Surprise.

So, this is something I hadn't planned. I wanted to explore more the original story... but I realized how much I could do something better after my recent Perodite story. Butcher was my second story ever, and it showed. My writing was a bit sloppy, after my ex broke my PC (won't elaborate on this lol) I wrote most of it on my phone... not pretty. And I felt like I could dive deeper into the side of Percy I took for granted: the brutal one. He starts as mean but just devolves into canon Percy. I want to do someone who, while not a wild animal, is still affected by several changes. Expect more intimacy between them two, and a M rating that will persist throughout the story. No smut, though. I really suck with smut.

Either way, if you're stumbling upon this for the first time and have no idea of what I'm talking about, hello! I'm your favorite Brazilian writer, who is now finishing his Ben 10 story and thought it was a good idea to rewrite his Pertemis story in a more sensible way. Hope you enjoy this and do check the original story too. It's a bit corny, but not harmful. Anyway, enjoy this, expect updates soon-ish. As I said, finishing the Ben 10 story and I will give some love to the HP fic as well. That's all!

Wind.

Cold wind.

Artemis's favorite.

The goddess was a creature of the night. But not a shadowy creature. One that lurked in the dark, that attacked the innocent, who brought carnage. Her Hunt was sacred. It was a holy institution. A staple of their surviving world. The world that flourished above all other pantheons.

They never had a permanent settlement. Now, here in America, she could roam these lands freely, protect and preserve the wild, hunt the beasts that brought pain to all. It had been a difficult decade. Two wars were enough to affect not only the half-bloods but also her Hunt. So many had fallen. In particular Zoë. Her beloved Zoë... So long had they stood together. The bond between her hunters was one of sisterhood. It was somewhere you could be sure to call it family.

A few thousand years were enough to drive one insane. Artemis stood firm. Her mind was tempered, fueled by the desire to protect. She was a protector. Always on the frontline. It was the difference between her and the others. Staying on Delos while she heard the cries of despair as Orion massacred her Hunters-

Orion.

Tartarus have him in his grasp.

Fewer than fifteen Hunters stood now. The latest addition had been four years ago, when Reyna joined their ranks. Difficult times like these happened. Before the Titanomachy, the Hunters were in constant flux.

Artemis mourned every single one of them. Even those who fell in ways she considered shameful. Because fighting her nature was what she did. Perhaps it would be easier to simply... give up. Bunker up at a palace or manor on Mount Olympus and sit history out. Let Thalia lead the Hunters until they all die. But no. She wasn't like that.

As imperfect as she was – and she was willing to admit that – nothing could make her not worry about the well-being of all mortals, especially her sisters. Artemis portrayed herself as their goddess. Above all else. She was theirs to worship. To beg. To thank. And to celebrate. And in return, she protected, taught and loved.

All they needed to survive without the Olympians.

"My lady," Claire, daughter of Hebe, called, entering her tent. "We bring news of the half-blood."

"Speak." As much as she was an authoritative figure, she chose to speak as somewhat of an equal, appearing as a teenager. Around thirteen, fourteen. The average age of her hunters.

"She has lost a lot of blood." The Hunter told her. "But we haven't intervened. She seems to know a thing or two about first-aid. Perhaps that boy taught her?"

"Seems likely." The boy had been killed three days ago by the monsters chasing the girl. It was an unfortunate loss. But Artemis tended to be skeptical of adolescent men. "Where is she now?"

"A fifteen-minute walk," Claire spoke. "She can't locate our position, of course-"

"Yes." Even their most temporary camps were laced with concealment spells. "The night is young, Claire. You do realize what we are doing, don't you?"

"We're hunting the Butcher." Ugh. What a despicable name. It seemed that the monsters and creatures who survived an encounter with him – not many, in fact - labeled him as such. A ridiculous and vulgar name for a being so foul as him...

...

"We got you surrounded, vile thing." Artemis's tone was threatening enough to make even her sisters tremble. "Surrender now and we shall give you mercy."

The figure was masked. A dark mask that covered the entirety of his head. No skin was in sight, even his hands covered by leather gloves. A jacket enveloped his shoulders. He didn't dress as an ancient monster. He dressed as a mortal.

"Why hunt me?" His voice was deep, undoubtedly muffled by the mask. She had a hard time deciphering from afar. "I am helping you, goddess. Why focus on someone who isn't an enemy?"

"Who says you aren't?" Thalia had her bow pointed straight at his head. And she didn't often miss. "Up until now you only went up and down the country causing a ruckus and killing things in brutal ways-"

"None that were innocent. As you wisely put it, things. I haven't even wounded a single one of you."

"And you will do no such thing." In truth, it was a pain to track him down. Olympus had vaguely instructed her to deal with him. But he was slippery. Brutal. And knew how to cause a big enough distraction to escape. "You shall come with us; it is my will."

Artemis felt like his eyes were lingering on her, behind the mask. No words were spoken up until he moved his hand. His fingers moved inwards, clenching his palm. And as he did that, all of the Hunters stood still, their breaths quickly becoming labored.

"My lady-" Thalia widened her eyes. She and the other three Hunters were stuck in place, all having the same reaction. Her sister's face contorted in pain. "It hurts. Fuck, it-" She exclaimed as something that monster did served to entrench his grip on them.

"Stop it!" Artemis commanded, desperately looking to the man. He turned around and ran, and Artemis thought of giving chase, but tending to their Hunters was the priority. Thankfully, they seemed to be free of whatever was hurting them, and all of them fell to the ground, panting heavily.

Curse him.

...

"Yes," Artemis confirmed. "He is a vile threat. Much more than any other we have faced recently. And we know he is nearby."

''But... is setting a bait like this... right, my lady? I... I don't mean to question your wisdom-"

"It is fine." She raised a hand. "It is not very ethical, sure. But he claims he cares about beings that aren't monsters like him. We will have Reyna, Cassiopeia and Helena on wait. They will strike the monsters if he is unmoved by the girl's pleas. Yes, Claire. We are gambling with a maiden's life. But it is our chance to test him. And see if he does deserve the forgiveness we've been handing him on a silver plate."

They were interrupted by another one of the Hunters, Jennifer. She was panting, and her face was sweaty and red. "My lady... we... we're leading the horde of monsters-"

"Slow down, Jennifer," Artemis instructed, and the girl with braided hair took deep breaths. "What is it?"

"We led the monsters near the half-blood. She should be meeting them soon. And we are certain he is close-by."

"But does he know we're here?"

"No, my lady," Jennifer stated. "We know how he acts when paranoid. He wouldn't spare this half-blood a glance if he was suspicious. I think this is our best chance."

Artemis nodded. "Fetch Thalia, Lorraine and the others. We will end this." Grabbing her bow and wearing a coat, she left and began marching towards the assigned location. The wind struck against her face like knives. Unforgivable. It brought chills down her arms, neck, spine. But she was determined. Nothing stopped a goddess.

Fifteen-minute walk. Preposterous. Gods didn't have to walk. As soon as she was away from her Hunters, her form shifted, shrinking massively. Feathers grew on her body, a beak replaced her mouth, wings grew above her arms. At the end, she had become a nightingale-thrush. She flew quickly, not minding the hungry eyes from owls and other beings. They knew who she was. No animal dared to attack their goddess.

Landing near a tree, she spotted the fallen figure of the girl. Poor thing. It pained Artemis to see her like this. She had noticed the looks the girl gave to the boy who died, but still. Those were just looks. Instinct overrode reason. Her leg was bandaged, both her jeans and leg had been pierced by a spear only an hour ago. She had escaped, again. The girl had a talent to escape.

But she would never be able to escape what would happen now. The group that was leading the monsters here was surely close. She had placed Reyna, Cassiopeia and Helena on strategic points to either kill the monsters... or him. But she didn't know what to expect.

"There!" A sibilant voice exclaimed. "We may be eating hearty today!"

The half-blood girl turned around in panic to a horrific sight. Two dracaenae accompanied by an earthborn marched towards her, the snake women brandishing weapons, while the earthborn had a murderous look on his face.

"We walked for too long. I can barely wait to toast it."

"You two are unbelievable." The other dracaena spoke, much to Artemis's amusement. "Eating demigods is gross."

"Why go after them if not to savor in their flesh?" The earthborn argued, approaching the girl, who had jumped to her feet.

"Please... stay away..."

"You're in a lot of pain... we could end it for you..." The second dracaena stepped closer. "We saw you had a companion. He's dead, isn't he?"

"That... that's none of your business-"

"Fitting." The monster smiled. An ugly grin. Her smile was yellow, as were her ophidian eyes. "You can join him. Undoubtedly you will find the Fields of Elysium. Paradise. You will meet him again. You will find happiness. All your loved ones will be there."

Artemis found herself leaning closer as the girl seemed to hesitate, allowing the dracaena to circle her. She was already armed. Undoubtedly there were three sets of arrows pointed straight at the snake-woman's head, but the goddess still found herself on edge. Didn't the girl want to fight? To live?

"Good. We can deliver peace quickly-" The dracaena gasped, at a sight very familiar to Artemis. She clutched for the half-blood, who stood still in shock, but was incapable of doing so. The other two monsters experienced similar effects; terror stamped on their faces. Out of the shadows, came he. Dressed in his dark attire, no traces of his face. An emotionless mask that marched towards the monsters to give them death.

The demigoddess, at this point, was also completely still, though it was clear the only pain she was feeling was from her previous wounds. The man ignored her for the moment, looking at the earthborn first. For the first time, Artemis saw him drawing a weapon. It was a plain white sword, seemingly very sharp. Only celestial bronze and imperial gold made monsters vanish immediately, so when the man stabbed the Earthborn in the guts, he fell to his knees, whimpering. The man had released his grip, and then decapitated the earthborn. The head rolled to the ground in a gruesome sight, and eventually vanished into dust.

The other draceana faced similar treatment. No words were spared, as she was also stabbed, followed by her head rolling out of her body. The last one, the one closer to the girl, was kept frozen, her eyes darting around, panic overriding her senses.

"Tell me..." Artemis had to fly to a closer tree to hear what he was saying. "Do you have a name?"

"I..." The dracaena groaned in agony. "I am called Jane... that's what... I've been called."

"Jane." The man chuckled. "What a joke. What right do creatures like you have to possess names like these? Spawns of the Pit, bearing the name of people who don't want anything but to survive.

"Please, I-"

"Don't beg." The man placed the sword in his belt again. "It makes it worse." Then, he clenched his now free right fist. The dracaena cried in agonizing pain, and Artemis could see black blood dripping out of her holes. From her eyes, mouth, ears... it was a horrifying sight. The half-blood looked like she wanted to run, but couldn't will her legs to move.

Eventually, the man released the monster, who fell to the ground in an undignified manner. A pool of blood circled the body, and slowly it also turned into dust. Artemis could only imagine what her Hunters were coping with the image. Some might have puked. Not all of them were war veterans. Nor did they have the full ability to observe torture so close. One thing was putting an animal out of its misery after shooting it down. Another was this.

The man finally spared the half-blood attention. Before she could whimper, he spoke. "I am not going to attack you. Take the fact I haven't killed you already as a guarantee of that. What's your name?"

The girl mumbled something that was out of Artemis's earshot.

"Are you alone?"

"I had... someone... he's dead."

"I am sorry." The man's voice was very neutral. It didn't possess the same anger as before but it also wasn't filled with compassion. Far from it. "There's a long way for you to reach New York. Only then you will be safe."

"But... how... I... I don't have any money. My leg... it hurts so much."

The man seemed to give the wound a good look. From his jacket pocket, he took some ambrosia. "Eat this slowly. Not too fast. If consumed too quickly, it will kill you. If done slowly, it will heal your wounds."

The girl widened her eyes, probably not sure of what to answer. "Thank you... I... who are you?"

"Not important. But I know your struggle." Interesting. Was he a half-blood as well? "It will take effort. But you... you will be able to get there."

"Couldn't you... bring me there...? I... I don't have... anyone..." The girl's voice faltered with each word. It was pitiful. She was attractive, but ragged. Her clothes were torn, her hair and face were dirty. She was probably malnourished as well.

"I cannot." The man stated. "For reasons I cannot tell you under these conditions."

It was enough for Artemis, silently, she morphed back to her human appearance. The branch she was in barely accounted for her gained weight. Her eyes were set on the Butcher. She hated to think of him like that. No man would ever earn such a title in her eyes. No good men.

With a flick of her hand, an alert was sent to all her Hunters. They were to set their plan in motion now. Around the girl and the man, arrows were shot, perfectly forming a circle. Artemis whispered incantations that imprisoned them, creating a silver containment. The goddess jumped out of the tree and marched towards them. She was almost sure she heard the man curse under his breath.

"And here I thought you were heartless." Artemis taunted. Some of her Hunters approached the circle, but with a risen fist, Artemis stopped them. She didn't want anyone to get too close. The demigoddess was panicking, her breaths audible from afar.

"What- who, who are you people?!"

"They're the Hunters of Artemis." The man explained. He hadn't moved an inch since being imprisoned. "This is Artemis herself."

The implications weren't lost on her. "You mean the Artemis? The goddess Artemis?!"

"Fret not, young one." She told the girl. "You are not in danger." From us, she wanted to add. "What's your name?"

"Natalie." The girl coughed. "Natalie Lawrence." She was now taking some distance from the man. "You... I can't believe it."

"You will be freed shortly." Artemis brought her attention back to the elephant in the room. "You will deliver yourself to us. Peacefully."

"For what purpose?" Artemis expected defiance, not questions. "What do you need from me, goddess? I have nothing to give you."

"I am not asking you anything." She maintained her voice cool for the moment. "Other than to reveal your intentions. I have not forgotten your attack-"

"Self-defense." He was quick to interrupt her. "And I didn't even permanently wound any of you."

"How am I supposed to know you wouldn't? Enlighten me."

"Well, Artemis, not everyone in this world is a friend." The man answered. "But it's rare for a human to be worse than monsters."

"You don't give me a good impression by torturing beasts." The goddess answered, a flare of anger sparking in her tone. "And you lack respect for me. Are you even sane to address me in such a way? Do you consider us close?"

"I wouldn't go as far to say we're friends but it's not the second time we meet, goddess."

"Oh?" That was a genuine surprise. "And is that enough to treat me like... like a nobody?"

"I do not treat you like a nobody." She had the impression he was rolling his eyes. "In a way, I worship you every day. I hunt for living. I slaughter the vilest of creatures."

"Relishing in your horrible deeds doesn't make it better."

The man sighed deeply. Artemis felt herself on edge as he moved his hands, but there was no indication he would strike against her Hunters. "You're gonna make me do it, won't you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I just wanted privacy." The man began to pace around. "I just wanted to do what I always did for you lot. But no. Not even that. I need to keep answering. To follow your commands. Why? What's the point? I should have walked away to a tropical island like I was told, but no, I just had to do what I do, because who else would do it-"

"Be quiet!" Artemis commanded, raising her voice. The man didn't flinch in fear, but he at least stopped his monologue. "Who are you really? I am not calling you by that wretched title."

"I didn't come up with it." He brought his hands to his mask, untying it from the back. It was a simple piece of cloth, that began to reveal his face slowly. When he was done... he looked... familiar. Too familiar. Artemis had seen this face more than once.

...

"The sky," She could barely make out his words, the crushing weight making every limb on her body burn in agony."Give it to me."

"No, boy," Artemis had said. Was he crazy? "You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!"

"Annabeth took it!"

"She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long." Artemis had heard much about how selfless this hero was... but... to see him willing to do this... it was surreal. If her mind could even grasp that concept at the moment.

"I'll die anyway," he said, truly shocking her. "Give me the weight of the sky!"

He hadn't allowed her to deny further. He kneeled beside Artemis, easing the burden for her just slightly that she could admire such sacrifice. It was enough to think of a plan. With one last breath, she dropped the weight entirely onto him, and conjured her twin knives to fight Atlas.

...

"..."

"I hope you're satisfied." Percy Jackson told her, his green eyes staring in a way they never did in the past. He had... grown, as a mortal tended to do. A stubble covered his previously bare face. His hair was longer, wilder. "This is what you wanted."

"You..." Artemis felt a headache coming. "You... you should have... why did you attack us?"

"I didn't attack you," Percy argued. "I needed to get away."

"From us?" She couldn't believe... she couldn't quite grasp why he would act like this. "We were always friendly towards you, Percy Jackson. You have friends on our ranks. You have no excuse."

"Alright." Once again, she was stunned. "Go ahead. Punish me. Bring me to Olympus. Make me swear loyalty again. Torture me with the sight of those pricks." There was a distinct absence of thunder. "Then I will leave you undisturbed."

"This..." What had happened to him? He was prone to showing anger before, but not like this. "I am not bringing you to Olympus?"

He cracked a weird grin towards her. "A silent death works better?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes, tiring of his attitude. "You are to explain your actions. What comes afterwards will depend on that. Would you rather have me striking you down, Percy?"

In response, he shrugged. "I take what I can get."

What a frustrating asshole. Artemis cast down the barrier, and approached him. He towered over her massively, but that had never been a problem in the past to intimidate those who underestimated her. The problem was that he didn't even flinch. "You will not... do what you did before..." Artemis was jumping to know what in the world was that attack. Making one's blood pour out of her body was not something she had seen. If she had, her memory was failing. "Or I will cast you down, Ancient Laws be damned. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I do." He quietly answered. After a sigh, Artemis turned towards Natalie, who had spectated the entire conversation and was now unsure as to whether to laugh at the incredulity of it all or cry in fear.

"You need more than just ambrosia, young one. Come with me, and we will heal your wounds. You don't need to run anymore." Artemis returned to her comforting and inviting tone, and it seemed to affect Natalie.

"I'd like that... a lot." The girl timidly answered. Artemis smiled at her – even if said smile was a bit forced, thanks to the demigod – and extended a hand.

"Then follow me. Our camp is not far from here."