(Percy is 14 years old)

The air was sharp with winter's bite, the wind cutting through the forest like a blade. Snowflakes swirled in chaotic patterns, catching in my hair and clinging to my cloak as we moved through the trees. The Hunt had been tracking the manticore for weeks, its trail weaving through frozen rivers and rocky cliffs. Tonight, Artemis had returned from her scouting mission, her presence bringing a sense of urgency to our camp.

Even from a quarter-mile away, I could see him. Not with my eyes, but with the hunt. Artemis's gift. The wolf stones were a good start, but I developed beyond needing them. The moonlight bent around me, sharpening the world into silver-edged clarity. His lion's body moved like liquid shadow between the trees, but his tail—that barbed, scorpion-like weapon—betrayed him. The third spike from the tip was chipped, a flaw I'd marked during our last skirmish. "Weaknesses are not always wounds," Artemis had said. "Sometimes, they're habits."

Zoe walked beside me, her silver circlet glinting faintly in the moonlight. "Percy," she said quietly, her voice steady but tense. "Stay close tonight. The manticore is cunning—it will not fight alone."

I nodded, gripping my bow tighter. Five years of training with the Hunt had taught me many things: patience, precision, and loyalty. But it hadn't dulled the fear that came with facing monsters like this one.

Ahead of us, Naomi jogged alongside Phoebe, her dagger spinning idly in her hand. "You ready for this, sea slug?" Naomi called back over her shoulder, yet her worried gaze spoke more than her words.

"Always," I shot back, though my heart was pounding.

Artemis appeared at the front of our formation, her auburn hair catching the light like fire against the snow. Her presence was always commanding, but to me, it carried something else—an unspoken reassurance, like the steady glow of the moon on a stormy night.

She glanced back at us, her silver eyes lingering on me for a moment longer than the others. "We move quickly," she said, her voice calm yet firm. "The manticore is not alone—and neither are those it hunts."

Her words sent a ripple of unease through our group. Zoe signalled for us to spread out, her movements precise and deliberate. But before I could follow, Artemis stepped closer to me, resting a hand lightly on my shoulder.

"Stay near Zoe," she said softly, her tone losing its edge as she looked directly into my eyes. "You've come far, Percy, but even the strongest hunters need their family beside them."

I nodded, feeling both comforted and slightly embarrassed under her gaze. She squeezed my shoulder gently before straightening and addressing the group again.

"Remember," she continued, her voice carrying over the wind, "we are strongest when we stand together. Watch each other's backs—and trust in your training."

Her words settled over us like a blanket against the cold. Zoe gave me a quick nod as we moved into position, but I couldn't help glancing back at Artemis one last time before we disappeared into the trees. Her expression was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes—a quiet determination that made me feel like no matter what happened tonight, she would make sure we all came back safe.

…

Snow stung my cheeks as I crouched in the shadows of the pines, my silver-tipped arrow nocked and ready. The manticore's stench clung to the air—sulfur and rotting meat—as it circled the demigods trapped on the cliff. My sisters moved like ghosts through the trees, their bows drawn, awaiting Artemis's signal.

Alexander Johnson, I noted, watching the dark-haired boy raise his shield against another volley of thorns. The son of Poseidon—prophecy child… and my brother. Unlike the hunters, this was the only blood family I have. Well, that's if the gods even have blood.

His movements were raw but determined, his green eyes blazing even as his shield dented under the assault. I heard whispers of his achievements, and they didn't seem false with how he fought.

"Steady," Zoe whispered beside me, her circlet catching the storm's light. "Artemis will give the order."

I flexed my fingers against the bowstring. The manticore's laugh slithered through the wind.

"Yield, little heroes!" he taunted, his tail poised to strike.

"Never!" A girl with jet-black hair's voice cracked like thunder. Her eyes were what caught me first—an intense, electric blue that seemed to pierce straight through the manitcore. They weren't just eyes; they were storms trapped in human form, crackling with energy and emotion.

Ah, Thalia Grace, the daughter of Zeus. Tree-turned-human. Her clothing was practical but carried an edge of rebellion. She wore a black leather jacket over her armour, which looked funny but undeniably showcased her beauty.

She charged, but the helicopter's searchlight blinded her. The manticore's tail sent her sprawling, her shield skittering into the snow.

It was obvious that not even the most powerful demigods of this generation could not deal with the situation they were in. It didn't help when the ugly beast laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

"Now," Artemis's voice cut through the chaos, colder than the storm.

I tightened my grip on the bowstring. Not yet. Not yet.

The horn—clear as starlight—split the night.

The manticore froze, his tail mid-lash. For a heartbeat, the battlefield held its breath. Snow swirled in the searchlight's glare, the helicopter's roar drowning all sense.

"No," Thorn hissed, his voice sharp with disbelief.

Zoe's arrow struck first. A streak of silver, faster than thought, buried itself in the monster's shoulder. His howl was a symphony to our ears.

Now.

"Curse you!" Thorn roared, whirling toward the woods. His tail lashed, spikes erupting in a deadly spray.

We loosed our arrows without hesitation. Silver met blackthorn midair, slicing the poisoned barbs in two. The manticore staggered, his snarl twisting to fury as he clawed the arrow from his flesh.

"Focus!" Zoe barked, her circlet gleaming as she stepped into the light. "Drive it to the edge!"

We moved as one—a dozen Hunters gliding from the trees, bows raised. Our silver parkas blended with the storm, but our arrows burned bright as comet trails.

"The Hunters!" A blonde hair girl's voice rang out, sharp with disbelief. Thalia's lightning-blue eyes flicked to me, widening briefly as they landed on my position. I stood slightly apart from my sisters, my bronze bow—a gift from Artemis—gleaming under the helicopter's fractured light. The only male in Artemis's Hunt, my presence broke the formation's symmetry, and the demigods' stares burned hotter than the manticore's spikes.

The manticore lunged, but Zoe's next arrow pinned his paw to the earth. "You are outmatched, beast," she said, her voice cold as the snow beneath our boots.

I stepped forward, my arrow trained on his remaining eye. Around me, my sisters fanned out, bows humming with tension. The helicopter's spotlight swung toward us, but a sharp gesture from Artemis—still hidden in the trees—shattered the machine into a flock of screaming ravens.

"This is not over!" The manticore snarled, thrashing against Zoe's arrow when his eyes fell on me. "A boy among maidens? Artemis grows desperate! They're deceiving you boy!"

Zoe's lip curled, but I didn't wait for her retort. I loosed my arrow—not silver, like my sisters', but bronze, forged in Hephaestus's fires. It struck the joint of Thorn's tail, severing the venomous spikes mid-launch. The Hunters' discipline faltered for a heartbeat, their eyes darting to me in pride. Even Zoe's brow lifted—something I took as a good sign.

Thalia's voice cut through the silence, sharper than any blade. "Since when do the Hunters recruit guys?"

"Since never," Annabeth muttered, her grey eyes narrowing at my bow, taking her eyes off the battle itself.

I ignored them, twisting my wrist to summon a wave from the cliffside below. Saltwater surged upward, wrapping around Thorn's legs like chains. The manticore howled, his claws scrabbling against the ice-slick rock.

"No more running," I said, nocking another arrow.

Zoe stepped forward, her circlet gleaming. "Hunters!" she barked, reclaiming command. "Finish it!"

Our arrows flew as one, a constellation of silver and bronze. Thorn's roar became a gurgle as the tide dragged him toward the cliff's edge. But as the waves surged, the manticore twisted violently, his barbed tail surprisingly still lashing through the spray.

"Annabeth!" Alexander's voice cracked like thunder.

She was too close—her dagger still lodged in Thorn's mane, leaving her hands empty as the wave's pull destabilized the cliffside. The manticore's remaining spikes flared, and with a final, desperate heave, he launched himself backward—not into the sea, but through the crumbling rock.

The ground split. A chasm opened beneath them, swallowing snow, stone, and snarling beast. Annabeth's eyes met mine for a heartbeat—wide with shock, not fear—before she vanished into the darkness.

"NO!" Alexander lunged, but Zoe caught his arm, her grip unyielding.

"It's a trap!" she snapped, her silver circlet glowing as she scanned the fissure. "The earth itself betrays us."

From the shadows below, a new sound emerged: laughter, low and guttural. Not Thorn's. Deeper.

"You'll regret this, Hunters," the voice rumbled, shaking the snow from the pines. "The girl belongs to him now."

Artemis's arrow split the air, striking the edge of the chasm. The ice hissed and sealed shut, but the damage was done. Annabeth was gone.

Thalia slammed her fist into the frozen ground, her lightning flickering uselessly. "We have to go after her!"

Zoe's gaze cut to her, cold as the storm. "You do not command the Hunt."

I stepped forward, saltwater still dripping from my hands. "We can't leave her. That's not what we—"

"Enough." Artemis materialized beside me, her moonlit eyes silencing the protest on my lips. "The manticore was a pawn. This was never his hunt." She turned to Alexander, who knelt in the snow, his sword trembling in his grip. "Your friend is beyond our reach. To pursue her is to walk into the Titan's jaws."

"So we just abandon her?" Alexander's voice cracked, his sea green eyes burning.

Zoe's hand tightened on her bow. "We are not heroes. We are hunters. The girl's fate is her own."

Thalia surged to her feet, her shield sparking. "Cowards."

Artemis's gaze sharpened. "Choose your next word carefully, daughter of Zeus."

"You question my judgment, both of you," Artemis said, her voice a blade of winter as she looked between Alexander and Thalia. She stepped closer, and the snow beneath her feet bloomed into frost flowers. "Look upon me and understand."

Her form shifted—not dramatically, but subtly, like moonlight breaking through a cloud. Her eyes burned brighter, twin orbs of liquid silver that reflected forests older than mortal memory. Around her, shadows deepened into the shapes of stags and wolves, their eyes gleaming with primal intelligence. The wind carried the scent of pine and iron, and for a heartbeat, the stars seemed to pulse in time with her breath.

"I am Artemis," she declared, and the words resonated like a bowstring's snap. "Goddess of the Hunt. Keeper of the Wild. The moon's breath and the arrow's flight." Her gaze swept over Alexander, stripping his defiance bare. "I do not abandon. I protect. But my vows are to the balance of nature, not to mortal whims."

As she spoke, a spectral stag materialized at her side, its antlers crowned with constellations. The Hunters knelt—including me. Alexander's sword slipped from his hand, embedding in the snow as if the earth itself rejected his defiance.

"The Titan's jaws you so recklessly seek to challenge," Artemis continued, her voice softening like a predator's purr, "are woven with lies older than your father's throne. To chase shadows is to become one." She gestured to the sealed chasm where Annabeth had fallen. "Even the sea cannot wash away fate's ink, Alexander. Not yet. That is something your brother has learnt well."

Alexander's sea-green eyes widened, his sword slipping from his grip. "My… brother?" The word cracked like thin ice beneath his feet. His gaze snapped to me, lingering on the trident etched into my bronze bow—a symbol of Poseidon's legacy.

Artemis's lips curved, not in a smile, but in the way a wolf bares its teeth before a kill. "Did you think the sea's bloodline so easily severed?" Her voice was a blade of frost. "This Hunter is indeed your brother, Alexander. Though you never knew him, his path has been intertwined with yours since the day he was taken under my protection."

"Why isn't he at camp? How did he manage to join you?" Alexander blurted out before he could contain his confusion.

The Hunters shifted, their silver parkas catching the moonlight. Zoe stepped forward, her bow taut. "Percy's place is not yours to question," she said, though her knuckles whitened on the grip.

"But how? Why didn't I know I even had a brother?" His voice still one of raw disbelief. He staggered back, snow crunching beneath his boots. "What happened to you?"

I flinched. The memories burned hotter than the manticore's spikes—my mother, my helplessness, the drakon. I was still yet to have my taste of revenge.

Artemis's hand brushed my shoulder, her touch warmer than ever. "Death is not always an ending," she said. "Sometimes, it is a rebirth. Your brother was given a new purpose. The Hunt does not discriminate—it transforms."

As the Hunters began to disperse, Artemis nodded toward me. "A moment, Percy. Speak with your brother." Her voice was soft, a concession to the emotions swirling between us.

Zoe's gaze flicked to Alexander, then back to me, but she said nothing. Thalia muttered under her breath, her shield dimming as she turned away. The di Angelos watched with wide eyes, but they too retreated, leaving us alone in the snow-covered clearing where Artemis would explain to them something unbelievable.

Alexander took a step closer, his eyes still burning with questions. "Why didn't you come find me?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.

I shrugged, feeling the weight of years unspoken. "I didn't know you existed," I admitted, the words bitter on my tongue. "Not until the masterbolt situation. But even then, the hunt never have cared enough to seek you out."

He looked at me, really looked, for the first time. "You're really my brother?"

I nodded stiffly, my fingers brushing the trident etched into my shield. "Half-brother. Same dad. Different mothers."

Alexander's gaze lingered on my bow, then returned to my face. "Doesn't matter to me, you're still my brother. Why did you join the Hunt?"

I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Artemis took me in when I had no one else. She gave me a new purpose."

His eyes narrowed. "And you just left? Without telling anyone?"

I sighed, the cold air misting between us. "I didn't have a choice."

"Dad's worried about you," he whispered suddenly, the words sharp but laced with something softer. "He's been… restless. Storms in the Gulf, waves crashing where they shouldn't. I think he's trying to find you."

I stiffened, my grip tightening on my bow. "He shouldn't bother. Artemis isn't handing me over."

Alexander's brow furrowed. "She's a goddess, Percy. Not exactly the nurturing type."

A bitter laugh escaped me. "You don't know her. She's more protective than half the Olympians combined. When I joined the Hunt, she made it clear—I'm her responsibility now. Not Poseidon's."

He stepped closer, snow crunching beneath his boots. "But you're his son. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"To him?" I shook my head. "I'm a 'favor' he did my mom. Artemis? She's the one who taught me how to survive. Who made sure I didn't end up like—" I cut myself off, the drakon's roar echoing in my skull.

Alexander's gaze softened. "Like what?"

"Like a pawn," I said finally. "Poseidon's got his games. Artemis has rules. And her rules keep me alive."

For a moment, he said nothing. Then, grudgingly: "She really won't let you go?"

"Not a chance," I said, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. "Try taking me from her, and you'll learn why even Zeus treads carefully around her arrows."

Alexander snorted, but there was no humor in it. "Fine. But if Poseidon comes knocking…"

"He'll regret it," I finished, glancing toward Artemis. She stood at the edge of the clearing, her moonlit gaze fixed on us. Protective. Unyielding.

Alexander followed my stare, exhaling sharply. "Guess I'll tell him to back off, then."

"You do that," I said.

For a moment, Alexander said nothing. Then, "I want to understand. But right now, I need to find Annabeth."

I nodded, feeling a pang of regret. "I know. But be careful. The Titans won't stop until they have what they want."

Alexander's jaw clenched. "I won't stop until I have her back."

As he turned to leave, I caught his arm. "Alexander?"

He looked back, his sea green eyes questioning.

"Be careful," I repeated. "The world can be cruel."

He nodded, a small smile twisting his lips. "I'll try. And Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Alex."

And with that, he was gone—into the storm, into the unknown. I watched him go, feeling the weight of a brother I'd never got to know, and the promise of a bond yet to be forged.

...

A/N That's it! Very start of book 3 has begun. My writing will definitely improve overtime so sorry if this sucks. Remember, I love the constructive criticism.

Comment responses:

Jolene0330: I'll try and incorporate a range of different abilities other than just a bow which he would've learnt from Artemis.

Dekuthe9th: True, but sadly I've never really liked Bianca that much, though if enough ppl suggest that then i'll go for it.

Kip7: Thanks! I love perzoe and pertemis but sadly it won't really work with them as they are seen as family figures. However, just like the Bianca situation, if enough ppl want it then I'll provide.