Capítulo 1: The black swordsman
**TRIGGER WARNING** THIS IS VULGAR DARK AND VIOLENT AS FUCK. THIS IS YOU'RE ONLY WARNING.
Thalia Grace didn't think her day could get any worst. First she got roped in a mission to retrieve some demigods. Now that would have been just fine, but Reed had to come along. Some arrogant ass from the Ares cabin who wholeheartedly believed that two girls and a satyr couldn't make it on they're own.
Even if one of said girls was the daughter of Zeus of all people. Sadly he's the only one who volunteered to accompany them.
Even Argus looked annoyed as he drove them to the military school Grover was posted at in Maine. With her mile long rebellious streak Thalia already felt like such a place would be a pain to be in.
And she was right, just as she entered the dance floor to some stupid party. Thankfully Chiron's long lessons on how to use the mist meant an easy entry for her. She had half a mind to tell the teachers that Reed was an intruder. Sadly she'd never hear the end of it.
"So where's the fresh blood" he asked scanning the crowd. Reed was you're typical sixtheen years old son of Ares. Big strong, nearly all talk and a jerk with sub brick level of intelligence. And that's being generous. "Let's go find Grover first" advised Annabeth looking almost as annoyed as her old friend.
The daughter of Zeus smiled as she spotted her old friend waving at them from the crowd. She hugged him "so what are we looking at goat boy?"
He rolled his eyes at the nickname and pointed at two kids sitting in the rafters. They both had an olive complexion and were dressed like old people. "Well what are we waiting for let's get em" Reed said like it was that simple. "No wait" Grover interpelled in a furious whisper. "There's a monster lurking around the di Angelo'sI have no idea who, but it's got a really strong smell."
"Useless satyr" grumbled Reed crossing his arms. Before Thalia could smack him Annabeth already came up with a plan. "Let's go dance amongst the crowd, we're already attracting enough attention to ourselves. Keep an eye on the di Angelo's and anything that looks suspicions."
Thalia and Annabeth stepped forward and found random people to dance with. Because they'd rather dance with a potential monster than the son of Ares. Thalia did her best to keep an eye on the two unsuspecting half-bloods, but it was hard as she kept spinning around from partner to partner.
Not noticing the stares people gave her when she accidentally and uncaringly paired up with another girl. She noticed professor Thorn advancing on the two siblings. He beckoned them to follow him with just a gesture, the Di Angelo's nervously did as he asked and followed him.
Narrowing her eyes Thalia spun the girl away into a new partner before stomping in the direction of the potential monster.
She caught a glimpse of the siblings going down the hallway and followed them from a distance, but she quickly lost them. Stealth was never her strong suit. She passed a door and someone sniffle like they've been crying. Tapping her bracelet Aeigis sprung around her arm. The horrifying face carved into the shield would send anything ahead of her fleeing like cowards.
Or so she thought.
Kicking the door open she ran in her canister ready to be turned into her spear, but all she found were the terrified Di Angelo siblings huddled together shivering in terror even more as they're eyes landed on Thalia's shield.
"No, no,no,no it's fine see." The daughter of Zeus tapped her shield turning it back into a bracelet. "I'm just like you ok, my name's Thalia. I'm here to rescue you." She tried to explain, but the younger half-bloods weren't looking at her.
Confused for only an instant Thalia's eyes widdened once she realised that in her haste she forgot someone. She spun around, but before she could unravel her spear, a spike landed in her shoulder followed by two more that pinned her leather jacket to the cold stone wall. "But who is going to rescue you?" The french accented voice of professor Thorn spoke up from the darkness. Thalia caught a glimpse of something that looked like a tail before the still disguised monster stepped out of the shadows.
Smirking he smugly stated "three powerful half-bloods just for me, it's my lucky day."
"Yeah, right up until I kill you!" Thalia growled throught the pain.
"Oh please child, i've met enough of you're arrogant siblings to know you're all talk, now," he marched closer and removed the spikes from the wall.
"Be a good girl and start walking, i'm right behind you." He said condescendingly. Thalia scowled, but with no other choice she did as the monster asked and started walking. She could only hope that Annabeth and Grover noticed her absence, but she couldn't really expect anything from Reed. That guy wouldn't notice a bird taking a shit on his own head.
If only she had an empathy link with Grover like he and Annabeth did. Not that she wanted her life force to be connected to a trouble magnet like these two, she could just use some help.
As the cold cobblestone was replaced with a snowy forest Thalia did her best to stall the monster. She even half pretended to fall over only for Bianca to catch her. "What is he, how do we fight him?" She demanded as quietly as possible.
Thalia appreciated the bravery and her innitiative, but fighting Thorn at the moment was incredibly dumb, and she made that clear to the currently unexperienced demigoddess. "For now you just wait for reinforcements understood?" She whispered back sternly.
Bianca didn't look pleased at being so powerless, but she nodded. After that Thalia could only half listen to the monster drone on about a great awakening and some army being made, but she did hear the tiny 10 year old Nico di Angelo basically tell the monster currently holding them hostage to shove his army up his ass. She had to laugh at that. Gods she loved kids when they had nerves of steel. It's cute and cool all at the same time.
Thorn glared over his shoulder at the weakly chuckling daughter of Zeus. He barked something in another language Thalia didn't catch and a small group of teenagers around her age came out of the trees, each wielding a celestial bronze weapons.
Some were around her age, but most were quite a few years older than her. Which was surprising considering that she never met another demigod older than her. Well there was Luke, but she didn't even want to even start thinking about him. Even with nearly fifteen demigods on his side Thorn looked unsatisfied. "Where is group B!!" He barked demandingly at the leading demigod. Said man raised a blonde eyebrow. "I thought you took group B?"
"Yes, but then I told them to report back to you!" The Monster poked his charge on his armored chest. "So find them and bring them to the extraction point!"
"It shall be done sir." The respective tone was obviously fake to the likes of Thalia who idly wondered what happened to the other half-bloods in this forest and why were they even here? "Dont look at me like that" sneered one of the traiterous demigod. "Not all of us want to remain the olympians lap dogs!"
"So your the lap dog of a motherfucker who eats his own kids?" Slurred Thalia, the pain coming from the poison was making a number on her. He went to back hand her accross the face.
The posture bringing too many terrible memories to the surface for the daughter of Zeus, but luckily for her, there was a brief whistle slicing the air and a bolt pierced his hand. Showering Thalia's shocked face with droplets of blood.
The demigod clutched his wrist howling in agony, staring at the object sticking out of his hand before another bolt silenced him as it passed throught his neck. He gurgled something as he choked on his blood before falling backwards, blood slowly coating the blanket of snow.
Chaos erupted in the group of now fourteen half-bloods. Thalia let herself collapse as more bolts came from the trees at me Inhumanly fast pace. Killing two and injuring four more before they all found a hiding spot behind some trees on the other side of the trail. The only thing between them being Thalia who felt and looked half dead along with two terrified kids. A follower of the crooked one notched an arrow with an explosive tip, but before she could fire an onyx colored throwing knife imbeded itself into her neck.
Thalia had to admit that was an amazing shot, and a strategicaly sound one as well, because the archer fell back accidentally detonating the arrow.
Bianca covered her brother as blood and harmless splinters showered them. Thalia tried to get up, but even in her state she had to admit it was a dumb idea, but she needed to do something. She caught a glimpse of a big figure swiftly moving between the trees. She could have almost believed that it was a hunter of Artemis, but they don't usually wear such dark clothing. And young girls definetly didn't look that big.
Thorn growled loudly from his hiding spot as he recognised who was hunting them, but Thalia noticed something completly different than the expected anger on the monster's face. Something she didn't believe could ever show on the arrogant beast.
Pure, unadulterated, terror.
"Retrieve the targets and retreat!" he ordered almost shrilly "but--" a soldier next to him tried to protest, but he was suddenly ran throught by a giant scorpion tail. Thorn threw his body aside and repeated the order.
Now much more compliant two soldiers ran in the trail and grabbed They're prisoners before making they're escape. Thalia briefly tried to look back at the one causing this massacre as she was dragged away, but she was only met with inky darkness.
After a few minutes of running or simply being dragged along they ended up in a clearing edning in a cliff overlooking the churning sea. Thalia was starting to feel more numb than in pain. Which let her slam her elbow in one of her captors face breaking they're nose. The other one quickly kicked the back of Thalia's legs making her fall to the ground and pinned there by a very panicked demigoddess.
"Where's the chopper?" She demanded "watch you're tone wench! They'll be here soon!" Barked Thorn not sounding all that confident anymore. "Th- t-t that was--" stuttered one of Kronos's minions only to be slapped by his ally so he could regain some composure. "I know who that was! He may slaughter you weaklings, but he is no match for me!" Thorn raged, any sort of composure now gone.
"Funny" a young male voice spoke up from the darkness "if i'm no match, then why did you hide like a little bitch?" He mocked "show yourself!" Demanded the demigoddess pinning Thalia.
For a tense solid minute there was no reply until. "As you wish" whispered the voice above Thalia. The girl's gasp turned into a strangled mess of terrified noises and whimpers as the dark figure held her by the troat with a literal steel grip Thalia weakly scrambled back and could barely believe the sight in front of her.
She could only see his back, his black tattered cloak and bits and pieces of armor spilling out of the garment, but one thing took all the place in the picture she was making of the situation, and that is the humongous sword somehow strapped to his back. It looked more like a sharpened black slab of metal with a handle than anything else. It looked more fitting for a giant than a teenager.
"Let her go!" Ordered one of the demigods raising his javelin. "Sure, after you let those kids go." Monotomously shot back the teen not loosening his grip in the slightest. As if he wasn't surrounded by ten other warriors.
"If you let these childrens go I will devour you!" Thorn threatened the hesitating demigod. "Tik tok tik tok~" sung the boy as his hostage started turning blue. "Fine! Take the damn kids she's all that matters to me" he yelled pushing the di Angelo's forward.
Said half-bloods looked like they'd rather try they're chance with Thorn, but they quickly ran next to Thalia scared out of they're lives. "Wise decision" said the teen, the demigod lowered his javelin along with his head, with a sigh of relief.
*CRACK*
His head snapped back up as the sound of the girl's neck snapping briefly overpowered every other sounds in the forest.
"But you should have really made me swear on the Styx." Calmly finished the hunter dropping the corpse. With a battlecry mixed with pure rage and sorrow the demigod charged tears streaming down his face, but he wouldn't cry for long. Thalia caught a glimpse of a metal gauntlet gripping the massive blade. Almost too fast for her to catch he swung it down. Vertically cleaving the heartbroken man in half, leaving a small crater in the ground as the sword finished it's course.
Shocked silence is all that remained after that. Every single souls thought the 'sword' was just an intimidation method at best, but as he casually rested the giant sword on his armored shoulder Thalia found herself praying that he was on they're side.
Still terrified two demigods nodded at each other before bravely or stupidly charging the cloaked teen. He swung his blade even faster than before. The demigod on the left ducked just in time, but his friend was swiftly sliced in half.
Thinking that he had an opening he raised his blade high ready to strike, but what he didn't notice was that just oponent was using the momentum of his own massive swing to wind up a spinning kick that landed square in his stomach. Sending him flying with at least more than a few broken ribs.
Analysing the battle he used the sword to block the arrows shot at him from another Half-blood. Running towards the archer so fast it surprised his attacker long enough to knock the flat of his blade in her chest sending her sprawling against a tree. He finished her off by stabbing him massive blade throught her armor. He heard the snow crunching around his blind side. He looked up at the leaping axe wielding demigod and ducked under his own imbeded sword.
The axe painfully bounced off the dense weapon, distracting him in a split second. Long enough for the dark swordsman to duck under his weapon to punch the demigod between the legs. Thalia couldn't help but wince at the sharp crunch that came from the punch.
The man practically chocked on his own tongue before his face was grabbed. The teen dragged him and lept over his still stuck weapon still clutching the man's face. Dragging his face and by extension his troat right onto the sharp edge of the sword.
With the combined weight of the swordsman and the extremly shape edge, the swordsman quickly ended up with a severed head in his hands. He chucked it in at the approaching man who caught it by reflex de actually started screaming at the remains of his comrade in pure terror. He was also silenced by a throwing knife to the troat.
Ripping his sword free from the tree he stalked towards the remaining minions of Kronos.
Meanwhile as Thalia gazed at the show in morbid fascination, she missed the footprints slowly appearing in the snow near professor Thorn. Said monser was still looking out for the chopper along with a way to take the di Angelo without 'him' noticing. As the swordsman was busy killing his men, Thorn made a break for it. Seeing him approach Thalia jumped to her feet "for Zeus!" She yelled sparks of electricity traveling along her activated weapon.
She blocked a volley of poisoned spikes and managed to graze him with her spear. Sadly in her state she was no match and ended up getting swatted away by Thorn's hand now turned lion paw. He was about to stomp on her, but vines sprung from the ground. Now Grover's melody was clear. With a battle cry Reed lept at the monster only to be swiped away by a casual flick of his tail. Thalia rolled out of the way right before Thorn broke free from his restraints.
"You're nature magic has no effect on me satyr" snarled the Manticore. He picked up each di Angelo's under his arms and made a beeline for the clif, but he was stopped as an arrow landed in his back. Howling in pain Thorn froze as a hunting horn echoed in the deep forest. Thalia groaned from her spot on the ground as the hunters of Artemis broke throught the treeline, bows at the ready.
"This is against the ancient laws!" Protested the Manticore. A twelve year old stepped forward, she had auburn hair steel grey eyes and a silver circlet adorned her forehead. "Every beasts are under my domain, and you Manticore are wild beast." She scowled "permission to kill my lady." Asked a dark skinned huntress.
"Permission granted Zoe." Nodded the young looking girl. "No!" Annabeth's voice broke throught the air as Thorn turned to the cliff ready to jump off of it. She jumped on his back accidentally knocking off her invisibility cap. Artemis warned her to get out of the way, but it was easier said than done. The Manticore dropped the di Angelo's as he tried to wrestle her off. "Open fire." Calmly ordered Artemis. "No" screamed Thalia as the hunters obeyed they're goddesse's order and fired upon the monster.
Luckily they didn't hit the daughter of Athena, but they're actions made the Manticore jump off the cliff, dragging Annabeth Chase down with him.
"Annabeth!" Thalia jumped in her feet and sprinted towards the cliff. It took three hunters to hold her down. "What the fuck, is wrong with you people!" She screamed at them.
The nearest hunter looked ready to hit her. "Well that's unfortunate" casually commented the swordsman as he passed by them towards the shell shocked di Angelo siblings. Nico buried his face in Bianca's side as he approached them. Said sister tried to look defiant, but all she did was close her eyes tightly. She flinched when he grabbed her chin not daring to open her eyes. "Any injuries?"
"Wha- what?" He snapped his metal fingers in front of her face, making her eyes snap open. "Injuries, beside you know. The mental and emotional ones." Bianca shook her head "what about you squirt?"
Nico kept his eyes downcast as he shook his head. "And who the fuck are you!?" Thalia demanded shrugging off the hunters. Currently being high on adrenaline she almost forgot the massacre he was responsible for.
Which didn't go unnoticed by Artemis and her followers. "None of your damn buisness princess." He calmly shot back. "Oh I think it started becoming my buisness when you started decapitating people you freaking psycho." He spun on her and threw his hood back "did I murder someone you cared about!?"
Thalia taken aback not just by his outburst, but also by his face. He had fair skin covered in a myriad of scars, not an inch of skin wasn't marked by previous hardships. Then there was his eyes, only one was opened and it was a deep bright green that contrasted his raven black hair making it look even brighter. It was almost unseteling.
Thalia shook her head "then mind you're fucking buisness then! I'm only here because I owe they're bitch of a father a favor anyway." He grumbled crossing his arms, it's also when Thalia noticed that this wasn't a gauntlet, but a whole ass entire mechanical forearm. The sky rumbled "oh kiss my ass!" He yelled shaking his fist at the sky.
No one knew what to make of this. This very much implied that he insulted a deity without flinching, but Artemus knew who this was. "The branded swordsman" she murmured to herself noticing said brand glowing on his nape. "What is you're real name boy?" She asked, his shoulders tensed,
"goddess or not, if you call me boy again you'll regret it." He growled in a tone colder than Khione. A hunter went to slap him, but she was met with the sharp edge of the massive sword. "You sure you wanna try yourself?" Smiled the swordsman. The sheer ammount of madness behind it made Thalia shiver.
Grover who just got over the fact that most of the ground was covered in guts, threw himself at Artemis feet. Proclaiming her greatness much to Thalia's annoyance. "Time out!" Finally snapped Bianca "can someone please, tell me what is going!? Who are you people, who's this madman?!" She yelled gesturing to the giant sword wielding maniac.
"Hi, i'm the guy who just saved you from becoming the slave of a disembodied titan nearly as old as time itself. A little thank you would be appreciated!" He huffed resting the sword on his shoulder.
"Way to break them in slowly!" Thalia snapped at him. "Slowly" he shouted back. "Why would I want to make this slow, the faster they accept this the less chance they have to die!" He argued "not that it's my problem anyway, I just had to save them not protect them anyway." Thalia groaned behind clenched teeth, "there's no easy way to say this." The daughter of Zeus began regaining her composure. "But you're childrens of an olympian."
"Like the athletes?" Asked Bianca now thankfully more confused and less ready to fall in a coma out of shock. "No my dear girl, you're father is an olympian god." Artemis intervened sparing Thalia the trouble. "That's impossible, gods aren't real! You're all insane!"
"Girl you just got kidnapped by a son of a bitch with a scorpion tail. Face it, you're life is insane now." The swordsman stated almost done carelessly. For good measure Thalia told Grover to take off his shoes. Doing as she asked the satyr showed off his hooves. The swordsman chuckled at Bianca's expression. "I just beheaded a man like what? Three minutes ago and 'that's' what got you feeling faint?!"
"Please stop talking." She pleaded "and throw away my wonderful personality, are you crazy?" He shot back.
"So you are the one who commited this massacre!" The hunter who asked permission to kill demanded stepping forward. "And?"
"And?" She repeated shocked "does thou have no shame?" She replied shocked by the level of casual brutality The swordsman shrugged "that went out the window a while ago, along with my hand my right eye and most of my sanity." The swordsman replied confused until realisation shone in his eye "oh, I get it. You're not mad that I killed these people you're mad that some of them were girls. Well unlike you hunters I couldn't give two fucks about genders. I pimp slap everyone equally!"
Zoe's eye started twitching "enough hostilities Zoe" ordered Artemis. She walked in front of the swordsman "I see you are still swinging around the most impractical weapons i've ever seen in my immortal life."
Dryly commented the goddess sending a distainful look at the weapon.
"Yeah, but when has anything ever been conventional about me. Are you're hunters still swinging around they're gigantic ego's?" He shot back with a grin. His comment mixed with Zoe's outraged expression made Thalia smile a bit until she remembered a small detail. "Wait, didn't Thorn say there was an hellicopter coming?"
"Don't worry about it."
"But--"
"I said don't worry about it" insisted the swordsman. "Now if you'll excuse me I have better things to do."
"Not so fast" said the goddess "because of you're trigger happiness I don't have any informations on who they were. So i'll need you're help."
"And what exactly am I gaining from this?" He asked turning back to the goddess. Zoe looked ready to murder him, but being the level headed goddess that she is. Artemis made him an offer. "I see that you're nearly out of bolts." He rubbed his chin with said metal appendage.
"Yeah ok, but there's not much that was said beyond the usual, oh gods please no, i'll do whatever you want and one of my personal favorites not my spleen." He deadpanned.
"Fine, wait here my hunters will set up camp for the night." The swordsman stabbed his sword into the ground. He sat down and leaned back against it as the hunters quickly set up they're camp. They also started a fire even quicker.
Bianca sent a worried look at the dozing off swordsman. "He just gets away with all this?" She asked Thalia who just shrugged, sure he was beyond violent and didn't hesitate to disrespect a deity, but he did save her wether it was purposely or not. Beside anyone who could shut up Zoe Nightshade was good in her book.
Nico who sat down next to the swordsman asked the question burning everyone's tongue. "Why is you're sword so big?" He opened his eye in the direction of the small boy and surprisingly answered his question.
"It's a weapon forged a very long time ago in medieval times. A king asked his finest blacksmith to make him a sword capaple of enduring the most intense fires and strong enough to cut throught the scales of a dragon. He did so, but in the end he had to run away in a self imposed exile, because he failed to make a sword wieldable by a human, to be honest even I have a hard swinging around that 400 pound hunk of metal, but ever since I got my hands on it, Dragon Slayer finally knows the the glory of battle."
"Who are you?" He asked a little more hesitant, trying to shrugg off his awe at the sheer weight of the weapon. Because the swordsman was pretty vague whenever the question was asked. "I'm the one hundred monster slayer."
"What?" Came Nico's confused reply "I heard about that" said a huntress sharpening her arrow without looking up. "Aparently monsters and demons have been terrified of a single person that slaughtered a hundred monsters in a single night, but that's just a story. I mean who would wield, such, a big, sword. Oh my gods."
She finished realising what this entailed. "How, why?" She demanded "I officially declared war on them" he shrugged "and guess who's winning" he added with a smirk.
"Oh my god." Whispered Bianca realising she was now surrounded by madness.
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