Authors Note: Shoutout to the dude KloseKom42069 (very creative name, just noticed XD) for helping me out with a certain piece of dialogue. As Uncle Jesse would have said, Have Mercy!
Chapter 34: The hunt gets some admirers (who probably want to kill them)
Perseus cracked an eye open and stared at the spot where the Fates were just a moment ago. He took a quick check at himself if something did in fact change in him, but it seems like the Fates were correct about this. Not that always were not, they just had a tendency to be usually cryptic.
Perseus then flashed out of Medusa's island emerging back to the hunt, and promptly scared some hunters who were making their way back with firewood in their hands.
"Percy!" Celyn gasped. "Can't you gods give some kind of warning when randomly showing up?!"
"Uh, sorry." Perseus said with a bashful grin. "Though if I did send out a signal, wouldn't that ruin the element of surprise?"
"What element." Arius asked with a frown. "You aren't going to appear out of the blue one day, and mock attack us or something are you?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Perseus said with a wink, guiding the hunters back to camp. "What's happened since I left?"
"Nothing much actually. Lady Artemis went on another childbirth mission or something to Arcadia. And that's the fifth time this month. Why are babies popping up there all of a sudden?" Arius stated.
"I'm not so sure myself. I have a feeling it might have something to do with Lycaon and his family, but that's still a theory that is a bit farfetched." Perseus replied. "Something something about population being scarce, I don't know. Is Artemis back from when she left?"
"No, not yet. But she did tell us to tell you once you came back, that you have to prep dinner, wash the clothes, oversee some training, a hunting game, and make sure that no one gets injured or breaks into a fight." Celyn replied.
"So...basically things I do all the time. But wait, why am I even washing clothes. Heck, why would I, be washing clothes?!" Perseus incredulously asked.
Celyn and Arius shrugged. "I don't know." they said together.
"Tell you what, whoever doesn't get their current clothes dirty, will get dessert for dinner." Perseus muttered, reaching the camp clearing. He immediately stopped though, when he felt Arius's hand on him, and glanced back to see the young boy staring intently into the woods. Perseus stared at Arius's line of vision, and noticed a couple of wolves, also staring at them intently. Perseus would have just chalked it up to some random pair roaming the woods and would have turned them away, if it weren't for the distinct black markings on the wolves faces.
"They are not ordinary wolves." Perseus said, answering Arius's unspoken question. "Those markings do look vaguely familiar though, but I can't seem to place them anywhere."
"We weren't sure if we should mention this to you, but I think now is a good time." Celyn whispered. "This isn't the first time we are seeing these wolves now, Ajax mentioned he saw a similar looking wolf last night out in the open when he went to...tinkle."
"Hmm...I see. Why don't you two go back to camp, maybe they will approach me?" Perseus replied. He hardly took a step forward when the wolves perked up, and darted back into the dense forest, soon out of sight.
"Or maybe not." Perseus quipped, taking a step back. "Come on, I doubt you guys had breakfast so that's on me."
The three soon arrived at the hunter's camp where most of the group was starting to wake up. The hunt had doubles since the past two decades, though there was a time when the number was either lesser or greater than the current one. Some hunters left to pursue their own adventures. Some found it a bit too much for them to handle. No one had died, yet, under the hunt or outside, but Perseus and Artemis were still sharp enough to see that something like that would never happen. Though death was an inevitable event that will come to pass at the end of a point.
The original group still remained, along with Britomartis and an additional eight more recruits, four boys and girls each. Perseus gathered them up to the long table and summoned them a hearty breakfast, which they first sacrificed a portion to the gods before digging in, a tradition developed over time.
"I still do not understand how gods can bear this smell." Acantha said, wrinkling her nose as she dropped a bit of scrambled eggs into the brazier. "And you claim you all enjoy it."
Perseus shrugged. "I know it sounds weird at first, but in my opinion, it does smell truly heavenly. Like, I can get the smell of the eggs you just put into the brazier, but along with that, I get a feeling of rejuvenation and importance. And I'm used to the smoky charred smell anyways, so all in all, it's a perfect scent when it comes to food. Plus, we kinda latch on to sacrifices, sometimes a lot. Not to mention, some of us are a bit picky though on the food that is sacrificed, but I'm usually fine with anything-"
"Um, Percy? While this information seems quite...informative, we really want to eat now." Phoebe piped up.
Perseus blinked in surprise. "You guys can eat while I'm talking if you want to. Though I bet I'm boring you guys anyway so I'm just going to keep quiet."
The hunt and Perseus then continued on with their breakfast, with the occasional jokes and banter floating around. A couple of recorded iris messages even popped up for Perseus, one from Hestia, Alecto of the Furies weirdly enough, and Artemis. Perseus listened to that one first, finding out soon enough that she was caught up in something regarding a temple of hers, and a dire situation which confused and intrigued Perseus. Nothing much was happening, until Perseus was prepping the archery boards when a creature of sorts popped up into the camp.
"Oh, the stories were true! The great god Perseus, is right in front of my eyes!" the creature bellowed out loud, momentarily startling Perseus. On seeing the mysterious creature, Perseus was staring at it with surprise, while the creature's loud shouts alerted the hunters to where it was.
"I heard an old man shouting, what is- uh..what?" Britomartis said dumbly. The hunt stared in slight fascination at a regular old man who seemed to be crawling on all fours on the ground. But then they noticed, that the lower half of the man was that of some kind of horse or steed.
"Is this some kind of deformed satyr?" Irene, a hunter, asked.
The man creature flared its nostrils. "I detest that name young lady. I am no satyr, or a creature with deformities. I am, an Onocentaur."
"Onocentaur." the hunters echoed, really confused. They heard of centaurs, but now there were more kinds of them? Some of them glanced at Perseus thinking he might fill them in, only for them to see that he looked as lost as they were.
"Uh, I don't mean to sound rude, but I have honestly never heard of your kind before." Perseus replied slowly. "If you wouldn't mind, would you explain what exactly are you?"
The Onocentaur sighed. "I knew it, my inferior brethren the centaurs have overshadowed us. But to answer your question, I am an Onocentaur. Half man, half donkey."
"Donkey." Ajax said, a slight grin on his face. Soon enough, a couple of snickers were heard among the hunters.
"Yes, I am half of a very noble and important beast." the Onocentaur said proudly, but frowned when he heard more snickers float around. "The birds are chirping a lot today." he declared.
Perseus smiled slightly. "Well, it's always cool seeing the different kinds of creatures roaming around. I don't think I got your name...?"
"It is Pootus my lord."
"Ah..." Perseus replied, lightly glaring at the hunters who he knew were going to cause more trouble on hearing that name. "Well...Pootus, what brings you over here? I'm pretty sure you are not a resident of this forest, believe me, I know."
"You are indeed correct my lord. I came here into the forests of Arcadia only a couple of days back. Only for a small break, then I was going to take my leave. But an unfortunate occurrence happened, my mode of transportation had been stolen!"
"Mode of transportation...your cart?" Arius quipped, slowly shrinking back on seeing Perseus's glare.
"What is this mode of transportation, and am I able to help seeing that you might have come to me for that." Perseus asked Pootus.
"You are again indeed correct my lord! On the second question that is. As for your first one, I have a flock of Hippalectryon which I use to fly around. Very temperamental, but gentle creatures once tamed. And they have been stolen, my babies." Pootus said, his voice slowly quivering as he spoke, until he started weeping at the end.
"Hippa what now?" Clio asked, she and the rest of the hunters glancing at Perseus for information. But once again, he too looked as lost as they were.
"Pootus, what exactly is a Hippa...celytron?" Perseus asked.
"Hippalectryon." Pootus mumbled. "Well, short description would be a half rooster, half horse hybrid creature. And while I would love to give a detailed description, I believe seeing them in person would be much better. Oh, I want to see my lovelies in person again." he said, his eyes tearing up again.
"Half rooster...and half horse?!" Celyn asked, looking quite baffled. "For all I know, next thing I'm going to hear is that horses with wings now exist."
"They actually do now." Perseus replied offhandedly with a grin, making everyone among the hunters surprised.
"My darling Hippalectryons can fly too." Pootus exclaimed. "Though the altitude is very low, quite pathetic actually." he then muttered.
"So, Pootus, I'm guessing you want my help in tracking down your missing...animals." Perseus replied.
"You will help me! Oh, you truly are very generous my lord, generous indeed." Pootus said, doing some sort of dance while braying loudly.
"Okay okay, stop jumping or you will take someone's eye out." Perseus said hurriedly. "Now, hunters. Go do your activities while I talk to Pootus over here. No, no buts, you all had enough excitement for now so go." Perseus replied. Some grumbling and muttering later, Perseus was finally left alone with Pootus, who was now currently swooshing his tail around nervously.
"So Pootus, do you have any idea on what happened to your Hippalectryon? Are you sure they got kidnapped, and did not like fly off somewhere?"
"That's preposterous my lord! My babies love me dearly, and I love them too! They wouldn't just fly of like that, not to mention, I know they were stolen because I got a good look at the perpetrators.
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "You did? Then who are they."
"Wolves Lord Perseus, wolves! Big brown wolves with saliva dripping from their mouths, and all of them herded my precious Hippalectryon away. Oh, I can't bear to think what can happen to them." Pootus said with a gulp.
"They probably got eaten." Perseus replied nonchalantly, smirking when he saw Pootus's terrified face. "I'm kidding, you said they herded them together or something? That sounds weird, I figured they would go for the kill there and then only."
"So there's a chance they are still alive." Pootus whispered out.
"Possibly. Alright, I have a job for you. Why don't you go and see if you can find any tracks or clues as to where these wolves have taken your Hippalectryon. Arcadia is a huge area, it would take a while for me to search through the area without Artemis, and I have a hunt to look after. And for communication, just pray to me, I will make sure to distinctly hear your voice." Perseus stated out.
"I will try to find something, but you are truly kind with your help, truly kind indeed. I don't think I have met a deity who is as helpful and benevolent as you." Pootus said, sniffling loudly.
"Um...thanks? Appreciate it." Perseus replied with a nervous chuckle.
After some more promises and braying, Perseus was finally able to send the Onocentaur away. The next few hours of Perseus's time were soon occupied with him overseeing training, going through another set of potential hunting spots, breaking up another fight between Celyn and Britomartis, and staring intently at another wolf that was slowly approaching the clearing, and had similar black markings he had seen on the other pair of wolves earlier in the morning.
"Next time, I'll probably go for the shot." Perseus mumbled as he saw the wolf dart back into the woods. Perseus was making lunch when another iris message popped up, this time from Hera.
"Good afternoon, Perseus. Are you well today?" she asked.
Perseus smiled. "I'm always well aunt Hera. So, is there something you need me for?"
"What made you think I called you for a favor." Hera asked.
"Because you never call anyone, like at all. And, because you find Iris messages problematic for some reason."
Hera rolled her eyes. "True...okay I do need a favor from you. I'm busy this week, and as you know, this year's Olympian talents show is coming right around the corner. So, I need you to go and pick up a couple of golden apples for me, and the competition."
Perseus's eyes widened. "You want me to go through Ladon and get the golden apples?!"
"Yes, and you don't have to worry about Ladon at all. I will inform the caretakers of the tree, the Hesperides, about your arrival, and they will see to it that you will receive the apples. If not, feel free to kill Ladon, and maybe even the Hesperides as well. Never liked those daughters of Atlas at all."
"But...you recruited them." Perseus pointed out.
"Anyways, I need at least five golden apples, I don't think it would be much of a problem. And I want them in a weeks' time, don't procrastinate please. And for my husband's sake, don't eat them."
"Right." Perseus muttered, swiping the Iris message away. He went back to cooking when another Iris message appeared, this one being another voice recorded one from Artemis.
"Hey Perseus, sorry but I'm still going through that situation I mentioned earlier. I may make it back by seven, but if I don't, then don't wait up. Actually, I think I will be back by seven. Okay, bye!"
"Seven?!" Perseus exclaimed, glancing up at the sky. "Five hours...this is going to be fun."
"Perseus, can we go for a hunting game today?" Clio asked.
"Sure, but right after I finish my chores." Perseus said with a shudder. "Can't even use my godly powers lest I attract some kind of monster."
The day continued to drag on as Perseus ran around left and right, cleaning up the place, washing clothes, and bravely fed Artemis's hunting dogs which after all these years, still didn't even remotely like him. It was finally past seven in the evening, and Perseus was tiredly staring at a pan which was cooking pieces of meat covered in tomato sauce. He was feeling a bit cranky, while his eyes were trained on another pan containing fried eggplant, and the front of Artemis's tent which was where she usually flashed and appeared in.
"Percy, can we please eat something other than sliced potatoes? My stomach is growling like a rabid bear." Phoebe whined.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, sure here you go." Perseus replied, grabbing a bowl of suspicious looking goo and served it to the hunters.
"Uh, what is this exactly?" Acantha asked, poking the goo that was on her plate.
"Mashed potatoes." Perseus simply replied, making everyone groan out loud.
"Too much potato..." Arius muttered, picking his food. The pan containing the meat suddenly burst into flames, making Perseus rush immediately to it to put the fire out.
"Hi everybody, I'm home!" Artemis called out after flashing into the hunter's camp; a smile forming on her face when she noticed Perseus. "Hey honey. Hey kids."
"Hello lady Artemis" the hunters chorused. Percy just gave her a short nod of acknowledgment.
"Hmm...what's cooking? And oh, I'm sorry I'm late. Had to rush over to Thrace to cover some hunting event, that too at the last moment. Weather too was miserable as always-"
"Give me a break." Perseus muttered, stirring his bowl of mashed potatoes.
Artemis blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me" Perseus replied, moving back to the hunters' table to serve them. "You flash over here thirty minutes late and expect sympathy? Hmphff."
"Well I didn't know-" Artemis began but Perseus cut her off.
"I had to unnecessarily clean the place, wash all the clothes including yours, feed your hunting dogs who almost bit me, and basically ran our circus all by myself. Added to that, missed patrol." Perseus replied.
Artemis just stared in stunned silence at Perseus who kept on ranting on. "Had to break up fights, oversee numerous hunting games because the kids decided to be antsy, and no injuries thank you very much. And you do realize that I slaved over a hot pan so you could have a warm meal when you come home huh, hmm hmm?"
"...Percy I'm sorry." Artemis apologized, trying to cover the grin that was forming on her face.
"Yeah, sorry saves it all." Perseus scoffed, walking back to his dish on the pan. "Sorry! Sorry doesn't change the fact that my lamb moussaka is ruined, ruined?!" Perseus exclaimed sarcastically, showing it to Artemis, or what was left of it. "It's charred...and all dried out. One Iris message Artemis! It probably could have been avoided if you had the common courtesy of Iris messaging me once that you were going to be thirty minutes late, no?!" he almost screeched, setting the ruined dish on the table.
"I am not a domestic animal now, am I?" Perseus said, waving his arms. He took in a deep calming breath, forcing his emotions back under his control. "I...oh my Fates what is happening to me?" Perseus finally said, grasping Artemis's shoulder while she was shaking her head fondly. "I'm turning into my mom!" Perseus whined.
"Or, just a caring mother in general." Artemis supplied, kissing his cheek lovingly as her grin finally broke out. "I knew I had it coming. Still this outburst was unexpected. Unexpected, but very cute"
"Mhm." Perseus groaned, slumping down.
"Come on Hestia junior, I know you probably had a long day today, but you need to eat something." Artemis said, dragging him over to the dining table while the hunt watched in amusement. Though that didn't save much of their dinner, which led to everyone only having mashed potatoes, or charred moussaka for dinner. Perseus on the other hand was too tired to do anything, which ultimately led to Artemis just straight up feeding him.
"Anything interesting happened today while I was gone? Outside of what you yelled out that is." Artemis asked, after the hunters had left for their night leisure.
"Auros managed to capture some rabbits today for the first time, but he let them go. And no, they weren't the killer bunnies, they haven't regenerated yet if that's what you're wondering." Perseus replied.
Artemis hummed in acknowledgement, when her head perked up. She glanced to the side and narrowed her eyes as she stared straight into the dense forest.
"Something unusual?" Perseus asked.
"Just a wolf. I wouldn't usually bother but something is off about it." Artemis mumbled.
"You too huh." Perseus said with a sigh, noticing Artemis's questioning gaze. "Those wolves have supposedly been combing this area since last night, this might probably be the fourth time they have appeared."
"Fourth time?" Artemis echoed, her brow furrowing. "Now I'm finding this troubling, you think we should check what's going on?"
Perseus had a thoughtful look on his face "We won't engage, for now. I may not have a thought as to who might be behind this, so I may need more proof. Until then, we'll stay low." Perseus decided.
"There's only one person who we both know may be behind this." Artemis pointed out. "But yes, if it is him, then we should stay low. For now."
Perseus let out a low hum, when he suddenly remembered something from before about Artemis. "Artemis, you mentioned a situation of sorts that kept you away? What was it if you don't mind me asking?"
Artemis let out a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes, making Perseus apprehensive. "It wasn't something bad right? Like, a delivery gone wrong-"
"No, no, not at all. It had nothing to do with that." Artemis quickly replied. "It's just that, there was this wind nymph, an aura named, well, Aura. A couple of months ago, she decided to become a huntress, a virgin one at that."
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "So...you were worried about a copy cat?"
Artemis scoffed. "Obviously not Ash head. You see, not only was this wind nymph over here a mediocre hunter, she was excessively proud of her maidenhood. Which led her to compare herself to me. She claimed that my body was too 'womanly' for someone who 'claims' to be a virgin, and even used various other vulgar terms directed against me, so bad that I can't even tell you!" Artemis said, her voice cracking. "And worst of all, she insulted you indirectly as well. Claimed that I couldn't be some virgin goddess if I'm freely roaming around Greece with a god by my side, something that would be impossible. The audacity of her and what she called you..."
Perseus kept his silence, but his mind was racing with the single thought of 'Oh no'. He had very well witnessed his fair share of gods reaction to mortals and other beings comparing themselves to gods over time, the latest example right now being Persephone and a naiad daughter of Cocytus, Minthe. From what Perseus remembered, Persephone had squashed the naiad with her foot (while being giant in size) after Minthe had declared that Hades loved her after he himself brought her to the mortal world from the underworld, and gave her a kiss and what not. And, would make her his queen. And thus, led her to think she was much more beautiful than Persephone. Perseus wasn't sure what happened to Hades though.
And sure, Perseus himself had seen his fair share of mortals comparing themselves to him, and even claiming that they were much better than him. But all he did to teach a lesson was to scare them silly. Okay, he did go overboard with that one time with a mortal dude by scaring him so bad that he became brain dead, but that was one time. And a long time ago.
"Perseus? Are you even listening to me?" Artemis asked, snapping her fingers in font of Perseus's face.
"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, I'm awake. And listening, definitely listening." Perseus replied.
Artemis raised an eyebrow, an unnatural gleam setting in her eyes. "So continuing, in the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I then went to seek Nemesis for advice-"
"Nemesis?!" Perseus blurted out. "Like, Nemesis goddess of revenge Nemesis?"
"Yes Perseus, her. She actually gave me a very straightforward answer on what to do, I'm surprised I didn't think of it earlier." Artemis replied.
Perseus gulped. "Artemis...what exactly did you do to the aura?" he asked slowly.
Artemis then narrowed her eyes, the unnatural gleam still remaining. "She is exceedingly proud of her maidenhood, right? So, I took the one thing her pride revolved around. Brutally away from her."
Perseus's eyes momentarily widened. "You...you actually..."
Artemis nonchalantly shrugged. "It was fairly easy. I just made the nymph descend into temporary madness, which during that time, must have already lost her virginity after I dropped her off in an all-male tribe. I don't think she's going to ever dare bother comparing or insulting me or my body ever again."
Artemis was breathing a bit heavily by the end, a scowl etched on her face. Perseus sat still as he wasn't sure on what to do at all in this situation. Should he berate her for what she did to the poor wind nymph? Comfort her? In the end Perseus decided to keep quiet and lightly rub Artemis's back, a pensive look on his face.
It was a week later, and Perseus was zipping through the Mediterranean Sea with Umbra, trying to locate the gardens of the Hesperides, and in turn, the sacred apple tree of Hera, which bore the golden apples. Perseus wasn't sure on the exact location on where the garden was, but Hermes reckoned it probably was far to the west, somewhere in the northern coast of the huge continent just below Greece. And Hera was no help either, claiming that he should haven't gone last minute. Curse him for procrastinating.
"Trout, very tasty. Sharks, even tastier. Hey Perseus, do you think I could kill a whale?" Umbra asked.
"Umbra, you can defeat a giant squid monster, with a bit of my help. So yes, you can kill a whale." Perseus said with a chuckle.
"I don't use my synergy beam when killing though. It's all raw talent inside me. But yes, I think I can kill a whale." Umbra replied.
"Okay, looks like we're out of the mainland. Umbra, time to shadow travel." Perseus said, holding himself tightly down. Umbra then let out a cry of approval as she dived down, quickly picking up speed as the surface of the sea quickly came into view. Perseus and Umbra then used their combined powers to shadow travel seamlessly through the plane, soon popping up back outside and out into the surface. They had arrived at a location, which was overlooked by a large mountain range. Perseus drew a shuddering breath, as he felt an ancient magic similar, but quite powerful than the one in Greece. And on top of a particularly large mountain, Percy could make out a faint reddish-purple glow emitting out of it. But something that was very clear for him, and probably only for beings like him to see was a large vortex that spiraled down from the sky, towards the mountain.
"This is where the titan Atlas holds the sky." Perseus murmured.
"I heard this is supposedly the place where the primordials Gaia and Ouranos first met." Umbra piped up.
Perseus smirked. "No, this is not the place. That's a false tale, thrown around to hide the real location of the nexus point where the earth and the sky first met. A place, which is actually quite perilous for any kind of being due to its sheer...everything."
Umbra frowned. "You're...not going to elaborate further are you."
Perseus sighed. "Sorry Umbra but no. Maybe one day, but now isn't the time to talk about nexus points and its various capabilities. Let's just focus on getting the apples first."
"Right." Umbra said, making her way to the coast. After that, it was an easy trip up the mountain with shadow travelling, and Perseus didn't even feel any hinderance with his powers either due to the Greek connection still burning strong in the area. Perseus then appeared at the peak of the mountain, which seemed to have a circular valley in the inside. It was there that Perseus noted that the reddish-purple glow he had seen earlier was coming from a humongous garden, much bigger than the one Persephone had in the underworld. In the center of the garden was a massive apple tree, boring to the brim with golden colored fruit, making the top look a beautiful gold and green color. Perseus was immediately hit with the smell of eucalyptus trees, and distant singing. There was even an abundance of mist floating everywhere, the magical and normal kind, which gave the garden an eerie look to it. And off at the distance towards the north of the garden, was the vortex from the sky, pooling down like a spinning top on a distinct male figure that was crouching.
"Atlas." Perseus breathed out. He and obviously the second generation Olympians have never met any of the titan adversaries that faced against the elder gods and their allies. This was the first time he was witnessing one of them, and for it to be the general of the titans. He would rather settle for Krios, that guy was supposedly not that menacing.
"But Atlas is trapped under the sky, and I have access from Hera to gather the apples. It's going to be fine." Perseus thought to himself, flashing to the surface of the garden. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the mist surrounding his dissipated, but the eerie singing became much louder. Until it stopped.
"When Queen Hera said that the god of twilight was coming here, we did not believe her. The notion intensified when almost a week passed by. Yet, here you are."
Four figures shimmered into existence in front of Perseus. They all were young woman, with skin the color of caramel and silky black hair that tumbled down their shoulders. All of them had an ethereal glow surrounding them as they laid their gaze on Perseus, eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.
"Hesperides, daughters of Atlas and Pleione. It is a pleasure to meet you." Perseus said, giving a nod of acknowledgement, which the Hesperides returned with a bow. "Aigle. Arethusa. Erytheia. Hesperia. And- ...I thought there were five of you?" Perseus said, a slight frown on his face.
The Hesperides frowned as well, on noticing that one of their sisters was missing. Suddenly, the air shimmered in front of Perseus again, revealing another Hesperide that looked just like her sisters. She had a coy smile on her face as she gazed at Perseus.
"Zoë." Perseus greeted. "A pleasure."
"It is mine as well, especially to meet Olympian." Zoë replied, her smile not leaving her face. A loud bellow than echoed across the garden, making the bushes quiver.
"Where are you Olympian! Come and face me if you dare, against the mighty Atlas!" the voice bellowed.
Aigle looked at her sister with disapproval. "Sister, where were you before you came here?"
"I was with father, informing him about Lord Perseus's arrival." Zoë said innocently.
Hesperia glared at her. "You know that father isn't going to keep quiet now, he would want to meet Lord Perseus. He wasn't supposed to know about his arrival at all."
"Father is going to be disappointed." Erytheia said.
"He won't be. I am his favorite after all. He will forgive me." Zoë replied, a smirk settling on her face.
Perseus cleared his throat. "Um, are you all going to lead me to the apples or...?"
The Hesperides glanced at Perseus, the curious look not wavering at all. "Tell me lord, can you fight Ladon and strike him down?" Arethusa asked.
"Ladon." Perseus said glancing at the beast that had coiled itself around the sacred tree. Ladon had a large reptilian like body that circled around the trunk, and hundred vipers attached to its neck for a head. Though they were all eyeless, but very deadly when it came to their poison. It's glistening red skin shone against the glow of the garden, and its soft hisses sent a slight shiver through Perseus.
"Possibly...I'm not even sure." Perseus replied with a shrug. "But I do know that Ladon will be a formidable opponent."
"Olympian! Where are you, you little maggot! I swear, if I didn't have this bloody piece of Ouranos's possible private part drilling on me, I-"
"Let's hurry up before my father develops an aneurism." Aigle muttered, taking the lead with the other Hesperides soon following behind. Perseus followed them as well, taking in the garden and the place fully. It was truly beautiful, something that Perseus was still not used to when he found himself in magical Greek locations. The Hesperides and Perseus soon reached the foot of the tree, with the Hesperides continuing their singing as well. They floated around the tree like ghosts, stroking the body of Ladon and singing verses in a language that was a mix of Greek and something much older than what Perseus was fluent in. The heads of Ladon slowly slithered down the branches, perching themselves either on the ground or on the hands of the Hesperides. Perseus even saw Zoë feeding some of the heads with lamb's meat, whispering soothing words as she gently petted their heads.
"Go forth Lord Perseus." Erytheia soke up. "The twisting trunk of this tree will provide you a makeshift staircasee, which would lead you to the top of the tree, where accessing the apples will be much easier."
"And make sure you don't take a lot. Ladon will sense if you're being too greedy." Hesperia replied.
"Gotcha." Perseus mumbled, taking a step on the jutting bark of the tree. Slowly, he made his way up the tree, while dodging Ladon's many heads that were resting on it. On reaching the top, Perseus then started to pluck the apples within his reach and putting them in a bag, while keeping a close eye on a nearby head of the dragon. The head didn't move as Perseus plucked the apples, until it twitched slightly when Perseus went for a sixth one. That was when Perseus decided what he had was enough. Hera anyway wanted at least five. Perseus then shadow travelled to the base of the trunk, but the sudden movement and appearance momentarily jerked some of Ladon's heads awake. Hesperides continued their singing, albeit a bit louder and with a more soothing tone, that even had Perseus slowly relax in his place.
"Sorry." he bashfully whispered on seeing the Hesperides glare at him. Perseus then slowly made his way away from the tree. The Hesperides soon joined him one by one, with Zoë being the last as she gave one final piece of meat to a head, and then walked away.
"This is why we initially told you to manually climb the tree first Lord Perseus." Zoë said, a scowl on her face. "Your shadow travelling would have agitated Ladon from his peaceful doze. And then, you would have to fight him."
"Yeah...no. This is enough excitement for me." Perseus said with a chuckle. "But I must say, you have a very beautiful and well-maintained garden over here. I think this is something I'm glad mortals will never dare interfere in."
"That is true." Arethusa said. "Though we have seen our fair share of mortals roaming around, but it's usually in the sea."
"Mhm. In fact, we saw one just yesterday. A young man, zooming across the sea in winged shoes, while carrying a leather sack." Hesperia said.
"It wasn't much of a sack though, since there was blood dripping from it." Aigle replied.
"And the creatures that came from the blood mixed with the sea? Disgusting." Erytheia said with a shudder.
Perseus frowned. "Why is the description of the man you just gave me sound vaguely familiar..."
"OLYMPIAN! YOU COME UP HERE THIS MOMENT SO I CAN GET A GOOD LOOK AT YOU, OR ELSE-"
"Zoë, go and please tell father that the Olympian has already left." Aigle said with a sigh. Zoë rolled her eyes as she shimmered out of view. A few moments later, the valley was soon filled with cries of 'coward' and 'godly scum'.
"I have half a mind to go meet him now actually." Perseus drawled out. "But not today."
"Oh? Will you be coming to our garden again then Lord Perseus." Erytheia asked. "That is quite a surprise."
"Only if I'm welcome by the Hesperides." Perseus replied. "I wouldn't want to impose."
"We never get guests anyway." Hesperia said with a shrug. "So we don't mind at all."
"Zoë wouldn't be a fan though. She detests outsiders of any kind." Arethusa said.
Perseus raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then maybe I shouldn't come."
"Actually, it will be better if you do come." Aigle said with a grin. "We will get to see Zoë irritated for once, which is always a treat."
"Enough talk, you should actually leave now Lord Perseus. Otherwise, my father will sense your presence and grow suspicious."
Perseus's eyes widened. "Yeah, and I don't want Hera to be mad at me even more if I delay. May we meet again Hesperides, and don't tell your sister Zoë about my possible visit." he said, sinking into a nearby shadow. Perseus then emerged at the base of the mountain he first took a step in, and whistled for umbra. A few minutes later, the orca appeared, with some kind of snake attached to one of its front fins.
"Hey Perseus! Can you get this bugger off me, it's stuck to me like tree sap." Umbra whined.
Perseus tilted his head to the side as he summoned a single rock spike and launched it at the snake, taking it clean off Umbra.
"Phew, thanks a lot."
"Since when have snakes troubled you girl?" Perseus said, climbing on Umbra's back.
'Never, but this snake was really weird. I swear, it had two heads! Maybe even tiny wings."
"Two headed snakes, with tiny little wings. Yep, this world truly hates me." Perseus said with a sigh. "Come on Umbra, we're doing a long shadow travel back home. Have to deliver these apples to Hera." Perseus said taking an apple out of the bag. The golden apples of immortality, finishing one to the core will grant the eater full immortality. And while it's effects were still being analyzed when already eaten by immortals, Apollo did say that the apple he had literally gave him energy and strength like no other. Though that power did disappear quite soon.
'Can I have one of those apples as a reward?" Umbra slowly asked.
"Yeah...no. I don't want you to fade due to immortality overdose." Perseus quipped, laughing when Umbra demanded if that was an actual thing.
Perseus and Umbra popped up back to the lake in Arcadia, where the hunters camp was located. After shooing away some disgruntled naiads who were still not used to a seawater-based creature living in their territory, Perseus then made his way to the camp. But as he approached it, he heard the distinct cries of a familiar donkey braying, and shouts from various hunters.
Perseus's eyes immediately widened when he realized who was braying out loudly. He rushed to the camp, where he saw Artemis launching arrow after arrow at a wolf, who in turn was chasing Pootus the Onocentaur. The hunters were huddled up to the side, shouting maneuvers and dodges.
Perseus then summoned his bow and materialized an arrow, aiming at the wolf. He then let it go, only to be completely surprised by the fact that the arrow passed harmlessly through the wolf, as if it was an illusion. Even Artemis's arrows passed harmlessly through it.
"Don't tell me umbra ore isn't working on this thing." Artemis demanded when she saw Perseus's arrow pass through the wolf. She then took out her hunting knives and slashed the feet of the wolf. Artemis then turned around, either seeing if her knives worked or she would have to go for the final kill when she found the wolf spasm in its place. The cuts on it legs started to steam as everyone watched the wolf's body bubble up, and slowly turn black everywhere. The wolf's spasms then stopped, and it then melted to the ground into a pool of inky black mass, which then slowly disappeared as well. Everyone was shocked to see what had happened, especially Perseus as he felt a pull in his gut when the wolf dissolved. A pull that usually appeared when he sensed a shadow to travel through.
"Oh it's a miracle! The big bad wolf can be killed, the big bad wolf can be killed!" Pootus brayed.
Artemis whipped her head towards the onocentaur, her eyes flashing. "I have half a mind to kill you as well for disrupting our practice!"
"Wait Artemis don't!" Perseus yelled, rushing forward and mentally cursing himself. "I totally forgot to tell you about him, he's an acquaintance of mine."
"You know him?" Artemis asked surprised. "How come you forgot to mention...whatever this person is?"
"An onocentaur madam." Pootus said solemnly.
"Half man, half donkey." Perseus supplied. "He approached me like a week ago to find his missing Hippalectryon."
Artemis frowned. "Half man...wait what is a Hippa...ectron?"
"Basically a half rooster, half horse." Perseus replied. "I asked him to check some clues or places where the wolves, which stole his Hippalectryon by the way, could have taken them, because weirdly enough, they didn't kill them on first contact." Perseus explained.
Artemis blinked a couple of times, and then nodded her head slowly. Not...even going to question it." she then said.
"Yeah best you don't." Perseus said, his eyes darting to the knife in Artems's hand. "Also, how were you able to kill that wolf? Were its legs its weakness?"
"I don't think so, I shot it's legs a couple of times with my arrows, but nothing happened. Same thing happened with yours as well."
"Yeah, that was really weird..." Perseus muttered; his eyes narrowed. "Artemis, what kind of arrows did you use?"
Artemis tilted her head to the side. "My regular celestial bronze ones. Why?"
"And what material is your knife made of?"
"Silver. Why are you asking me...wait. You don't think..." Artemis said, staring at her silver dagger.
"Since when did silver hurt wolves." Perseus said, looking lost. "I mean, we have hunted down plenty of wolves with our everyday weapons."
"True, but we haven't hunted down wolves with those weird markings on their faces." Artemis said, her brow furrowing. "All this time, they were only watching us at a distance. But now, one has readily entered our camp, maybe unintentionally, but knowing what awaited them. Something feels wrong, really wrong."
"You are right madam, something is wrong." Pootus said sadly. "Those damn wolves with Arcadia's old symbol. A real pain, a pain indeed."
"...Pootus, repeat that last thing you said. The one before the indeed part." Perseus suddenly said.
"Um...those damn wolves with Arcadia's old symbol?"
"Holy Styx I'm an idiot." Perseus moaned. "No wonder those markings looked familiar; they are the ones exactly similar to Lycaon's insignia for Arcadia. Until it was changed, after he got turned into-"
"A werewolf." Artemis finished. "So...he has been recruiting?"
"Possibly. Maybe not even just wolves, he could be turning people as well into creatures of the night." Perseus said.
"So that means one of his very own had been spying on us." Artemis said, closing her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if he has a personal vendetta against us now, when we didn't aid him when he prayed to us."
"To be fair, it was a good thing we didn't. He deserved what came to him from Zeus." Perseus muttered. "But yeah, I'm not surprised if he has hallucinated a delusional reason as to why we are possible enemies."
Artemis hummed in acknowledgement. "If Lycaon is back in Arcadia, and supposedly hiding in the forest, then we have to take him out as soon as possible. I'm not comfortable with the fact that he has not only returned to the place from which he was exiled from, but is now keeping watch on the hunt."
"And he took my babies. No one takes my babies." Pootus muttered.
"Well, seeing that you are here Pootus, makes me think you hopefully have an idea as to where your creatures are kept?" Perseus asked, grinning when he saw the onocentaur nod. "Excellent, if we can manage to get hold of those wolves, we might be able to try and communicate with them."
"Help." Artemis murmured, her eyes glassy.
"Yep, we can also...wait what did you say-"
Artemis suddenly jerked up in her place, her body slightly spasming. Her breathing slowly got heavy as the seconds went by, while beads of silver sweat slowly forming on her forehead.
"Artemis. Are you- what's happening, w-why are you shaking." Perseus asked, worry creeping in his tone. Pootus quickly scrambled back as he gave the couple space, while the hunters watched from afar, fear slowly creeping in them.
"No. No. No. No." Artemis chanted, clutching her head tightly. "No please don't fall down, no please...watch out, don't- No stop crying please, I can be there, I can just be-"
"Artemis! Artemis?!" Perseus cried out, clutching her shoulders. "Artemis, listen to my voice please, can you hear me? Slow breaths, come on, try to...Artemis?!"
"Blood. No don't. They are so little, you can't harm them, why are you harming them." Artemis gasped out, tears streaming down her face. "I can stop this I can stop all this, just please let me- No, I-I...I can't stop this. I can't...I can't..."
"Artemis?!"
"Please...help...Percy..."
"ARTEMIS!"
Welp, that took quite a turn didn't it. Maybe you guys already know what's happening to Artemis, maybe you all don't. If you need a hint though, just check Mark Andrew's latest review ;). now, like I said previously, I will let you guys know if I'm able to upload next week or no. And...I cannot. Barely two weeks into uni, and I already have a test smh. And it's graded, so I have to bloody study for this. So yeah, no upload, really sorry. And I'm going to end this thread here before I make some half assed promise about possible writing little- OKAY DONE!
Anyway, we're now approaching something which I would say, is dedicated to Artemis in a sense. It's going to be her fight, and it's going to be epic, that's for sure. And who knows, everyone's favorite Grandpa might make a return in the next chapter. But as always, thank you guys so much for reading my story, do the holy trinity of F.F.R. and I will see you guys, in the next update. Bye!...\/