Drowning in the Siren's Song

Chapter 23

For two weeks, it was as if Percy was walking on eggshells while balancing 13 books on his head and forced into a battlefield with arrows flying everywhere. 

He was so high-strung that even the animals had to purposely step on dried leaves to announce their presence to prevent Percy from jumping ten feet in the air. He had burned himself while trying to avoid the hunters any and every way possible. 

Apparently, he had dug his own hole. According to Zoe, the hunters found the reserve very pleasant and had decided to stay longer than planned, making Percy almost go crazy. They had recently adopted new members, young girls of which the majority were particularly fragile due to being saved from unspeakable circumstances. 

They needed a stable environment to settle in their new lifestyles as well as learn enough skills to protect themselves when they would actually hunt. The reserve was a perfect place for them, with surprisingly less monsters (ahem) and good privacy and seclusion (ahem-ahem) for them to acclimatize easily. 

Initially, Artemis had planned on just staying for a few days and promised to leave within a week but the hunters were quite stubborn and he had come to suspect the she herself didn't want to leave so soon either. 

He didn't have any particular qualms about them staying there, and neither did he have any right to complain, but when the overly curious hunters with senses sharper than he was used to explored the forest, he was forced to be hyper aware of his surroundings and to be on guard 24/7 to avoid being skewered by them. 

Because the younger hunters were taking their time, the veteran hunters often went about the reserve to satiate their boredom, poking through every nick and cranny in their own separate ways.

It was exhausting to avoid them, especially since they would spread out. He had to constantly use his powers to make himself aware of who was where, resulting in a funny situation where he wondered whether he was baby-sitting them. 

The only good thing that came out from this new arrangement was that they took care of all the monsters, something which they welcomed with a frightening gusto. He liked the fact that he didn't have to fight everyday because of them, but they energy he used to defend himself against the monsters was still being utilized when he had to flee his hiding spot every 5 minutes.

But it wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. Yes, his life had taken a sharp turn and yes, his was severely sleep deprived and dizzy but there was one good thing which came from the hunters of Artemis. 

The wolves. 

Big and strong and majestic, they guarded camp, their white and grey coats a stark contrast to the green of the trees. The pack was small compared to the wolf packs in the wilderness, but every one of them were easily as strong as multiple regular wolves.

And the best part? They were absolutely lovable. 

Contrary to how ferocious they looked, they just a bunch of goofballs who loved a good scratch like any other canine. He'd been deathly afraid of encountering them after Artemis's grave warning, but once he'd met them, his days got much brighter. 

He had the capabilities to hide from the hunters, but it wasn't long before the wolves found him. Unlike his expectations, they took to him quite quickly, considering he could actually communicate with them to a certain degree. 

The pack consisted of 7 wolves including the alpha female and alpha male, and one she-wolf, Chioni, was even expecting. He'd found out when he'd examined her since she was feeling a bit restless. She would've found out soon regardless of his meddling, but he was honored to share in the happiness of the pack as the howled and celebrated with one another in the darkness of the night. 

Zoe and Artemis too, had beamed brightly when he'd told them and had even slapped his shoulder and patted his head in enthusiasm, surprising him since he was covered in saliva and dirt after being tackled, trampled and groomed by the wolves several times.  

He was overjoyed because they had sort of accepted him into their pack, something which the hunters themselves had to wait for several years. He had swelled in pride after learning the fact, making the wolves flood his mind with amusement; it was their way of showing him that they were laughing at him. 

Even Keria had fit in well with Artemis's other companions, a few predatory birds as huge as he was tall. He'd been afraid for her since she was smaller than they were but she'd dominated their flock quickly, her bold nature climbing the hierarchy of the birds faster than imagined. 

They both were accepted as honorary members in a wolf pack and a hunting flock respectively, something he never expected to happen. 

With Artemis's distant warmth, Zoe's sisterly teasing and the animals love, it was almost like he was a part of the hunters if it wasn't for the fact that he was running away from the members itself. 

Either way, his life had become much, much more hectic and chaotic.