Being a Hunter is nothing like a demigod. So, if you're reading this, you might think-
Alright, that isn't even my story, but let's get this started. I'm not usually the one to explain things, which is usually my best friend, Marissa Dyer's job. She's from the 1800's, but we'll get back to that later.
My name is Clara Crossly and I spend my time with my lady, Artemis. Most would ask why, but I was recruited in the 1400's. Back when all of you weren't even alive. Hey, even your great, great grandparents weren't even alive yet. That's how old I am. And I'm not counting the years anymore, it's useless when you've been alive for almost 600 years.
I was originally a demigod, but that's not important. None of this is, but I have to hurry. They might be coming.
If you're new to all of this and don't know what a demigod even is, then sit back and relax. It's going to take a while.
Demigods are the offspring of a Greek God or Goddess and a human. It sounds weird and gross, but it's pretty common. The Olympians like to do it regularly, creating more and more demigods that roam the earth. They're pretty hard to spot nowadays, what with the mist getting stronger and stronger, but that's not the point. I was once considered a demigod, and would've gone to Camp Athens, but it wasn't even made yet. Camp Athens is a home to all demigods, and is considered a summer camp with New Athens in the mix, except now with more and more demigods, and more monsters, it's a regular-all-around-year camp where demigods spend their days training.
I despise it.
Most importantly, being a Hunter, you kind of have to stick with Artemis. She's an Olympian, but swears to never get close enough to a mortal man to have a demigod. It's just who she is, always claiming that love is reckless and that her Hunters should follow in her footsteps. Most do, like me, but some fall out of that path and eventually find someone who they love and call baby and blah, blah, blah. It's annoying when one of my other Hunters go and find some man and tell me about it.
Artemis usually lets them go, and they go with ease. Then we have to find more girls, and that's the cycle. Marissa and I are one of the few who have stuck with it, promising to Artemis and staying loyal.
But she does have one rule, and that means that every Hunter, recluse or not, has to follow it.
Not falling for her brother, Apollo. But that's easy, he's a major pain and we hardly ever see him, only if it's important and he has to be there.
🌑 🌑 🌑
I ran through the woods, my feet extending with each step I took on the hard, sandy, rocky ground. I jumped over several branches and logs, landing on the dusty dirt below me. I was more than experienced at this, what with the fact I had been hunting for over 500 years. I had learn different ways to keep my breath and pace steady, making sure not to lose track of my prey. My breath hitched when I looked behind me and noticed I had lost my other Hunters. It sounds weird, but, trust me, it's not. This happens almost all the time; I get excited and go off, wandering without them while they go the other way. Artemis had always told me that it was what had helped me stay hidden for so many years before she had found me and I normally agreed.
I turned my head back and noticed that I was several seconds too late. It was gone, the thing that had startled Artemis and had me searching, speeding, after it. I reached for my bow, careful in case I was being oblivious and it might jump at any moment. I had always slung my bow over my back with my arrows, but tonight I was lazy and had it over my shoulder, which wasn't very good. I fumbled for a few minutes when untangling my bow from my shoulder. I reached for my arrow, careful not to make any other sounds.
I heard ruffling of leaves from several feet away. It was difficult to see through all of the pine trees. They were clustered all throughout the woods and made terrible for me when I wanted to see who, or what, was there.
I shifted my weight and heard a jingle from my bracelet. The silver reflected from the moon, which was peeking out from trees overhead.
I positioned my bow, aiming at where the sound at come from. I drummed my fingers on the bow, and released. It flashed through the air, cutting the wind as it zoomed past and then, snap. I heard footsteps coming from where I had shot, and I backed up, but that didn't do any good. My back hit the bark of a pine tree and I could feel the wet, slippery needles on it and cursed myself for probably getting pine needles in my hair. It sounded vain, but it was a pain to get out.
The footsteps crumpled on the ground, and I could smell the dust from the dry ground, which was ironic because I could swear that the tree was wet.
"Clara, you really need to get better at your aim," a familiar velvety voice sounded through the woods. It was like silk against my skin, and I suddenly realized who it was. She stepped out from the trees, grasping my now broken arrow with her right hand. Her skin was an olive color and a long scar was very noticeable on her right eye. She wore the same clothes as me; a tight, black runner's t-shirt and black leggings with knee-high, brown boots on top. Hunters normally wore more, but we had rushed out of our tents and into the woods, not caring if we were wearing a jacket or not.
Her name was Marissa Dyer, and she looked like she could be at least 17, but that wasn't true. More like over 100, but that was what happened when you gave your oath to Artemis. You turn immortal until you decide not to, but Marissa and I haven't broken it yet. Wait, scratch that yet. We wouldn't.
Marissa had dark brown ringlets that went down to her ribs, and even in the darkness I could see her gray eyes staring at me with amusement. She walked toward me with ease, like she could do or get anything she wanted. That was the attitude she reflected with.
"Marissa, where are the others?" I asked, slinging my silver bow over my shoulder and tucking a piece of ink-black hair behind my ears.
She stopped smiling now, and motioned for her to following her. "They are still trying to find that wretched beast," she whispered under her breath. She ducked over a branch and I did the same, following behind her as she lend me through the twists and turns of the forest we were currently in.
"I was following it," I paused, letting my breath fog in the air. "But I turned around and it was gone."
"Clara, you were probably imaging things. The others were following it," Marissa explained, jumping over a log with grace.
I rubbed my eye as I did the same, nearly tripping on a rock and falling face first.
"You forget sometimes, Marissa. I am older than you."
"Don't remind me," she replied with that same soft, velvety voice that might struck some as flirty, but really was just how she sounded all the time. "Listen." She stopped in front of me, holding her hand up. "Don't you hear it?"
I didn't understand what she meant, but it startled me. There didn't seem to be any noise other than us talking, but I didn't let myself lose my guard.
Marissa turned around and nearly knocked me to the ground, but it was hard to do when you have been ready for almost anything and everything.
I followed Marissa as she turned east, walking slowly and then picking up her pace and taking out her silver bow that matched my perfectly.
"Marissa, I don't know what you think..." I trailed off and realized I probably wasn't going to get a reply from her.
I felt a shiver go up my spine; it felt as if a hand was placed on my back, which wasn't possible. It was only Marissa and I, but I turned around anyway and met darkness. Not literally, but I could still feel that hand against my back, like someone was touching the small of my back and I didn't like it.
I looked up at the sky and saw the few constellations that were made by Artemis, but one for example was a girl with a bow. Her name was Zoe.
"Clara, come here," Marissa yelled, far away now. I ran to catch up with her, but I could still feel as if there was a shadow, as if I was chasing my own shadow. It was completely dark, no shadows. But that didn't mean it wasn't possible.
My boots thumped against the ground as I ran through the woods, missing branches and thorn bushes in the process. I released my bow from my shoulder and held it tightly with my left arm, which was marked with a thin, long scar from my wrist to my elbow. I got it from fighting years and years ago back in New York.
Years weren't like they used to be. When you're immortal, you start forget your age and what year it is. All that matters is that you're still alive, awake and you're ready to lose all of that. Marissa and I are one of the few Hunters who have stuck around, but that didn't mean that we hadn't had to deal with the damage of the ones who have come and gone. Some ran away with boys they only knew for a few weeks, and Marissa and I called that Instant-Love.
It was annoying when some would come crawling back, screaming at Artemis to let them be her Hunters again and then complaining that their boyfriend didn't remember their anniversary.
Marissa and I were coming out of the woods and into a sandy, rocky beach with the ocean tide low and drifting peacefully onto the sand and back. The moon was overhead and cast a glow over the ocean's ripples, and the water mirrored the stars above. Our boots sunk into the rocks with each step we took and soon we were inches from the water.
I saw it before Marissa did, and I suddenly understood what she meant when she said she heard something, because I was sure I now knew what was making noise.
A 10ft, slightly green Cyclops slowly made his way out of the water with his saggy brown pants dripping in the process. He wore an expression of anger and his one eye was clouded over and red, like he had been drenching his one eye in chlorine. His brown dreds were to his shoulders with beads braided into them.
I aimed my bow at him, ready to fight, when Marissa suddenly saw what I was doing. She turned her head to me and gave me a toothy smile, and I saw a glimpse of her chipped tooth.
The Cyclops made a groaning noise when it noticed what we were doing, and I could've sworn it was at least a hundred years old or less. I saw that Marissa was eager to shoot, but I held up a hand to make her stop. We didn't know what this Cyclops wanted, and nor did I want to be responsible for fighting something with no means for fighting. It turned toward us, its one eye squinting. It scratched its dreded head, walking toward us with ease through the water, each step a thump in the water.
I swallowed slowly, putting my arrow out of my bow and back with the others. The mist usually covered situations like this, but when you're a demigod or a Hunter, you can peel away the mist easily. I looked over at Marissa and saw the glow; the simmer that surrounded Hunters when they were immortal, a gift from Artemis.
"What are thee here for?" I asked the Cyclops, my tongue slipping in phrases from centuries ago. The wind picked up, ruffling my hair and making it difficult for me to see the Cyclops. I heard the sway of bushes and trees behind me, and saw that the water was getting closer to us.
The Cyclops groaned in reply, tugging at its wet, scratched up army jacket. It didn't take long for it to be several feet away from us and I could feel Marissa getting nervous and not wanting to wait any longer to get this over with so that she could use her bow. It moved another step forward, now on the beach with us.
"Clara," Marissa swallowed, "can you just get with the point?"
"Hold on," I replied, waving a hand at her. I made sure to look as threatening as I could, but still able to look nice enough not to scare the Cyclops away. "Why are you here?"
Marissa shifted her weight and pulled out an arrow, aiming it at the beast in front of us. It flinched when he saw what Marissa was getting ready to do. I, too, was not ready for her to shoot. Yet.
I moved my hand in front of her arrow, but still keeping my eyes on the Cyclops while doing so.
"Marissa."
"Clara."
I turned my head to face her, careful not to scare the Cyclops into killing us. I knew that they talked, but this one wasn't budging and it was bothering me. The Cyclops was close enough that I was able to see its features, even in the moon light. Greenish bags hung under its eyes with brownish dots across its face, which I guess were freckles. Its hands were streaked with mud, and I couldn't even tell what was under its fingernails, but they were chipped and coated in mud. One finger on its right hand was bent a little, but it looked like the Cyclops didn't care. The Cyclops' skin looked like it had been weathered from the sun and had been soaked in water too long to where it now looked like a raisin, but I wasn't judging.
Marissa extended her bow a bit, and her dark brown eyebrows furrowed as she did so, careful not to make me see what she was planning. She narrowed her gray eyes carefully, scrutinizing the monster. Marissa's unruly, curly hair blew softly in wind as mine did, too.
I finally gave up.
This monster wasn't going to talk, no matter how long I tried to make it, it just wouldn't. I could sit there all night, just waiting on the beach that was located somewhere near Alaska. The air was cold, even in the summer. Soft breezes would come and softly blow the trees and the bushes a little, just to make the leaves ruffle. At night it dropped somewhere between 40 - 30 degrees, just enough to make your teeth chatter when you've been camping there for almost a week.
Artemis made us stop there, not telling anyone why. I had asked, because I was one of the few who were curious enough to ask why. Most of the Hunters are too scared and don't have the guts to question an Olympian, but I do. Because I've been with Artemis long enough to understand how she thinks, but sometimes even I question it.
The Cyclops groaned slightly, sniffing the air as if to make sure it was even safe enough to breathe. I took it as a good sign, but that didn't mean we were getting anywhere. It scratched its face, some long fingernails scraping the skin. That Cyclops looked like it hadn't been in the forges before, which didn't help. It might've been a recluse Cyclops, broken away from society and wandered into the ocean or gotten lost.
I decided to try one last time, just in case it decided to talk. "Why are you doing here," I repeated, trying my best to sound caring. My voice came out rough, scratchy. I cleared my throat, but then it turned into a coughing fit. The whole time both Marissa and the Cyclops looked at me like I was dying.
"Clara, you sound like you're about to fall off a cliff," Marissa asked me, putting her bow down so that she wasn't aiming at the Cyclops anymore. Her eyes shone with boredom, like my extreme coughing fit wasn't something special. I don't even have them!
The Cyclops took a step forward, like it wanted to help.
It was a flash, but I think Marissa thought it was going to attack. She aimed her bow with immense speed, her shoulders only moving slightly to position herself. She released the arrow, letting it fly easily and gracefully. I heard it before I saw it, the arrow zooming into the Cyclops' heart, making him stumble back before falling onto the rocky beach, the water lightly soaking its clothes lightly.
I wanted to scream at Marissa that it wasn't going to do anything, that it wasn't going to hurt me, but I don't think I could've. I saw in the corner of my eye that she was putting her silver hair-clip back into her hair, making a low pony-tail. Her bow was nowhere to be seen now, it was now transformed into a silver hair-clip with a white owl sketched onto it. A gift from Athena years ago.
I rushed toward the monster, not caring whether my boots were getting soaked or not. I heard Marissa coming after me, kneeling beside the large Cyclops. I kneeled on the other side, next to the now bloody wound. The beast was blinking rapidly, holding onto life. I felt bad, like if only I had stopped Marissa, but things like that happened all of the time. We were supposed to kill monsters, but it stung.
I knew it was personal.
"Marissa, how could you?" I croaked out, my voice barely a whisper as I slowly pulled out the arrow that was rocketed into the Cyclops' chest. The arrow was made of silver with a moon at the tip, easy to pull out and easy to shoot and aim with. But it wasn't meant to be pulled out of a Cyclops. Normally the arrows would show up in Marissa's arrow holder, clean and new, but I also knew that I couldn't leave the Cyclops like that. I felt as if I knew the monster, even though I met it minutes ago.
"There isn't time for personal situations, Clara!" Marissa shouted, tugging at my wrists to make me stop, but I couldn't. I had finally gotten the arrow out and it was soaked in Cyclops blood, a rich, maroon color that was very hard to explain.
"But..." I trailed off, looking at the Cyclops.
Think of this as a warning
The voice was like needles in my head, piercing my brain and I felt as if I could die right there, and I almost wanted it. It was high pitch, but it wasn't deep either. The voice sounded through my mind, echoing as if I were in an empty arena, not in the woods by the beach. I screamed in agony, falling on my side and pulling at my hair, my eyes glued shut. I thought I could hear Marissa shouting at me, asking if I was okay. I thought I could feel her shaking me, but I couldn't tell.
And then it was over.
🌑 🌑 🌑
I stood up as if nothing had happen, as if the voice inside my head hadn't happened and I was okay. The sky was now painted over with gray clouds, all of them threatening to release rain and pour on us, which gave me another reason to get out of there.
Marissa stood up with me, worry sketched onto her face as she tried to help me up, but I quickly declined. I didn't feel any pain, physically that is. Mentally? I felt as if I could collapse.
I tried to move my feet, and it was surprisingly easy to do so. I kept trying to focus on my left foot going before my right, and that was the pattern. I felt Marissa's hand on my shoulder, like she was trying to pull me back.
"Clara." Her soft voice was thick with worry as she tried to keep up with me, but I was ready to get back to our tents. Anything to get away from the Cyclops and the beach. I kept going, despite her protests. I knew my bow was now transformed into a silver pocket watch with hardly any detailing. Only a tiny seal that had a trident on it, the mark of Poseidon. The watch was stored securely in my pocket, like it always was whenever I wasn't using it. It was weird magic.
"Clara," Marissa yelled, making me stop in the middle of the dry, old woods. I heard voices nearby, and I knew we were by the tents. Any time now someone would hear or see us and come by.
"What?" My voice was rough and scratchy, and it took all I had to say it. I bit the inside of my cheek, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
"What was that...?" Marissa trailed off, looking me up and down. We knew each other for so long that I knew it freaked Marissa out that I was screaming through the woods, but how could I explain it? It would take hours, days even, to grasp the concept of what I heard.
"Girls," a stern voice interrupted, loud enough to be heard, but soft at the same time. I knew who it was even before she came into view: Artemis.
Marissa and I both bowed at the same time, though mine was slower than Marissa's. I looked up and saw a girl around 12 with long, flowing auburn hair gathered back into a ponytail and strange, silvery yellow eyes like the moon. She wore a white jacket over her black t-shirt, and black leggings similar to mine and Marissa's. The only difference between us and her was that Artemis simmered with a glow that made you want to do anything for her, and a type of golden headband was around her hair, making her auburn hair stand out more. Her features were more than beautiful, and it was strange for me to say it, but even I couldn't lie.
"We were looking for thy, but thy have taken longer than expected," Artemis said softly, indicating for us to follow her.
I don't know why, but at that moment I thought of the Cyclops and its death. I don't know why, but I felt strangely sorry for it and I suddenly realized why.
Technically, all Poseidon children are related to Cyclops, which meant that that Cyclops was my sibling.