest ones instructions on positions in the battlefield and important vantage points. They already knew this, but the reassurance of hearing it from their goddess calmed their jumping nerves.

Zoë looked at the mountain before them. The barricades were huge. Lyacon had no doubt used the giants to rip out many of the trees, clearing the area were the hunters now stood on. They had carefully piled them up, twirling vines around them, with almost frozen mud lodged between the massive trunks to complete the massive wall. They were coated with ice, making them almost impossible to climb. Between the towering walls was a small opening, leading to a narrow and steep valley. Zoë knew charging in would be suicide. It would be like attacking the Thermoplyae, only steeper and better guarded. Shaking her head, she turned back to her group. 'Trust the plan', she thought. 'It will work.'

She saw Phoebe approach the group, strolling calmly, her fingers twitching in anticipation. As she walked, she casually shoved a young wolf aside; he couldn't have been younger than two. Zoë's blood boiled. They were preparing for a battle, a conflict that would risk their lives, and she was acting like a baby? She strode over in anger, and shoved her.

'What are you doing?', she hissed. 'Get in line, now!'

Phoebe glared at her, but whirled around as she heard the wolf she had pushed snarl at her.

She sneered. 'Give it your best shot, you ugly furball.'

The wolf lunged himself at her, and she ducked and hit him square in the jaw. Soon, the rest of the pack came swarming in, as did the hunters, and the field exploded into pandemonium, with insults being thrown around and weapons being drawn. Zoë yelled at her hunters, but some did not listen, throwing themselves at the braking wolves. Some of the larger wolves tried shoving their own back, but it was useless. Zoë started to fill with desperation as she as even Artemis was unsuccessful in her efforts to separate the two crazed sides. Many of the hunter's bows lay on the ground, having preferred to fight hand-to-hand with the wolves, punching and kicking in a frenzy. The wolves weren't much better either, as they barked and snarled, swatting hunters and leaping onto the swaying mass of fists and insults.

Suddenly, a rumble was heard from the mountain, and they turned around in horror. Monsters thundered out like water escaping a dam, swarming them and surrounding them. Zoë could see massive cynocephali, rippling with muscles and with large dog-like heads, baying for blood. Giants bellowed and shook their clubs, ready to swallow them whole. She could see Lyacon's pack, their red eyes screaming with mad bloodlust.

In the face of certain death, her face broke into a huge grin.

Every single hunter and wolf stopped fighting, and dropped low as a volley of arrows shot out from the forest. Silver arrows started to rain down from the trees, as the small hunters had climbed up there to get a better vantage point. A group of about 20 massive wolves, led by Percy, seemed to appear out of the thick snow and slammed into the shocked monsters from the right. Zoë fired one last arrow and charged.

She hit the dracaenae wall ferociously, slamming both her long knives into them in a powerful spinning strike. The monster stumbled, and Zoë slipped in and stared whirling, disintegrating monsters left and right. She moved as a blur, cutting heads off and slamming weapons aside. She slipped her knife between a dracaena's ribs, then sliced a windpipe. She took a scaly arm and crunched it, then stabbed the monster in the eye. They fought as one, hunters and wolves, and started to drive the monsters back. She could see Lacy, being only ten years old, fighting bravely by her side, beating at dracaena with her knives. She thought about how fearsome the girl would be once she had a chance to train properly. She would grow to be a fine huntress.

Zoë crushed one of the dracaena's heads under her foot, and found herself face to face with a huge cynocephali. He was nearly two metres tall, with a humanoid body and a disproportionate dog-like head. His chest was bare, bulging with hulking muscles and covered in scars. He had a huge serrated blade in one hand, and a spiked mace in the other. He lunged with his sword, and followed up with a thunderous strike with his mace. Zoë ducked both of the attacks, but before she could counter, he was on her again, swinging at her in rage.

'If he hits me once, I'm dead', thought Zoë.

She had to time her move perfectly. She bide her time and waited, ducking and avoiding the cynocephalus' brutal attacks. Finally, she saw an opening. She lunged, drawing both of her knives across his chest, making deep cuts. She spun immediately, avoiding a retaliatory attack and plunged her knife into the back of his neck. The cynocephalus crumpled to the ground, and started to disintegrate.

—

Percy

Percy and his group were hidden to the right, half covered in snow, almost invisible to anyone that didn't know they were there. Once monsters started pouring out of the narrow valley, he smiled wolfishly. They had fallen right into the trap. They were met with a vicious volley of arrows from the forest, while Percy and his group slammed into their unprotected side. Percy had seen Artemis leave the scene, as soon as the monsters appeared, on her way to subdue a certain mountain god. He had no doubt that Artemis was powerful enough to keep Helikon entertained for a while. Lupa stood amongst her pack and the hunters, tearing monsters apart with ease.

Percy waded through hordes of dracaeneae, easily slicing through their thick armour and sending them flying, disintegrating as they soared over the battlefield. Swords and spears bounced off his thickened hide, the very occasional spear finding a weak spot. However, this didn't slow Percy down in the slightest, as he tore holes in the chests of the biggest giants with his teeth and brought them down by slashing at their legs. Cynocephali were tough, but he handled them fine. Whenever he came across a wolf from Lyacon's pack, he quickly turned into a human and stabbed him with his knife. His transformations became fluid and elegant; it almost seemed like he was dancing amongst the monster ranks. However, Lyacon himself was nowhere to be seen.

'Of course not', thought Percy. 'He is a cowardly rat'.

Monster dust began to pile on the snow, and the monsters began to be beaten back. They had charged expecting to massacre them, and instead they had walked into a carefully set trap. Suddenly, a roar shook the battlefield, and one of the barricades exploded.

Many stood in shock as the drakon slithered out of the smoking remains of the once huge barricade. It was enormous, with a body as thick as a school bus. Its neck split into two massive heads, and four sets of orange eyes focused down on Percy. Percy felt his legs tremble, but steeled himself. He remembered all of his training, his hardships, the deaths of the last year. He took all of it and forced it into one stare, focusing all his fear on the massive creature in front of him. The serpent stopped, looking at him in shock, and the whole battlefield held its breath. Smoke began to billow out of its mouths, and its chest began to light up beneath the scales with a deep orange glow. Percy was in for one hell of a fight.

—

Zoë

Zoë looked on in shock as the drakon and Percy stared each other down. She looked at Lupa, who was watching with a mix of fear in pride in her intense blue eyes. Suddenly, Zoë saw a figure at the end of the valley, and gasped. A man stood there, watching them with his arms crossed. Lupa was staring at him as well, her lips drawn up in a snarl.

'Come with me, lieutenant of the Hunt', said Lupa. 'We are going to cut the head off the snake'.

They ran up the valley, leaving Percy to fight the drakon, and the pack to deal with the remaining monsters. Zoë could imagine Lyacon smirking at them from the top, and the thought filled her with rage. The valley had been emptied of monsters, having all charged down in what they thought was a golden opportunity. Lyacon stood alone his arms crossed, figure unmoving, his red eyes alight with hatred.

'Why do you not join your pack in the fighting, my king?', called Lupa. 'Too much of a slimy coward?'

Lyacon chuckled. He stood as a very tall man, over two meters easily. His shoulder-length hair was grimy and black, lined with dried mud. He had a short beard, and was dressed with long animal pelts, stopping just above his bare feet.

'Lupa. Come to surrender, I suppose?'

'I am going to snap your neck like a sickly little twig, you worthless scum.'

'How touchy. I like it'. The wolf king regarded Zoë with interest. 'Zoë Nightshade. It's been too long. Tell me, have you come to accept the fact that 2000 years of servitude will not change the fact that no man will ever love you?'

Zoë clenched her fists in anger, and look at Lyacon with a look of pure hatred. The man simply threw his head back and laughed.

'It is so easy to get to you people. For example, dear Lupa, if I tell you that, for all your efforts, your son will still die a painful death at the hands of his great-grandfather, would you get angry?'

Lupa growled deeply. 'That's enough from you. You are going to pay. For Jabber. For all the ones you murdered, for all your crimes against my pack. You will never speak again.'

Lyacon smiled, and begun to change. His nose elongated and became a snout, large teeth protruding unevenly. Grey fur sprouted from his body, and he grew in size, almost 3 meters tall now. His animal pelts dropped, revealing his large frame packed with lithe muscle. Scars adorned his legs and sides, and huge claws dug into the ground at his feet. His red eyes bore into them, even more intense than as a human.

'Very well. Step forward, queen of wolves, if you wish to die.'

—

Percy

Percy and the drakon stared each other down, the hundreds of eyes on them as the dragon's chest began to glow. Percy waited, and darted to the right as the beast turned the place he had been standing on a second ago into a fiery inferno. He saw Zoë and his mom run up the valley, chasing a tall figure of a man. Even from here, Percy would recognise his stench anywhere. However, he had bigger problems to deal with. One of the heads spat fire, while the other tried to swallow him whole. He darted between the attacks and bit at the scales, trying to find a weak spot, but there were none. The green scales fit perfectly into each other, so that the drakon could move freely but there were no chinks between them. This process continued for some time, as the drakon could not match Percy's speed with his attacks, but Percy could not manage to harm the beast anywhere. It was only a matter of time before Percy made a mistake, and he would be smashed to bits.

As he ducked a flaming column, he darted back when the drakon's other head attempted to smash him into the ground. However, the head got stuck, and Percy took the opportunity to jump on top of it and slash at his eye. It screamed in pain, and tried to blow fire on Percy, but he was too fast, and the serpent unleashed a torrent of fire on its left head. It made a wailing noise, both of its eyes now blackened, but his scales intact.

However, Percy had little time to revel in this small victory, as the huge tail came around and smashed into him. Percy flew through the air, smashing into the side of the mountain. He groaned, as he felt what he was sure were a couple of broken ribs. He rolled out of the hole he had made, seeing the serpent looking at him with pure hatred. He smirked at it, eyeing it carefully. Percy knew he needed to find a real weakness, fast. Strikes to the eyes would not kill it, and the mouths were too risky. The body, of course, was completely invulnerable. Percy started to feel desperation creep it way up his spine. It was then that he saw it.

As the drakon reared up, Percy focused of the point on his body where his trunk split in two. If it wasn't for his vision as a wolf, it would have been impossible to spot. However, Percy could see it clearly. In the point in which the heads separated, the scales were awkwardly merged together, not as perfectly as the other ones. When it separated its necks, a small hole appeared between the scales, no bigger than thiry centimetres in diameter. Beneath that, Percy could see, flesh, pulsating with thick blue arteries. He knew that a strike there would not do much more than anger the seventy-metre monster, but he remembered the words of his father, when he had given him that knife, long ago.

'Dipped in the River Acheron in Tartarus, blessed by myself. It can kill any kind of monster, including werewolves, and do enough damage to seriously injure gods or even titans.'

If it could hurt a titan, why should it not kill a drakon? Percy knew he had to end this fight, and soon. If he took another strike from the beast, he would be killed. He looked up to the sky, seeing the early stars in the darkening sky, and called upon his father.

'Please father. Help me. Give me the strength to kill this monster. It was once your knife. Give it power', pleaded Percy.

Percy looked at the drakon who was getting ready to strike. He locked eyes with him, and the serpent rose in a threatening manner, separating its heads and exposing the slightest bit of skin. Faster than the dragon's eyes could follow, Percy ran and jumped with all the force the could muster. As he flew through the air, he transformed, reaching out and summoning his knife. The felt the rough hilt, and it materialised, the traces of red on the blade shining especially bright. He let loose a deafening yell, and plunged his knife into the drakon's neck.

—-

Zoë

The king of the wolves was fast. Devilishly fast. She parried and blocked with her knives, and even with 2000 years of fighting experience and Lupa by her side, she found herself outmatched by the old king's speed. Lupa and him were evenly matched, going blow for blow, each growling and barking ferociously at each other as they battled to the death. Zoë decided to retreat a distance and hinder Lyacon with her bow. She found her mark several times, but the arrows did little more than annoy the monstrous wolf king.

The ground trembled as a stone the size of a large house slammed into the side of the mountain, narrowly missing a small silver figure. Helikon roared in rage as Artemis darted around him as a silver blur, peppering him full of arrows. Golden ichor seeped from some of the wounds in her face, and her leg looked to be bent strangely, but she faced off against the primordial mountain god, evading his attacks and countering viciously.

Zoë focused again on Lyacon, and stuck an arrow in the back of his neck. As he turned towards her, Lupa smashed him the side of the face. Pressing her advantage, she landed a series of vicious slashes, leaving various gaping wounds across his chest. Lyacon lunged at her, but she twisted him in the air, sending him flying down the valley with her massive strength.

Lyacon flew down and smashed into the rocks, not 30 meters away from where the hunt and the pack were finishing off the last of the giants. She froze in shock as she saw Percy, bleeding from his side, standing in front of the drakon. As the beast reared, Percy moved faster than the eye could see, springing up into the air and launching himself at the beast. In midair, he turned into a human, and a long, curved blade materialised in his hand. Zoë gasped as he let out a yell and plunged his blade into a weak spot she had not seen on the monster. The beast shrieked in pain, a torrent of blood pouring from its neck. The strike had done more damage than Zoë had anticipated, and Percy was thrown through the air as it thrashed its neck in pain. It collapsed on the ground, it flesh slowly dissolving off it bones.

'You are defeated, Lyacon', said Lupa. 'Your army and pack decimated. Now you see how truly weak you are.'

Lyacon snarled viciously, looking around in anger. 'I have not lost. This is merely a setback.' The hunters had finished the monsters, and had started surrounding around the wounded wolf king. 'I return, Lupa. But for now, I will settle for the blood of your youngest.'

Lyacon moved like a blur, and lunged into the group of hunters that had moved to surround him. Zoë heard a scream. Maybe it was the hunters. Maybe it was her. Young Lacy never stood a chance as Lyacon raked his claws across her chest and bounded away, running into the dark forest. Zoë rushed to her side, but she knew it was too late.

—

Percy

When Percy plunged his knife into the monster, he knew he had killed it. It thrashed its head and Percy let go, transforming back into a wolf and smashing into the rocks. He had felt the power of his father being channeled through the knife when he struck, and he knew the beast was dead. Pain racked his body, but he managed to slowly get up limping and bleeding heavily from his side. He looked at the battlefield, and saw Lupa, and Zoë both alive after fighting Lyacon. He felt a rush of relief, and was about to call to them, when his throat closed up. He felt like throwing up. Zoë was holding a small body in her arms, weeping silently into her forehead.

He rushed over, but there was nothing anyone could do. Lacy's eyes were cold and lifeless, her mouth frozen in a terrified scream. Three huge wounds ran across her small chest, and her sliver clothes were covered in blood. Percy felt pure rage swell in his chest. He knew who had done this.

'I am going to hunt you down, I promise', thought Percy. 'I will drive my knife through your skull if it is the last thing I ever do'.

Artemis was suddenly at Lacy's side as well, tears falling down her ichor-stained cheeks. Helikon must have put up a good fight to have wounded the goddess of the hunt. Percy moved closer to his mom, and she looked fondly at him, licking the blood off his side and brushing against him. The pack and the hunters had gathered, and Percy could see their numbers had diminished. To his relief, Jax stood proudly next to his mother and father. He smiled at him, and he smiled back. Almost everybody was wounded, but they had survived.

'Today is a day for victory', began Lupa. 'as well as tragic loss. We have beaten the forces of Lyacon, and have done so at the cost of many lives. The wolf king still lives, and will stand an enemy of the pack until I no longer am able to rule. But now tend to the wounded, and rejoice this night, for you are lucky. VICTORY IS OURS!'

She howled, and the pack followed, the noise cutting through the night. Then, the battlefield started to be cleared. The pack honoured their dead by standing before them, but then left them on the battlefield. The Hunters, however recovered the bodies of their dead. They would burn them later in the night, in a proper ceremony.

Percy watched everybody leave, and was about to get going, craving a well-deserved rest, when a flash of light blinded him. Percy cleared his eyes, and looked at the man before him. He was tall, with salt and pepper hair. He wore a pair of winged sandals, and two snakes curled around his staff. Percy looked at his mom, who had a terrified look on her face.

'Perseus, son of Lupa', said the god Hermes. 'You have been summoned to Olympus.'

Cliffhanger. BIG one. Sorry for that, but it leads well into the next one. What did you guys think? Do you want Lyacon to come back later or nah? Also, I have to mention Yesse2362, who has followed my humble story and given reviews on lots of chapters. You rock my dude.