The dead of night. Perfect.
"Are you ready?" Clubber whispered to the assassin, who looked at him in confusion. He shrugged. "Just cause I don't have to whisper, doesn't mean I'm not gonna. Loud noises could disturb you."
The assassin nodded and looked back at the camp. Two Hunters were awake, sitting by the now put out campfire, keeping watch. The only reason the assassin hadn't been caught was because of her ability to blend in with the darkness.
She was perched high on a tree, mask and suit on, ready for a beating. Heatwave flew up to her. "Those two are the only guards, but... I have a bad feeling about this. Why would Erebus send YOU to deal with some measly hunters? It doesn't make sense. You're overqualified."
Gemivine popped into existence and nodded at the assassin. "I double-checked. It's just those two."
The assassin smiled under her mask. This would be easy. As she readied herself to jump down, a voice called out. She almost stumbled and fell out of the tree but managed to right herself.
Narrowing her eyes, she watched one of the guards walk into the biggest tent. Soon enough, the hunter walked out and went into a separate tent, speaking quietly to someone. Eventually, that person left the tent and entered the biggest one, leaving the first hunter to return to her spot by the fire.
The assassin grimaced. The plan was slightly different, but it would still work. She pulled an object out of her pocket. Usually, she kept it in her hair, but, well, she was wearing a helmet. She gripped it in her hand and leapt out of the tree, directly onto the ground.
Quietly, she snuck up behind the hunter who hadn't moved and quickly punched her from behind, putting her to sleep and grabbing her before she fell on the ground with a thump.
"Ashley? Hey, you okay?" The other Hunter said, confused as to why her friend had suddenly stopped talking.
The assassin melted into the shadows and reappeared right behind the other hunter, prepared to punch her too.
But the hunter somehow saw her fallen comrade and immediately stood up and turned around, nocking an arrow and shouting loudly. The hunter looked at the assassin and let her arrow fly. The assassin melted into the shadows and appeared behind her, but was distracted by an arrow whiffing by her shoulder.
The sounds of yelling and bows being nocked combined with some of the hunters turning on lights disoriented the assassin, who was grazed in the leg by an arrow. She melted away, leaving the hunters to look around, worried. She appeared behind one and kicked her into another, sending them both to the ground.
As others noticed and fired arrows, she summoned her spear and blocked all the projectiles. She launched forward, attacking each hunter one by one, blocking arrows and knives alike. She sliced one across the chest, she hit another in the face with the butt of her spear, and she leapt over one, kicking the hunter behind her.
Slowly but surely, the hunters were getting beat, until there was only one left. The guard hunter who hadn't been put to sleep grated her knives together.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but you've got some nerve attacking us," She said.
The assassin laughed. "Please. I attacked at night, not day. That's what shows that my 'nerve' isn't there."
The hunter looked confused. "You- what?"
"Oh, does that not make sense? I haven't had a lot of human interaction in my life, so that's my bad," the assassin said.
The hunter looked even more confused but shook her head. "Never mind. As I was saying, come at me."
The assassin smiled, not noticing a hunter behind her stand up and stumble to the biggest tent. She rushed forward, smiling under her helmet and attacking with her spear. The tired guard didn't take long to beat. Eventually, she was on the ground, spear tip at her throat.
The hunter glared at the assassin. "I don't know who you are, but you got lucky."
The assassin nodded. "I'm sure I did."
She lifted the spear above her head and drove it down, but then Arrows screamed.
"STOP!" Immediately, the spear point stopped right above the hunters neck as the assassin froze.
"What is it?" The assassin whispered harshly through her teeth.
Arrows looked down at the Huntress. "That's Pheobe."
The assassin's eyes widened. "Phe- like, your Pheobe?"
Orion nodded. "That Pheobe."
The assassin took a step back as another hunter screamed, seeing a spear point at her friends neck. Heatwave and Gem both looked around the clearing in newfound horror, while Pheobe looked at the assassin, confused.
"Ah crap," Clubber whispered. "If that's Pheobe, then..."
Gem nodded. "These are the hunters of Artemis."
The assassin stepped back from Pheobe. "I can't fight a goddess!" She said tightly. "I've had no training fighting gods!"
It was at that moment exactly that she was bowled over by a goddess.
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Artemis was seething as she stared at the girl on the ground.
"You DARE attack my hunters?" She said as Zoe quickly went from hunter to hunter, gouging how hurt they were.
The girl raised her arm. "I didn't know they were yours. I- I was just following orders. Honest!"
Artemis summoned her bow and nocked an arrow, pointing it at the armored girl. "Who's orders?"
The girl swallowed. "I- I don't think I can -"
Artemis pulled the arrow back further. "WHO TOLD YOU TO ATTACK MY HUNTERS?"
"It was - I- Erebus! It was Erebus!" The girl said, starting to hyperventilate.
Artemis stared at the girl for a moment, silent. Then she let go of her arrow. It flew towards the girl, but she somehow managed to block it with a spear.
Artemis nocked another arrow, but the girl lunged forward in a burst if red and crashed into her, landing on top of her on the ground, spear handle at her throat. She pushed the spear down as hard as she could, eyes wide in terror. All she had to do was bide time. One more minute, and she could go.
A silver aura started to surround the choking goddess as she slowly pushed the spear back. Then Artemis's eye caught a word on the handle, and her eyes widened. In surprise, she stopped pushing, and the girl slammed the spear handle into her neck.
Then, an arrow hit the girl's shoulder. She reeled back and grabbed it, looking in surprise at her attacker.
Zoe stood with a bow nocked. "Don't. Move."
The girl's eye flickered around the clearing, and then at the raging goddess. Artemis surged forward, and the girl melted away in fear. Artemis grasped empty air and fell to her knees, then onto her face.
Zoe rushed forward. "My lady!"
Artemis waved her off. "Get the hunters to the healing bay. I'm just not used to being choked."
Zoe uncertainly listened, helping Pheobe and the bloody hunter set people up in the healing bay.
Slowly but surely, every hunter was taken to the healing bay, while Artemis's mind whirled. Two words played repeatedly, over and over.
Erebus.
But even worse than that, the second word made her just want to abandon her quest entirely and return to camp.
The word on the spear. Κύμα.
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Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.
FanfictionPercy's life went to hell. Over 80 years ago for him, he was battered, beaten, and hurt worse by those he called friends. With his parents gone and his final chance at a new life burnt, he leaves. He gets an offer and takes it, leaving Earth and the...
