°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ ENDGAME} act iii. . .
. . .true love, that doesn't exist
CHAPTER TWO°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
— 'meeting the goddess of the hunt'
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･Percy °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
I'm not really sure what monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.
Maybe if I could get my shield out I could defend us. All it would take was a touch of my wrist watch. We needed help, and there was only one way I could think to get it.
I closed my eyes.
"What are you doing, Jackson?" Hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"
I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," I lied, trying to sound miserable, which wasn't hard. "It burns."
"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"
Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face. I had never tried to contact Grover with the empathy link before, I didn't even know if it would work while Grover was awake.
Hey Grover! I thought. Thorns kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing maniac! Help!
Thorn marched us through the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lily by old-fashioned lamplights. My shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold I felt like a Percysicle.
"This wasn't apart of the plan, im guessing?" Rayn whispered.
"Not exactly," I said, trying to think of a new plan. "Maybe if we get into the water somehow I could—"
"There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said, interrupting me. "We will summon your ride."
"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"
"Silence, you insufferable girl!"
"Don't talk to my sister that way!" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all.
Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I started projecting my thoughts to Grover like crazy, Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!
"Halt," Thorn said.
The woods opened onto a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, I sensed the sea was there.
Dr. Thorn pushed us towards the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.
"Thanks," I murmured.
"What is he?" She whispered. "How do we fight him."
"I... I'm working on it."
"I'm scared," Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something— a little metal toy soldier of some kind.
"Don't be," Rayn smiled at him. "Everything will be fine, we're like...umm... professionals at this."
I stared at her confused but she just shrugged like she wasn't sure either.
"Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"
We turned.
His eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first I thought it would be a knife, but it was just a phone. He pressed at the buttons and said, "the package, it is ready to deliver."
There was a garbled reply. This was really creepy and way too modern, I mean monsters used to wear armour and fight the best warriors. Now, they are calling their friends on their cellphones.
"Is he seriously calling his non-existent friends on a cellphone?" Rayn muttered. It would've made me laugh if we weren't being held hostage.
I glanced behind me, wondering
how far the drop was.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump! There is the sea. Save yourself."
"What did he call you?" Bianca looked at me, with wide eyes.
"I swear, we'll explain everything later," Rayn said. "But right now, we have to try not di-get hurt..."
"You do have a plan, right?" Bianca asked.
Grover! I thought desperately. Come to me!
Maybe if I shoved everyone into the sea, if we all survived the fall, I could use the water to protect us. If my dad was in a good mood, and listening, he might help. Maybe.
"I would kill you before you even reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if he was reading my thoughts. "You do not realise who I am, do you?"
A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me that it nicked my ear. Something sprung up behind Dr. Thorn. Something like a catapult, but more flexible... almost like a tail.
"Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."
"Who wants us?" Rayn demanded.
"If you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I..." her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."
"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."
"Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."
Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."
"The General?" Rayn asked with a French accent. "I mean... who's the General?"
Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
"I know what you're thinking, Rayan Fairbourne." Thorn said. I realised it was the first time I had heard Rayn's full name.
"What am I thinking then?" She asked, with a smug look on her face.
"That you will use your powers to get rid of the helicopter," Dr. Thorn said smiling. "However, I'll kill you before you can even lift a finger to try."
"Well, I wasn't thinking of that, ha!" Rayn laughed at him slightly. "But good idea."
Dr. Thorn was shocked for a moment until Nico spoke, "where are you taking us?"
"You should be honoured, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."
"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and shove it—"
"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if not... well, there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."
"The Great what?" I asked, trying to keep him talking as I figured out a plan.
"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. Soon, we will have the most important monster, the one that shall bring the downfall of Olympus!"
"Okay," Bianca whispered between us. "He's completely nuts."
"We have to jump off the cliff," I said quietly. "Into the sea."
"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."
"Percy, not all of us here are fish boys like you," Rayn said. "Some of us would die from the impact of jumping."
I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･Rayn °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed Percy, the Di Angelo siblings and I to the floor.
For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind— Thalia was wielding her magic shield, Aegis.
If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She uses a huge spear and a shield modelled after one her dad Zeus uses. It was a gift from Athena.
The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa melded into the bronze, even though it won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.
Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"
I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner for sure. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed.
The sound of the helicopter was getting louder, but I didn't dare to look.
Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time, I could see how he did it. He had a tail, a leathery, scorpion like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip.
The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, vines wrapped around Dr. Thorn's legs.
Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form. His face was still human , but his body was of a huge lion. His spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.
"A manticore!" Annabeth and I gasped in sync. Her magical cap had came off when she plowed into us.
"Who are you people?" Bianca Di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"
"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws?"
"Uhmm what?" I looked at the young boy confused, not knowing what he was talking about.
The manticore clawed at Grover's vines, I used as much power as I could to strengthen them.
There was a tugging sensation in my gut as new vines covered the manticore's legs.
I felt weaker and I guess my vines were as well, the manticore ripped through the flowery vines and turned to snarl towards us.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the Di Angelos flat into the snow.
I was in straight line with the thorns about the be thrown towards us, I turned away and prepared for the volley of missiles.
"Watch out!" Percy yelled, I looked back and Percy had expanded his shield-watch. The thorns impacted against it with such force, it dented the metal.
I heard a thwack and a yelp, then Grover landed next to us with a thud.
"Yield!" The monster roared.
"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she would run him through.
There was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the most, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black-military style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like rockets.
The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster?
The searchlight blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.
"No!" I ran out the help her. I extended my keychain-sword and parried a spike just before it would've hit her chest.
Percy ran over and blocked more spikes coming towards us with his shield, I knew it wouldn't be enough.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."
We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.
Then I heard a clear, piercing sound. It was the call of a hunters horn blowing in the wind.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
The manticore froze. For a moment, nobody moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.
"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"
His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.
He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
"Curse you!" Thron cried. He unleashed spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from. Just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. The arrows intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two. Not even Apollo kids at camp could do that.
The manticore pulled the arrow from his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Percy swiped at him with his sword, but Thorn wasn't as injured as he looked.
He dodged Percy's attack and slammed his tail into his shield, knocking him aside. I scrambled over beside him.
Then the archers came from the woods. They were all girls, about a dozen of them. They all wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, they were all armed with a bow. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.
"The Hunters!" I cried.
Next to me, Thalia muttered, "oh, wonderful."
One of the older girls stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with her coppery coloured skin. Unlike the others, she had a silver circlet braided onto the top of her hair. She looked like a Persian princess.
"Permission to kill, my lady?" The girl asked.
I couldn't tell who she was talking to, she kept her eyes on the manticore.
The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against Ancient Laws."
"Not so," another girl said. The girl had auburn hair gathered back into a ponytail, silvery eyes like the moon. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked back at the girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."
The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"
He lunged at Thalia, Percy and I, knowing we were weak and dazed.
"No!" Annabeth yelled and charged at the monster.
"Get back, half-blood!" The girl called Zoë said. "Get out of the line of fire!"
But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
"Fire!" Zoë ordered.
"No!" I screamed.
But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another in his chest. The manticore staggered back, wailing, "this is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"
And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.
"Annabeth!" I yelled. "No, please no!"
I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us. There was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter, the sound of gunfire.
Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny hole's appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.
"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed the witness my hunt."
She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust. No, not dust, but a flock of birds, ravens, that scattered into the night.
The Hunters advanced on us.
The one called Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.
"Zoë Nightshade." Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."
Zoë scanned the rest of us. "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
"Yes," the auburn haired girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. "You have to let us save her!"
The auburn haired girl turned towards him. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."
He tried to get up to his feet; but a couple of the girls held him down.
"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn haired girl said.
"Let me go!" He demanded. "Who do you think you are?"
Zoë stepped forward as if to smack him.
"No," I said. "He doesn't know any better. He just doesn't understand."
"She is right," the auburn haired girl said. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."
The young girl looked at Percy, her eyes colder and bright than the moon.
"I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."
My new tiktok got muted 😔
Anyway, I love the Hunters like I swear every time they show up in pjo it's so epic
TYSM FOR READING<3
@gracexeo , 2024