Of Bows and Boar-spears Chapter 2: Maybe i should use powers, a percy jackson and the olympians fanfic

Artemis was dragged to the top of Othrys.

Annabeth Chase was there in chains, holding up the sky, just barely.

"Would you allow an innocent maiden to suffer, Artemis? The choice is yours."

The goddess bit her lip but stayed firm. Without a second thought, she took the sky from the maiden.

The dream blacked out.

He woke up with a start at the same time the Titanide beside him did.

He groaned and then his eyes widened.

"Fucking hell, Artemis bears the Titan's Curse!"

The duo ran silently to the big house, narrowly avoiding tripping.

Zoë repeatedly banged on the door, and Percy was about to knock it over when the old centaur came out of it with curlers in his tail. Chiron's eyes narrowed.

"I am hoping to all the gods that you have a good reason for waking me up at this ungodly hour."

They both explained to a rapidly paling centaur/constellation/immortal trainer.

"I cannot release the hunters or even you, Perseus, without the express permission of Artemis or a quest—which I will not allow."

Zoë turned, hanging her hand on the wall.

"And would we gain the permission of milady, for certes, is it not obvious that milady is lost?"

Percy just twisted the bronze ring and it turned into his sickle, Athanasía.

The two others in the room stared at him, rather shocked at his choice of weapon.

He looked up, nonplussed.

"What?"

Neither said anything. With a final glare, Zoë jogged back to cabin 8.

As they prepared for the capture the flag game and Chiron explained the rules, Percy hung out with two twins known as the Stoll brothers.

It ended with their faces covered in green and brown, Percy's excuse being it was useful in the coming game as camouflage.

For the record, his sheets were green that night as a result.

Percy ignored the looks he got and kept to his rather scavenged looking scavenged gear.

The only thing he accepted from Chiron was a spear he found in the armory.

Percy had been walking along, silently brooding (he would deny it but let's be honest here) and generally scaring the people who saw him away, seeing as he wasn't his 'usual' jaunty self.

He stumbled along into what he thought was a tool shed, and what he saw made his eyes glimmer in excitement.

A huge-ass, ugly, thick, beautiful boar hunting spear with a cross guard to match, and a heavy pommel on the bottom.

It was about six feet in length and could be extended or shortened, based off of the bronze pieces laying around.

Here was a worthy spear, more of a Maimer than Maimer, Lamer than Lamer.

He was convinced he might as well run off and kill the Clazmonian Sow.

He lugged the huge ass spear and shortened it to 5'8" or so, taking care not to let even a single scratch on the bronze shaft.

He was in love with the spear, at least that's what he felt like.

He quickly got Lou Ellen and Beckendorf to enchant it into a bracelet and ran off to join the game.

Thalia grunted in annoyance. "Well there you are, now I have to revise the entire strategy—"

"Nah, there's no need. I'll be doing my own thing." Percy interrupted.

She stared at him threateningly, but he just rubbed his sickle and golden gladius together innocently.

"Fine. Don't screw up."

With that, she stomped off to take up the offense.

The horn blew and Percy took off into the woods, turning from a full combatant to a hunter in seconds.

It wasn't long before a group of tree came by and he dropped half a dozen arrows on them.

The huntress, Arcaia, was knocked down while Phoebe was just a little dizzy.

Nightshade herself was growling like a mad bear and lunged as soon as Percy was out of the trees.

He swung his sickle in his left hand, disarming one of her knives.

She rolled over into the dust, grabbing it and catching his Gladius, whipping it down and throwing it out of reasonable reach. Disarming him of his sickle, his khopesh couldn't handle both knives and he took a pen out of his pockets and flicked off the cap as she kicked him hard in the stomach. He rolled back, swiping at her feet as he did so. She lunged again but he caught her in the back of the head and kneed her back hard. by now, the whole camp was watching as the game had ended with a victory for the campers due to the hunters offense being distracted.

She caught him in the back of his knee and nearly decapitated him, as he caught her other knife in the ribs, protected by his light armor. She hesitated for a moment, seeing that his xiphos was familiar to her.

It cost her the match as she was down a knife and had a khopesh at her throat.

Chiron clear his throat. "As I said, the campers win for the first time since we moved to Long Island!"

They cheered uproariously while Percy held his hand out to a sulking Zoë who reluctantly took it.

"What the fuck, Jackson! Getting yourself stuck in a figh—"

Thalia marched over to him as he was shaking hands and shocked him so hard he fell backwards. Before she could voice her regret, the shadows around Percy were swirling and half of the creek hit Thalia in the back while the other half floated above.

Due to her lighter biological makeup as a daughter of Zeus, built for flying, she flew back a rather large amount.

Before she could turn it into a full blown Ares/Hephaestus/Poseidon Vs. All a green mist approached.

The oracle walked among the campers for the first time since 1967 when it 'died' but the curse kept it alive.

The mummy looked straight at Zoë, then at Percy, then back at Zoë, to the annoyance of Thalia who currently disliked both of them.

I am the speaker of the Prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, Slayer of the Mighty Python. Approach, Seeker, and ask.

The Lieutenant gulped and did so.

"How do I save my goddess?"

Five shall go west to the Goddess in chains

One shall be lost in the land without rain

The Bane of Olympus shows the Scavenger's Trail

Camper's and Hunters combined shall prevail

And one shall perish by a parent's hand

The thing collapsed in a heap of bones and flesh.

"Well I'll be damned, Chiron, seems we were right," said Percy smugly.

A friendly satyr called Grover helped Percy and Phoebe, who had been very nice to him after their little bout, carry it back to the attic.

"You could've fooled me with that bow, where'd you learn to shoot?" Asked the huntress.

"I didn't learn to shoot, I just realized I should pray to Artemis and not Apollo and voíla!" He replied.

Grover dreamily agreed, singing the praises of the moon goddess as they walked into the big house. Some of the hunter narrowed their eyes at Phoebe but she ignored it.

As he sat down, he once again drew his bronze xiphos which had distracted the lieutenant.

It was beautifully crafted thing, the hilt gold studded and the blade engraved with one word: Anaklusmos, Effusion, the Riptide.

He laid out his weapons carefully on the table, oiling them to get out his ADHD.

His bow, Avgí.

His xiphos, Anaklusmos.

His khopesh, Palírroia.

His sickle, Athanasía.

And his gladius, Fulgur.

His throwing knives, which were Stygian iron.

See, two years back, Hades, who had heard from Hermes and Apollo how good the twelve year old merc was, hired him to take out a legacy of Melinoë. This had led to his being blessed by Macaria, even before he knew he was a First Generation legacy of Zagreus.

Stygian iron was his to wield and he loved to flaunt it.

"This is pointless," said Zoë. "We can take the hunt and go!"

"Where?" Asked Thalia.

"West," Said Bianca.

The girl had changed a lot—she glowed a little silver, and her hair was braided over her shoulder where her bow peeked out.

"Unfortunately, my dear girl, the prophecy says to take five, not twenty," said Chiron.

Zoë grunted irritably.

"Well then, we'll take five hunters," said Arcaia.

"As always, the huntress is missing something. 'Campers and Hunters combined prevail'."

"What if you lose two members because it's the two groups combined?" Questioned Dionysus.

"Prevail doesn't have a lot of meanings, Mr. D," said Percy, "and with all due respect we should get this over with so the questers can leave and rescue the goddess."

Thalia looked thoughtful at that and he realized that the girl, Annabeth, was there as well.

"Artemis has always been one of the more vocal of those on the council, and we cannot afford to be delayed another year," said Zoë.

"Are you implying the gods cannot work well together?" Mr D said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes."

Both Percy and Zoë replied at the same time, the latter glaring at the former who whistled and sharpened his khopesh.

"You're right, of course. Carry on now," said the god.

"Then who will go on the quest?" Asked Chiron.

"Three and two," said Silena Beauregard. "Three hunters and two campers."

"I would prefer all hunters," Zoë grumbled half heartedly.

"What would your mistress say? Too many hunters spoil the scent," reminded Chiron.

Percy sighed, resting his feet on the ping pong table as he put his weapons back into their smaller forms.

"Percy's right," said Silena suddenly, "two campers. One of them should be him, since the oracle was looking at him and Zoë."

"Oh, and I suppose you'd like to go?" Asked Zoë.

"What!" Said Silena, blushing up a storm. "Don't look at me, I'm not traveling with the hunters!"

"A daughter of Aphrodite who does not like to be looked at," mused Zoë. "What would thy mother say?"

"Thanks for the support, Lena, but that wasn't the most tactful thing to say," said Percy, not at all oblivious to the loving looks she was giving Beck.

"I'll take Phoebe and Bianca," said Zoë.

"I'll go, I guess," said Thalia.

Grover jumped up and volunteered himself and with some convincing he was on.

Percy realized he wasn't counted among the number but sipped a diet coke he had subtly convinced Mr. D to give him. He wasn't all that concerned about whether he would quest or not.

Chiron had other plans.

"Perseus must go, as he is one of the two quest leaders."

Zoë erupted into protests with a somewhat less enthusiastic Phoebe agreeing with her.

"We will not be traveling with a boy!"

"What about Grover?" Said Beck, protesting rather angrily.

"He is a satyr, not a boy," explained Zoë as a now very incensed Grover protested behind her.

"I'm afraid this is non negotiable," said Chiron.

"I've chosen my quest mates. There is nothing else to negotiate," said Zoë.

The two oldest in the room stared at each other before they both lowered their eyes.

"Percy, my boy, come with me. Now."

He did as he was told and the old centaur voiced his concerns.

"First things first, about that…Roman weapon…"

Percy interrupted him. "Umm, Chiron?" He held up his forearm. "Former Centurion of the Fourth Cohort, here, until Mercury told them I was his, Apollo's, and Pluto's personal errand boy. And don't worry, I won't outright say anything."

The centaur breathed in relief and continued. "Thalia wouldn't be my first choice for this quest. I'm also not sure I have faith in you working together, if today is anything to go by, but you beat Zoë Nightshade without powers. I think you're the best we have to offer. So, I'm saying now, Pythia clearly wanted you on that quest. We cannot play with fate. Something will happen, but you are one of five who will go and that is final. I expect nothing less, do you understand?"

Percy nodded, surprised but nonplussed. It made no difference to him whether he lived or died, quested or stayed at home, scavenged or hunted. All he cared about was his freedom and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, and Michael Kahale, his friends at Camp Jupiter. And his Optio, Leila.

Elysium wasn't too different—Many souls went to other afterlives but they all, in the end, went to the Void.

So when Hades told him that Achilles and Zenobia were dating in Erebos, and their first date was a picnic on the Cocytus, he hadn't been all that surprised.

He would have a place to hunt and an honored role as Zagreus' legacy and a champion of Macaria.

Not too shabby, all things considered.

He clocked out for the night in the unfamiliar Poseidon cabin.

AN: I did not expect any attention on this story, so thank you guys a lot. Comment your recommendations, Read, follow, and favorite.

Riptide and Nightshade