Chapter Three
Gone
*First Person Point of View ~ Perseus*
I returned to Artemis' temple later that night after speaking with Zeus. When I got there, everything was strangely quiet, so I proceeded with caution. I pushed aside the silver silk curtains that hung from the ceiling in tendrils of liquid moonlight.
Nothing seemed out of place. The hallways were the same as I remembered them. The high ceilings arched over my head held up by steady, polished silver columns. Each column was carved with beautiful designs, each depicting one of Artemis' hunts. They all ended in success, but I doubted that there was anything that Artemis couldn't hunt down.
The floors reflected my image so clearly as I walked, that it seemed like I was walking through a hall of mirrors, and the only thing that was keeping me afloat were the feet of my reflection that I contacted with every step.
I approached the end of the long hallway, slowing my steps as I neared the final columns before the hall opened into a grand living space. I peeked around the corner, seeing the u-shaped silver couch in the center of the room, wrapped around the glass table On the table sat a copy of today's newspaper, a few empty glasses, and a silver bow, along with a half-empty quiver of arrows. This was all normal, of course, but my eyes were immediately drawn to the only thing of the table that seemed out of place. An envelope.
I picked it up, briefly admiring the paper, which was pressed with dried pine needles and carried the scent of the forest. On the front, my name was scrawled. A small part of my mind - the part that still told me I had ADHD, pondered if the writing was elegantly messy, or messily elegant, but I quickly pushed the thought aside as I flipped over the envelope and opened it.
Perseus,
If you are reading this, then you have returned from meeting with my father. If that is the case, then you will have noticed that we are no longer inhabiting my temple. Teleport to our location at once.
Artemis
Okay, that explains where they are. I closed my eyes, folding the letter once again and replacing it into the envelope. Focusing on Artemis, I felt a connection being made in the depths of my mind, and an image appeared, blocking out the darkness.
I saw the hunters setting up camp. The angle of my sight moved to look at a map, which was in my hands. Except, they weren't my hands. They were Artemis' hands. On the map, I saw images of monsters moving across the thick parchment. I saw a small icon of a bow and arrow, signifying where the hunters were.
I smiled and felt a slight tingle run through my body as I teleported to the hunters' location.
Opening my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of the hunters. None had noticed my arrival, as I usually turned up unexpectedly whenever Artemis decided to leave me behind and let me find them.
"Perseus. I see you got my message."
I turned, seeing Artemis standing behind me. Under one of her arms was a rolled up piece of parchment - obviously the map she'd been using, and in her other hand was her wooden bow. Over the same shoulder, her quiver hung, full of silver-tipped arrows.
"Yes, of course, Lady Artemis. I only regret not being here sooner. The conversation with your father took longer than expected," I replied, bowing deeply.
"Fret not, We had no use of you during that time anyways. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to the archery range to practice." She then pushed me aside, walking directly towards where the hunters had set up three targets and had roped off the safety boundaries. A few of the newer hunters were already there, practicing while the older ones finished up their chores.
I sighed, and knelt down to adjust my combat boots, which had become slightly askew from the teleportation and then hiked up a nearby hill to where Thalia was arranging rocks in a circle for tonight's campfire.
"Would you like me to collect more supplies for you?" I asked as I noticed that she was short a few rocks.
She turned quickly at the sound of my voice. Either she was too encapsulated by her work, or I was far too quiet in my approach, which, I didn't know.
"Sorry. Would you like me to bring you more rocks?"
She nodded, "Yeah. There's a river over that way." She waved her hand in the direction opposite the camp. If I listened hard enough, I could hear the subtle rushing of a creek, even though I couldn't see it between the dense trees.
"Thank you. Be right back."
She nodded, focusing back on adjusting the rocks and pile of logs she'd collected.
I traipsed down the opposite side of the hill and soon found the creek. It was larger than I, though, at least fifteen feet across, but the current didn't seem too strong, so I waded into the stream. The light rapids tugged on my ankles, whitecaps slapping my knees, but I resisted, bending down to collect smooth stones from the riverbed. The water was ice-cold, and I felt it in the slight stinging of my skin, but I ignored it and collected a good armful of rocks, returning to Thalia in no time.
"Thanks," she said as I let the rocks tumble out of my arms. She didn't say anything else, only reaching for the rocks and continuing her work, so I decided not to bother her.
***
"Perseus! Make some more arrows! We're running low!" I heard Artemis shout.
"Already on it, milady!" I called back, holding up a half-made arrow for her to see. I'd noticed on my rounds around the camp that the arrow supplies were running low, so I began collecting sticks and making arrow shafts. I had about one hundred sitting in a basket, waiting for their silver points and feathers.
Artemis didn't reply, and I couldn't use her expression to tell me anything, as she quickly reapplied her mask of indifference towards me before trekking back over to the archery range, where some of the older hunters had begun to instruct the newer ones.
I had just finished the hundred first arrow when disaster struck. The alarm bells around the camp went off, ringing like a possessed clock tower. Hordes of monsters charged out of the underbrush on all sides of us.
I immediately jumped into action. My sword materialized in my hand and I sprinted over towards the largest of the monsters, a spotted red draken with large, spiky frills around its head. It screamed loudly as it laid its eyes on me, raising its head and extending its frills in a threatening manner.
I hesitated for only a second as it spat, the poisonous venom melting everything that it came in contact with. Steam rose from the boulder next to me, hissing as it dissolved into a puddle of black acid.
I rolled to the side, still advancing on the draken, as it snapped its jaws nearly my head, catching a lock of my dark hair. I was pulled to the side as the draken tried to throw me, putting a massive strain on my hair. I was only saved by a sharp shing as an arrow flew past my face, shearing clean through the hair that the draken had a hold of. I feel to the ground in a heap but quickly recovered.
Adrenaline was pumping through my system. Every sound seemed louder than before, and I was surprised to hear the battle over the pumping of my own blood in my ears.
I rotated my sword, flexing my wrist, and charged at the draken once more, using its moment of distraction to run up its back, using its rough alligator scales as footholds.
It writhed as soon as I was halfway up, and I nearly slid off, only grabbing the tips of its frill just in time. I dug my hand into the frill, tearing a small hole in it to keep a hold on it as I climbed up towards its head.
The draken shrieked in pain, throwing its head back and forth fiercely, trying to shake me loose. It was like riding a bucking bronco, except the bronco was fifty times bigger, and the only thing I had to hold onto was a papery thin flap of skin.
Miraculously, I made it to the draken's large head, barely able to wrap my arms around the row of spikes that lined its snout. As soon as it felt me on its head, the draken froze, and its slit-pupiled eyes rotated to focus on me.
"Uh...hi?" I said.
The draken screamed again, and I just barely had time to dig my sword deep into his right eye before it threw me, sending my gliding over the treetops.
I turned midair, seeing the draken fall, its large body disintegrating before it hit the ground. A small smile made its way onto my face the moment before i slammed into a tree. Pain exploded in the back of my head, and I heard a sickening crack! Before my vision turned black.
*First Person Point of View ~ Artemis*
I stared up at the towering body of the draken as it exploded above me, showering everyone and everything in musky golden dust.
As soon as the draken was defeated, the rest of the monster ambush - a dozen hellhounds and dracena - all fled back into the cover of the coniferous trees.
I smiled slightly. None of my hunters had been harmed, as far as I could see. The only problem we'd be having would be getting the monster dust out of our hair. I nearly groaned. Now I was sounding like Aphrodite!
Just then, a new thought occurred to me. Where is Percy? I looked around the camp, seeing some of my hunters still panting from the adrenaline rush that came with battle. I saw the tents, some crushed, some still standing. I saw the campfire that Thalia had built, completely destroyed - wait! Where's Thalia?
My eyes widened and frantically searched the camp. "There's Jessie, Taja, Atalanta, Phoebe, Maggie, Jill, Annabel... Where's Thalia? I screamed, unable to hold in my pain, fury, and anguish at the thought of losing my closest friend. My sister.
"Come to think of it, where's Percy?" I muttered to myself as I searched the camp. I could only hope that he was with Thalia, and that they were both alright.
"What's wrong, milady?" Melissa asked. She was one of my oldest friends, and had been with the hunt for nearly as long as Zoë. She was a daughter of Hades, but since her mother was a rock nymph, she wasn't classified as a demigod, so thankfully she wasn't one of the hunters who's been slaughtered by my father after he, Poseidon and Hades made their oath after World War II.
"Thalia and Perseus are missing," I told my hunters as they gathered around me, their curiosity having obviously been spiked by Melissa's words.
Gasps rang out from them. A few even brought their hands up to their mouths to mask their horror. I felt a small tug on my tunic and looked down at Angie, who was only six years old. "Do you know where they could be, milady?"
I picked her up. "I don't know. I fear the worst; that they've been taken by the enemy, but we cannot lose hope just yet," I told her.
The reason that she was with us at such a young age was that her father, my brother, asked me to take her in.
"When she was born," he'd said, "She was given my gift of knowledge. Sometimes, she'll get a vision of things that have happened in the past, present, or future, and father will want to take advantage of that. She'll be able to control what she sees and does not see."
To that, I'd replied, "That does not sound like any more than a demigod's dreams."
Apollo had just chuckled as if I'd said something funny. Though his laugh had an undertone of sorrow. "The worst part of her gift is that she will be able to change what she sees. If there is something that she doesn't like, she can change it at will. It doesn't work with visions of the past, for obvious reasons, but she will be able to manipulate the present and the future to her own will. That is why her power is very dangerous. Please, sis, you have to keep her safe."
I'd agreed after that, knowing that if he was asking me for such a personal favor, I couldn't deny him. I remembered that conversation fondly, as it was one of the few times I'd seen Apollo act as a father instead of the smug womanizer that he was.
"Milady," a voice asked, snapping me out of my reverie. "What if they really were taken by the monsters?"
I looked over at who had spoken. Phoebe. I shook my head, putting Angie back onto the ground. "Then we must find them, Phoebe. And we must find out why they were taken. I fear that there is a larger game afoot here."
***
Word Count: 2229
Average Words Per Chapter: 1717
Word Total: 5151
Posted: Saturday, December 24th, 2016
Edited and Re-Posted: Monday, February 14th, 2017
~CSP2708~
*Dylan_Walts*