Bab 12: DA : Chapter 12: Siblings Reunited III
"… Percy," she whispered as she opened her eyes after the pain settled.
She looked up at Umbra as he watched her. "I have a big brother and his name is Percy."
"Yes … he is," Umbra said softly as he lowered his head to be closer to her. "… and he is the hero Thalia talked about … the lost Hero of Olympus."
"But … why'd he leave me?" she asked as tears started to build in her eyes. "Didn't he want me? He just left me after Artemis took me and killed our parents."
"He was forced to," Umbra explained sadly. "He couldn't do much at the time and if he tried to fight the Hunt, it would have been too easy to get you hurt … so he left but swore to get you back when he was ready."
"But … I want him here now!" she shouted as the tears fell. "I don't want to stay with those murderers! Why can't he just come back!?" she cried as her tiny hands balled into fists. "… I want my brother!"
She started crying her heart out as tears blurred her vision, her chest throbbing with the pain of the betrayals. All she wanted now was Percy. Umbra said he swore to come back for her and it was the only hope left for her, otherwise she would run away.
She couldn't even think about returning to that camp of murderers. Maybe only two had a hand in her parent's death, but that didn't erase their crimes against others throughout the years.
"… he's already here," Umbra's voice cut in, making her crying abruptly stop in surprise.
"What?" she asked as she looked at Umbra through her tears.
She watched as Umbra stepped back before the shadows condensed over him, his form changing into that of a human.
The shadows dispersed to reveal a tall man dressed in a cloak of darkness with his hood pulled up but even with that she could tell he was very fit and muscular.
He stepped closer and kneeled before her as his hood was pulled back to show her his face. She gasped as she recognized his features, even if his once sea green eyes had changed to swirls of black fire with glowing, icy blue pupils that looked at her with the same love and care that her brother had.
"P-Percy?" she choked out as a spark of hope ignited in her chest.
"Hello … Andromeda," He replied as he cupped her cheek and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "… I came back for you."
Andromeda, her true name. And her brother was right there before her. She didn't even hesitated as she dived at him, hugging his neck like a life-line as she cried into his shoulder.
His strong and warm arms wrapped around her as he soothed her with soft words. She'd never felt so whole before, safe within her brother's embrace, her true family. She didn't want to let him go so she tightened her grip and nuzzled into his neck as her sobs died down.
But sadly, it seemed that the Fates were not being kind as she heard the familiar sound of an arrow being notched joined with a scream, "What the Hades is going on here!?"
Andromeda turned in time to see Phoebe release her arrow straight at her but before she could so much as make a sound, Percy's hand shot out and caught the arrow between two fingers.
He kept one of his arms wrapped protectively around her as he glared at her, his hood suddenly pulled back up with his eyes glowing ominously within the shadow of it, making the normally stubborn hunter step back in fear even as she kept another arrow aimed at them.
"I knew keeping you would be a mistake," Phoebe sneered after regaining some courage. "And who are you, boy!?"
Percy didn't even bother to answer her as he looked down at Andromeda with soft eyes before speaking gently, "Head to the edge of the clearing. Mira is waiting for you to take you away from here."
"What about you?" Andromeda asked as she clutched onto his coat.
"I'll meet you in a special place a little later," he replied before he kissed her on the forehead. "Now go and trust me. I'm not leaving you this time or ever again."
"Promise?" she asked with wet eyes.
"Pinky promise," he replied while raising his pinky to her.
She looked at it before locking their fingers for a moment. Then, once they separated she hopped up to kiss him on the cheek before turning and running towards the edge of the clearing, Mira already in sight with a warm smile.
"Hey! You're not going anywhere!" she heard Phoebe shout with another arrow being loosed but as she glanced back she saw the shadows from a barrier between her and the arrow, making it bounce off and leaving her unharmed.
She soon reached Mira's side and glanced at her before asking, "What's Percy going to do to Phoebe?"
"Paying back a debt," Mira replied with a blank face.
She didn't need to say if for Andromeda to know she meant killing Phoebe … but even then she didn't want her brother to fall to the same thing as the hunters. She understood that it needed to be done but still … She looked back at Percy before shouting out, "Percy!"
He looked at her over his shoulder while Phoebe's eyes widened at the revelation.
"Please … make it quick."
Percy looked at her for a few moments before slowly nodding. She gave him a smile before turning to Mira, who placed a hand on her shoulder. Then, with a burst of shadow, they were gone …
...
Percy watched as they shadow traveled away before looking back at the still shocked Phoebe. 'Oh Rhea, you're too good to me,' he thought with a smirk. He could feel the barrier she erected over them long before Phoebe showed up after Rhea purposefully let her in.
Phoebe had been watching them more than the other hunters, especially on the nights they stayed out together, so they knew the hunter would follow. Just to get a treat out of their sweet goodbye, Rhea had erected a barrier with several functions.
It suppressed all sound from leaving and made them blurry to the outside so not even Artemis would notice them if she happened to fly over them. As an added precaution no prayers would escape so Phoebe was effectively stranded … and she didn't even know it.
The only other way Artemis could be alerted would be when a hunter dies or breaks the oath. Percy didn't have any interest in the second method … but the first would do after he made sure she'd suffered enough.
Let it be known that, that was the only time he would willingly lie to his little sister. Phoebe had too much to pay for to get a swift death.
"So, little hunter, what shall we do with you?" he asked as he let darkness seep off his frame.
"It's not like you could do anything boy!" Phoebe shouted with another arrow aimed at him. "And once my lady arrives we'll finish off your damn family. I'll make that little bitch scream like I did her father."
"Oh you do not know when to cut your losses," Percy growled as his fists clenched. "Too bad for you."
Before she could say anything else he surged forward, closing the distance in a blink of the eye. She gasped at his sudden closeness but didn't react fast enough as his hand reached out and grasped her wrist.
With a smirk he twisted, snapping her bones like twigs as she screamed to the high heavens and dropped her bow. He maintained his smirk as he used his free hand to backhand her across the mouth, blood splattering out along with a broken jaw.
"Come on little huntress. Is this all you can do? Gang up on helpless mortals and children to assure yourself just because you were a sorry disgrace to your father? And that is big considering he's little more than a godly shit stain," he mocked as he tossed her across the field.
She rolled like a rag doll until she landed on her back, tears already streaming down her cheeks but Percy wasn't placated in the slightest. He slowly stalked to her as she tried in vain to crawl away while sobbing, the smell of piss already tainting the air.
"Too easy," he muttered as he raised his hand.
At his whim, spears of shadows shot up from underneath Phoebe, piercing her through her arms, shoulders, shins, and thighs as she screamed again through her broken jaws. He twisted his hand, the shadows copying him until Phoebe was turned to face him, held spread eagle before him.
"You say you hate males yet I've met few of his children that are such embodiments of him. You take the cake really and I have no doubt that if you had been born male, you would have been a serial rapist and murderer of the worst degree.
Funny. Maybe even the Fates didn't want to allow a monster like you to reach full potential," he said as he stopped a few feet away from her.
"Your time has come huntress and this will not be over quickly … I won't even let your soul go to the underworld. Oh no, I've taken the time to make a special place just for you and the other traitors in the worst recesses of Tartarus … Now then, let's get on with your one way ticket to hell."
With that he took his massive wolf form, towering over the sniveling and begging huntress.
His lips pulled back into a vicious snarl that would terrify even the Fates before he lunged … and there was nothing more than broken screams and blood splattering …
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