The Wolf King

The Monster

Artemis
When we arrive at camp I almost fall to the ground, I can see that I'm burned and I feel like I just jumped in acid. Thalia rushes over with the rest of the Hunt and she looks worried,"Milady! What happened to you and Percy on Olympus?!".
I can't answer so Percy does,"Zeus".
The name has so much hatred and venom everyone flinches and Phoebe asks,"What happened? Start to finish." and Percy has Orgí play the recording while he treats my burns.
We're in the back of the tent and as Percy pours some water over my burns and I sigh a little at how good it feels. He looks at me,"Now what luv? The gods think that you're a traitor, and that I'm a monster. Granted that there's one inside me, but still".
I just smile a little and tell him,"We'll all have to be on guard a little more and that's it".
I hear gasps from the Hunters and we both turn our heads to see the recording showing the part where Percy had fire covering him, and the extra arms made of black flame. His eyes are black near the edges and the pupils are only pinpricks. He honestly looks terrifying as he shifts between wolf and human. Percy looks at me,"How can you love that?" and he looks down in shame.
I just kiss him,"Because I know that's not you, just the sadness and hatred".
The recording ends and every Hunter turns around to face Percy while his head is down, and a instant later every Hunter is on top of him, and Phoebe gives him a hug,"Thank you for saving our mistress!".
Alexa gets on his shoulders and hugs his neck while Percy looks around,"You're not afraid of me?".
Thalia looks at him,"Why would we be afraid of you?" and Percy looks down,"Because of what I could do if I lost control".
I give him a hug in front of the entire Hunt and say,"You won't lose control, we're here for you Percy".
****
Percy
I don't just feel happy, I feel something better than that because of everyone. I notice Phoebe stepping forward,"Milady. Why are you hugging a man?".
Arty just shrugs and smiles,"Ask Thalia, she knows why" and every eye is on Thalia.
She's caught off guard and turns red under the angry eyes of every Hunter and stammers,"I-I-I found them near the lake, k-kissing." and every jaw drops while I crack up at the expressions.
Phoebe looks at Arty with a light of something in her eyes,"Is this true? Do you like Percy milady?".
She just nods and answers Phoebe's question by kissing me full on the lips, in front of everyone. We hold it for a good half minute and break apart to see everyone staring at us with approval and Thalia talks with a smile on her face,"I think I speak for everyone when I say that we approve of your choice milady" and I nod at her,"Thanks Thals".
****
It has been a eventful day and I fall asleep as I hit the pillow on my bed. I dream of a cage, and inside there is a sleeping demon. I walk up to the bars and rattle them a bit and it awakes,"So the weakling has finally paid me a visit. Welcome, Perseus Jackson".
I'm a little shocked as it stands up. It has two regular arms and four arms that look as if they're made of shadows. What really catches me is that it's 50 ft tall, his skin has patterns that pulse as if it runs on fire, not blood, and his hair is made of flames. Chains shoot out of its arms to keep it secured in the cage. I look up at it,"Who are you?" and it laughs and looks at me,"I'm the hatred inside you. I take over whenever you lose control. I am also the voice that whispers in your head".
I just stare,"That answers a lot of questions actually. Why are you chained up?".
He laughs and sneers,"These chains prevent me from taking control over you, but they also keep me confined to this prison in your head".
I look at him,"Why would you want to take control of me?".
He looks at me like I'm a idiot,"Because then I would be free! I would never have to deal with these chains again!" he rattles the chains to prove his point.
I have one more question to ask him,"Why won't you help me?".
After he recovers from his laughing fit he looks at me,"You're serious? No self-respecting demon would lend their help to their jailer. I doubt you're strong enough to even break my chains".
I walk up to the cage and step inside, and my scythes cut the chains like they're butter. The demon looks at me with a little respect and opens his mouth,"Thank you! Now to take control of you!" and lunges for me, breaking the cage and I jump back.
I land and have to roll to avoid his fist as it punches through the earth and I look at him,"What's the big idea?!?".
He stops and looks at me,"By freeing me you've invited a battle of wills. If I win I take control. But, in the unlikely case you win, you'll exorcise me from your mind".
Before I can do anything else he charges for me and I have no choice but meet him head on.
****
Artemis
I'm sitting in my tent thinking about our next move when a scream rips through the air. I charge out and run into a crying Alexa,"Someone, please help! It's Percy! H-H-He won't wake up!".
I scoop her up and run to their tent, and inside is Percy. He's covered in sweat and a black aurora covers half his body, and hardens into a shell. He's thrashing around and seems as if he's in pain and I grab his hand. I pull away because it's ice cold and actually burns me. By now most of the Hunt is gathered around him and Thalia is at his side and she seems frantic,"What's wrong with him?!".
I can only shake my head that I don't know, and I try to heal him. Black fire covers his body and prevents me from healing him and I hear him mumble,"Demon....fight.....overcome......won't lose".
He opens his eyes and all the Hunters scream, he's staring into nothing and one eye is completely red, while the other is the same. I just grab his hand hope and endure the cold while I hope that he'll come back to us and whisper,"Please come back safe and sound, Percy".
****
It's been a week since he went into this...state. We've moved him to be the medical tent and called Apollo, but he wasn't able to do anything except hook up a nectar drip. That has been the only thing keeping him alive, since he can't eat or drink anything. Alexa and the Sins have been by his side every moment and sometimes Thalia joins them, I try to be by his side as much as possible and have his hand in mine. The aurora has spread all over his body, and the only parts still visible is one of his hands, and his normal eye. I finally break down after everyone else is asleep and I start crying and asking,"Percy, please come back, we need you. I need you" I can't say anything else because I'm crying and squeezing his hand.
****
Percy
I've been fighting this thing for......I don't know how long. We're both beat up and tired, and yet he seems to keep getting stronger while I get weaker. For the last bit of our fight he's had me stuck holding back a torrent of black flames, but now something is different. The flames bring up every bad moment in my life and makes me relive them. I can feel that I'm losing and I curl into a ball as the voices tell me,"You killed us! You're responsible, our blood is on your hands!" and Annabeth appears to deliver the most painful part,"I never loved you, seaweed brain".
I'm about to give up when I feel a pressure and warmth in my hand and I hear Artemis's voice,"Percy, please come back, we need you, I need you" and I feel a wet spot on my chest.
I summon up all my remaining primordial energy and grow to my full height. A power I've never felt before courses through my body and I knock him down, piledrive onto him for good measure, beating him and making him shrink down to normal height. I shrink down too and bend over with my hands on my knees while my demon gets to his feet and looks at me with sadness,"Well I lost. So I guess you'll destroy me right?".
I just stare and ask,"Why would I destroy you?".
He looks hopeful,"Because everyone like you has destroyed their monster after they've won".
I give him a hand up and tell him,"I'm not everyone else, and no one deserves to be destroyed. No matter what they are".
He looks grateful,"Thank you! I won't try to take you over, unless you get knocked out. I will assist you with my powers, all I want is freedom".
I nod and we shake on it as I smile,"Welcome aboard....I need to give you a name. What about Exorgásete?".
"Redeemed, I like it".
He looks up and looks to me,"You're time here is over, you can visit whenever, but I can sense multiple female presences around you".
I smile a little and say thanks and go back to my body and see Artemis holding my hand,"Hey luv".
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Hey everybody! I want to say,"Merry Christmas!" and I hope you all have a great day. I've decided to give you guys a gift, Birthday Present through Monster are chapters I've been working on for the past week and I hope you enjoy them all, if you haven't checked out my other book The Hero of Lore please do. And as always stay frosty.