266Chapter 2 of The Wild Hunter. A lot of you waited for it, and finally, I update. Between two ecology lessons, I decided to please you guys (and girls if there is any).
So many reviews, that's incredible, so many for a single chapter and at the time I post this, already 74 followers for it. You guys are crazy. So, thanks for all those great reviews! For the pairing, I think I'll do a Perzoe, it seems good, even if a bit cliché, I already have Pertemis so... Maybe a PercyxKhione? tell me in the reviews what you think of it! And if I should do a poll.
Have fun bros!
"No way we cook that." Stated the two as they leaned against a tree.
Two huntresses came and took the preys before dragging them to the kitchen. Percy got up and walked to his pack. He petted them a bit and then sat next to them. He saw the hunt chat and he smiled a bit, closing his eyes for a bit of rest.
But he was called.
"Perseus!" Called the goddess of the Hunt. Percy stood up and faced his boss.
"What can I do for you Milady?" Artemis looked at him without blinking, making him uncomfortable.
"Can you please stop staring." Artemis blinked.
"Sorry, it's the first time I see a human with wolfs eyes like yours that's all. Anyway, come with me. I want to see what you can do with your weapons." Percy nodded and walked behind her to the training area. There was dummies aligned.
"Begin with your spear." Ordered the goddess. Percy took out his spear and took a ready stance. A second later, he jumped to the dummy and began to slash and stab swiftly, making the weapon turn and swirl in his hands. And in less that five minutes, the dummy fell apart. Artemis nodded slightly.
"Daggers." Percy unsheathed his two bones daggers and hacks in the next dummy, stab occasionally. He was using a more mobile technic. Knowing from experience that a dagger user needed to be fast, agile and never be in the same place. Artemis conjured a ball and threw it at the young recruit.
He was back to the goddess. Hacking the dummy when he felt a tingling in his neck. He stabbed the target and spun on a heel, unsheathing his metallic knife and throwing it at an object coming at him.
The impact stopped the ball and it fell on the floor, pierced.. Artemis nodded and rose. she walked calmly to him.
"Not bad, you still need improvements but you have some technique, I wasn't expecting that much from a boy. Now take your sword." Percy took the ball pen and uncapped it, showing his bronze sword, Anaklusmos. Artemis conjured her hunting knives and took a battle stance.
The son of Poseidon gulped. He experienced the strength of the goddess and was wary of her. But he assured his grip on the blade and ran to her. He dropped and slid under her before shooting on his feet and spinning to slash at the goddess. His blow was parried and she answered with her other dagger. Percy twisted out of the way and kicked her hardly in the sternum, but she avoided it by leaning back matrix style. Percy pushed on his other leg to propel himself in the air in a spinning way. And when the goddess straightened her back. She saw the foot of Percy coming at high speed and she couldn't stop it. She was thrown back a meter away and Percy landed on his feet and launched a series of slashes to the goddess. She parried and avoided all of them and answered with a rapid sequence of blows.
The exchanged lasted ten minutes of them slashing, jumping, taking blows and avoiding them. Until Percy began to tire. After fifteen minutes, Artemis disarmed the demigods who raised his hands in defeat, having a dagger at his throat.
Artemis dismissed her daggers and nodded at Percy.
"You are natural with a sword, a great swordsman. But I can feel in you that you are abyssal with a bow. Well, you'll have to train in close quarter combat then. Your training begin tomorrow with me. At sun rise. Don't be late." Stated the goddess with a stern voice. Percy nodded and walked back to the dining area, we he stepped in it, he felt a rope tightening on his ankle and he realized too late what it was. Next thing he knew, he was upside down. And in front of him was Alyssa, a huntress who visibly hated him. He scowled. Alyssa only laughed.
"So, the beast has been captured, I can have my fun then." Unknown to them, Phoebe was watching it, as well as Artemis, Zoë and a few huntresses. Alyssa prepared a blow and attack, but her fist was intercepted by Percy's hand. She looked stunned for a second and tried to pull back. But the son of Poseidon gripped harder, making her wince in pain. He twisted her arms and she fell. The hunter used that moment to cut the rope and landing on his feet.
Alyssa stood up and faced him. His ruby eyes were slowly pulsing. He growl softly to warn her but she didn't took the warning seriously and tried a right hook on him. He deflected it with his left wrist and sucker punched her in the stomach with his right hand. She flew back and landed hard on her back. He slowly walked to her and behind him walked his pack. they began to growl and show their fangs. Alyssa tried to use her blessing of Artemis.
"Stand down." She ordered to the wolves, but Percy's eyes flashed and the wolves simply ignored the order.
"You can't do anything. I'm the Alpha, they only answer to me now. Listen to me. I don't want ennemies. I don't know what happened to you girls. From what I understand, you don't trust men. Well, I'm not like the others, I never encounters any other of my kind, you are the first humans I see. So teach me to be a great man. I promise I won't hurt any of you in any way. I promise on the Styx." He didn't know where this swear came from, but he somehow knew it was dangerous. Thunder sealed the oath and the huntresses were shocked. Percy offered his hand to Alyssa. She looked hesitant but took it and Percy pulled her to her feet.
"Help me girls. Help me be a great man, and train me to be the greatest fighter. So I can protect everyone in the hunt." Alyssa looked at him and saw determination in his red eyes. She smiled a bit and nodded.
It has been a month since his entrance in the hunt. The girls started to really trust him. Yes, they still had troubles sometimes and seemed suspicious, but it was rarer. They still pranked him but it wasn't dangerous and Percy always stayed calm as long as they didn't try to harm him.
During his training with Artemis, he improved his mastering of his daggers and sword. During his free time, he began to train with his powers and his spear.
Apollo stopped by once to check on his son and they spent the day talking, sparing and laughing. He gave him a gold necklace with a sun charm on it. When he pulled it, it transformed into a guitar that could be any kind he wanted. And the electric ones were enchanted so he didn't need an amp nor electricity. He also gave him an ipod with every music in the world. He began to train him in lumokinesis too. So Percy began to train in guitar and lumokinesis too.
He crafted himself a new armor too since his previous one was destroyed in his fight for the Alpha place. He made it with black leather, it was sensively the same than the past one apart from the color and the plates of silver on the vambraces and the gaiters.
He just finished his lessons with Artemis and walked to his tent to rest a bit. He dropped his weapons and laid down on his bed. He closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when he heard Zoë scream. He smirked and and walked lazily out of his black tent. When he looked around, he saw the lieutenant, all muscles tensed and covered in a sticky pink goo. Percy saw this and muffled a laugh in his hand. On the other other side of the camp, Phoebe and Alyssa were laughing out loud, pointing the poor lieutenant.
"Phoebe! Get here!" Yelled the lieutenant with a red face. Phoebe put a poker face and walked to her.
"Yes Zoë, what can I do for you?" Asked the huntress. This made the lieutenant growl.
"Care to explain why this pink substance fell on me when I stepped out of my tent?"
"I don't know Zoë, maybe a…. divine punishment?" Answered the girl, making it sound like a question. This was too much and Percy rolled on the floor, tears falling from his eyes as his hilarity was taking him. Zoë glared at him and Percy immediately shot on his feets.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw water on her, washing her but instantly laughed harder along with the other hunters. Zoë intensified her glare.
"Why are you laughing now?"
"It's… It's that your skin is slightly pink from the goo. It's tainted." Answered Percy between two fit of laughter. Zoë growled and notched an arrow on her bow, pointing it at Phoebe. Whose eyes widened. She began to run, followed by an angry lieutenant.
Percy shook his head and walked to the armory and began to sharpen the arrows. He took the habit of doing a chore a day on his own to help the Hunt. So he put his earplugs and launched AC/DC Razor's edge album and began to sharpen the arrows. He did it for an hour. After an hour, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and put a hand on a hunting knife on his shoulder as he faced the intruder. who turned out to be Ellen, a hunter who particularly disliked him.
"What are you doing here mutt? Shouldn't you be playing in the mud with your dogs?" Asked the girl. Percy frowned.
"First of all, they are not dogs, they are wolves. You should know that, after all you are supposed to be a hunter. Second, I'm sharpening the knives and arrows. And third, it is not prudent to taunt the Alpha of a pack of wolves. I'll leave, I just finished after all." He walked out, head high and saw Phoebe and Zoë now speaking calmly.
"Hey Phoeb! Pinky! Can I speak to you for a second?" Called out Percy. Every huntresses snickered at the nickname and Zoë frowned.
"It depends? Does it involve me shooting arrows at you for the name?" Percy chuckled.
"Close, but not quite, I would like to train. As I am the worst archer of Greek history, I need to be faster, faster than anyone and more agile too. So fast and agile that I could avoid arrows and other projectiles. So? Could you help me with that?" Zoë looked thoughtful for a moment, but only for one. She nodded and Percy's face broke into a grin.
"But. I need to think of a training program, we simply can't do it like that in a rush. We'll talk about that with Milady ok?" Percy nodded and looked at the sky. It was already midday. He walked to the table with the two huntresses and began to eat with the rest of the hunt. Everyone was talking joyously. Artemis then turned to Percy.
"So young Perseus. How is the hunt with you?" Asked the young looking goddess with genuine interest. He was, after all, the protégé of her brother and a rather unusual male.
"They are great milady. There is still some tension between certain members of course, but apart from that, they are great with me." Answered Percy. Artemis smiled a little at that.
"Who are those members? I will speak to them." Kindly asked Artemis. But to her surprise, he shook his head.
"Don't worry about that Milady. I will solve those problems myself. I'm sure it is only because they have a traumatizing past and don't trust men. Time will solve this." Everyone raised an eyebrow at the maturity of the young hunter.
"Oh. And Lady Artemis. I have a request. Nothing big. I would like to know if some hunters who trust me could train me in speed and agility, so I could avoid and parry projectiles." Artemis nodded.
"Of course, I don't see any problem with that. You should begin with avoiding arrow in non lethal areas, like the limbs, and then, when you mastered it, pass to the lethal ones, first step, the torso, and then the head. And using blunt arrows." Answered the goddess while nodding. Percy smiled.
"Thank you Milady. I also think that I should begin that with two huntresses shooting, and then, when the cycle is complete, redoing it with three then four etc." Completed the young hunter. Artemis approved and half an hour later, the training began.
It went on like that for a year. Progressively, the hunters began to trust Percy. Especially after seeing him fight. He never hesitated to go on first line, using Anaklusmos and his spear to shred the monsters attacking them. And when he wasn't using them, he was devastating the army with his powers, using water to drown them, or icicles to pierce them, his light powers often used to distract or stun the monsters.
Once, after a year, when he was coming back from hunting for the girls and the pack. When a large banner with written on it Happy Birthday Perseus was awaiting him. Under it was the complete hunt with a blue and silver cake as well as a wrapped gift on the dining table. Next to the said table was leaned a grinning Apollo.
"Yo Perce! So, to explain. Today, we are the 18th of august, which means you've been in the hunt for a year exactly. Since you don't remember your birthday. We decided to use this date. The gift comes from all of us." Percy smiled and hugged Apollo who smiled sweetly. He then hugged everyone quickly before looking at Artemis with puppy dog eyes. She sighed and looked at him.
"What do you want Percy?"
"Please Aunty. Can I unwrap my gift?" Artemis rolled her eyes and nodded with a small amused smile. Percy shred the paper and looked at it.
In his hands was a dark brown baldric with ten golden and silver hunting knives in it. He smiled widely and put it above his leather armor.
"Thanks! I love it!" Apollo smirked.
"The idea is Zoë's. She remembered you had no ranged weapon." Percy turned to the lieutenant who had bright red cheeks. He smiled.
"Thanks Zoë."
They began to eat the cake and spent a great afternoon. Then, a flash blinded everyone except Percy who twirled his spear before pointing it at the intruder. Said intruder who appeared to be a goddess who collapsed. Percy raised his eyebrows and ran to her. He put her on her back and began to heal her the best he could.
"Dad. Come here and help me. Girls. I need nectar. Now!" He then looked at his pack and let out a brief growl. The wolves scattered and began to watch around the camp for any monster.
Alyssa ran in the infirmary and came back with the nectar. Apollo and Percy were using their powers to stabilize the goddess. She gave the nectar to Apollo and he made her drink it.
Her eyes slowly opened and she looked around her.
"Lord Apollo, Lady Artemis. Thank Chaos. He took it. My torch." Everyone's eyes widened. Percy spoke first.
"Who took it Lady Hecate. Tell me. And where? I'll go retrieve it for you." Hecate smiled weakly at him.
"Young hero, I thank you for that. Janus took it, he is not far, at 10 miles away to the east, with a group of monsters." Percy nodded and whistled loudly. Snow answered with a loud cry and flew to the east. He then growled and his pack regrouped behind him.
"Stay here. Protect her. I understand she is a simple immortal without her symbol of power. I'll go and take it back." He began to run, followed closely by his wolves. After ten minutes of running in the woods, he jumped on the floor and stopped, looking at a clearing with a group of monsters in it. In the middle of this battalion was a god, with two head, fighting each other. With two brief growl, the pack dispatched around the clearing and took out his spear. He put on his hood and smiled.
He walked in calmly, spinning his weapon slowly. All the monsters began to growl at him. Janus glared at him.
"Who are you boy? You should run away before my pets eats you." Percy chuckled. The two heads, for once, had the same expression, confusion
"You don't know who I am? I'm the one who is charged to take back the torch of Hecate from you. Oh, and for the monsters. Twenty of them won't stop us." Janus frowned.
"Us? You are alone boy." Said one head. The other one laughed. "Yes little demigod, you can't fight us!" Percy chuckled harder. His red eyes shone and the wolves jumped out of the woods and began to kill the monsters. He walked to the god and took a ready stance. Prometheus eyed the weapon and then smiled smugly
"I'm a god. A bone spear can't hurt me." Percy let a lopsided grin grew on his lips.
"Perhaps if it was common bones, but this one was made in an arm of empousa." Janus made a worried face and took out a sword, well, more transformed a key in one.
Percy pushed on his legs and slashed at him. The minor god parried and Percy spun to hit his enemy in the face with the blunt edge. The gods of doors roared and avoided the coming blade. Percy slashed again but Janus jumped above the low placed blow. The demigod was about to attack again from his left side but his enemy stopped the weapon and punched it. Breaking the handle in the process. Percy stared at his shattered weapon and then scowled. His ruby eyes glowed.
"You don't know how hard it is to make a spear." Growled the son of Poseidon. He dropped it and uncapped his sword. He ran faster than before and began to exchange blows with the god. Who had more and more difficulty to cope up with him.
Percy parried a slash coming from his left side and saw a punch coming. By instinct. He blocked it with his hand. And he matched the force of the god. He grinned in a feral way.
"I'm the Alpha. The pack makes me stronger." He spun and left a large gash in the deity's stomach.
Janus roared and before he could flash willed the water out of the vegetation around them and made a hand of it, grabbing the god.
"Give the torch. Now." Growled the hunter with a dark look on his face. Janus, seeing an occasion to leave alive, he gave the symbol of power and Percy picked it up. When he had it in hand, he felt a surge of energy. This surprised him and made him loosen his grasp on the god who flashed away, leaving the son of Poseidon alone with his pack. Percy then felt the adrenaline stop flowing in his vein and felt suddenly tired. He walked back to the camp, which took him half an hour. When he stepped in, everyone faced him. He smiled and raised the torch.
"Gotcha! Here Lady Hecate. Take it." Hecate took her symbol of power and smiled. But then, she frowned.
"Didn't you have a spear before?" Percy smiled slightly and shrugged.
"Janus broke it in our fight." Hecate frowned and began to think. She looked closely at him and narrowed her eyes.
"You are blessed by Apollo right? Son of Poseidon, blessed by Apollo. Apparently staying in the hunt. I may have a present to thank you." She snapped her fingers and a silver spear shimmered in existence, it was around as long as he was tall, all in silver. It looked like it could be used to stab and slash. (Think of Himeragi's spear in Strike the Blood). The goddess took it and closed her eyes. After muttering some foreign words, the weapon glowed gold and she handed it to the hunter.
"There, the spear is enchanted so it will always be at the right size for you. It's name is Lightbringer. It has enchants on it that allows it to blind your enemies with a flash when you slam the blunt end on the floor. And with the right phrase and some of your energy, it can fire a burning laser." Apollo whistled softly at the weapon. Percy played a bit with it and smiled widely.
"That's some badass weaponry! Thank you Lady Hecate, you have my eternal respect." Said Percy as he inclined his head. Hecate smiled and taught him the incantation before flashing away, not forgetting to thank the two Olympians too. When Percy wanted to put his new weapon on his back, the blade slid a bit in the weapon, the handle reduced a bit too, reducing its side of a third, making it easier to have it on his back while moving.
The next morning, the camp packed up and began to change location to hunt. Percy always walked in the trees to have a far sight of the coming spent the whole day running, not bothering to stop to eat, they were used to this way.
At night, the set up camp. They were located near Detroit.
Percy was in the archery range, but not training archery. He was using the practice targets to train in throwing knives. He noticed that his throwing knives were coming back in their sheath so he was training to hit the bullseye the fastest way possible, not stopping launching knives. Phoebe was leaned against a tree, silently watching him, arms crossed. She heard Zoë coming. When her lieutenant was next to her, she spoke.
"It's amazing huh? I never knew they were such hard working males, and talented at that. We taught him well." Commented the daughter of Ares with a smirk. Zoë nodded. She admired Perseus. He, after all, had no family, no memories and did find the strength and will to learn and survive like a true hunter.
The ten years old demigod stopped his training and took out his spear. He faced the two huntresses and smiled.
"Does one of you would honor me by dueling me so I can truly test this baby?" Zoë was about to answer when a voice cut her.
"I will, I want to know what little bro can do." Answered Louise. She was an unclaimed demigoddess. A huntress since ten years ago. She had some difficulties with Percy first but it changed when he saved her during a hunt and stayed honorable around her and her sisters.
Percy nodded and readied himself. Louise notched an arrow and released leaned on his left side and let the arrow ran to her and rolled under a second arrow. He jumped and slashed vertically at her. She rolled away and used another arrow. Percy ducked his head and the arrow only scratched his neck slightly. He threw a knife at her but an arrow deflected it. He scowled and resumed his charged to her. But this time, he didn't jump. he slashed diagonally, coming from under. He spun his weapon and continued his assault with another slash from above, left, right, diagonal. His weapon became a whirlwind of slashes. But Louise began to glow silver and moved faster. Avoiding the attacks of the hunter. She smirked and found a weakness in his defense. She managed to kick him in his ribs. He flew a few meters away and landed hard against a tree. He raised himself by supporting his weight on his spear. He coughed a bit and wiped blood from his mouth. Zoë intervened.
"Stop you two. Percy you're coughing blood." But Percy smiled.
"Stopping? No way, I'm having so much fun. And I didn't use Lightbringer totally." He posed a hand on his broken coasts and concentrated. His hand glowed gold and his tensed face relaxed. He straightened his back and took his stance again. But before running, his slammed the blunt edge on the ground and the blade shined like a golden sun, blinding Louise. He ran to her and tried another slash. But her instinct made her to jump away. Soon, the battle resumed and a stale seemed to settle itself.
But at a moment, Percy spun under a hunting knife and pointed to the hunter. At the last moment, he oriented it slightly away and yelled.
"Shine in their heart! Lightbringer!" And the blade shone another time, but this time, a hot beam was unleashed from the edge of the blade, the flat laser lasted only a second but pierced the tree behind Louise. She freezed, shocked. And Percy smiled.
"I won." He began to rock on his feet and then fell into unconsciousness.