บท 3: Quest
Perseus entered the big house for the emergency meeting. No one had the guts to protest his presence.
Thalia was in a completly different place as the other counselors started arguing as to what needed to be done. She kept thinking about the prophecy that was issued to her and her only. One shall perish by a parent's hand being the verse that occupied her mind the most. She knew that by all means she shouldn't exist, but would her father really kill her to fix this mistake?
His track record said yes, but Zeus was quite the hypocrite as well too. Maybe parent just meant a family member, maybe Hades was coming after her again. The thought somewhat comforted her. At least there's a chance it won't be her own father.
"This is ridiculous" Zoe stated once she was done playing with a ping pong paddle. "I'll take the hunt with me and we'll find our goddess."
"Yeah and contradict a prophecy, because that always ends well." Snarked Silena Beauregard. The daughter of Aphrodite didn't carry in her heart those who mocked love. "
"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware fools had a say in the decisions taken here." Before Silena could speak up or tackle Zoe who knows with the look on her face it might have been both. Charles Beckendorf spoke up. The afro American didn't speak much, but considering the fact that his voice is deeper than a pit and taller than Perseus. People tended to listen when he spoke.
"This decision doesn't go to any of us. It goes to Thalia, beside the prophecy stated that hunters and campers would prevail. If you really want this to succeed we're going to have to work together." Zoe narrowed her eyes at him, but Beckendorf wasn't impressed. Which made Perseus chuckled lightly. He passed by Thalia's chair and flicked her on the temple. Knocking her out of her thoughts. "Wha-"
"Who are you taking with you?" Zoe interrupted. Thalia gave it some thought before taking her first pick. "Grover is perfect, he knows many spells that will be useful finding Artemis. Who i'm assuming is the goddess in chains.
Zoe nodded "you are correct, as for me i'll bring along Bianca and Pheobe with us."
"Yeah i'm gonna have to jump in, no and I mean hell no. She's too green, especially to go against something that managed to emprison Artemis of all people." Perseus interrupted.
"This isn't you're decision to make boy!" Sneered Zoe outrage written all over her face. "Well considering i'm still obligated to protect her until her father gets his head out of his ass, I do have a say in this. And she's not going." Perseus stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Zoe jumped to her feet making her chair fall backward. "You dare-"
"Yeah I do, why do you even sound surprised being daring is kinda my shtick. Beside the only thing that could have forcefully taken Artemis to wherever she is, is one another stronger olympian and two a powerful titan. I know more than anyone it's best to learn on the job, but this is pushing it a bit far. Either way this is a vital quest to you isn't it? So why not just bring who you consider the best in you're troops to find you're goddess?"
Zoe's eye twitched, her face turned red under Perseus's satisfied smile, earned from Zoe's strong reaction. "He's got a point" softly interjected Thalia "Bianca literally has no training and the blessing of a Goddess can only do so much."
"FINE!" Zoe snapped "but he is not coming anywhere near-"
"Actually, if he wishes to. Could you also come with us?" Thalia asked in an uncharacteristicaly polite manner.
Percy held his chin thoughtfully "well I have an open spot in my schedule between killing demons and fucking with gods. So yeah I guess i'm in, tell me when you're ready." He said over his shoulder as he left the meeting.
"This is a monumental mistake!" Exclaimed Zoe slamming her hands on the table.
"Why?!" Thalia shouted back "he's literally a killing machine, exactly what we'll need."
"Insane is what that boy is! He'll be the death of us!"
"I've already made my decision." Thalia stated crossing her arms.
"A foolish decision! Does thou not know what this ruffian is capable of!"
Thalia huffed "i've been on the front rowes of what he's capable of. So why wouldn't I want the guy who can swing a giant ass sword like it's a toy on my side?" Thalia demanded.
"He serves nobody, that boy has no allegiance whatsoever. Without mentioning his never ending bloodlust. He might be working with us now, but not even the gods know how long that will last. When he does abandon us for his own selfish gain think back to you're decision, foolish child." Zoe spat stomping away.
"Who took a shit in her cereal." Scoffed Connor Stoll. Not really helping the situation, but none spoke up. Since his brother was still in the infirmary because of what Phoebe did.
Thalia walked back to her cabin to prepare. She wondered about Zoe's words. They sounded extremly personal, but as much as she disliked the huntress, she had to admit she knew next to nothing about the violent swordsman.
She slept on those thoughts, after all sleep was the best source of counsel, but of course her sleep couldn't be peaceful for once.
She didn't recognise the space around her. All she saw was the gigantic eclipse hanging in the dark blood red sky. Thalia walked towards the moon covered sun. She abruptly stopped as she heard the splotch of water. Or so she thought, as she realised in pure horror that she was standing in a literal sea of blood.
A sea that stretched in every imaginable directions. She wasn't sure what happened next, it's almost like her mortal mind couldn't comprehend what it was seeing.
She saw a hand, reaching Nowhere and everywhere. Creatures without forms monsters her deepest and darkest nightmares could never hope to conjure.
Next came the screams, horror sorrow and overwhelming suffering invaded her senses, but amongst all of the adult voices one stood out.
The voice of a child, who's scream didn't speak of fear or pain, but of pure unyielding rage.
Thalia woke up screaming at the top of her lungs the horryfing vision still painfully fresh. Grover ran in, it was morning. Just these few maddening moments lasted all night?
Perseus stood in the doorframe looking on as Grover asked her if she was okay. A foreboding feeling settling over his mind.
A few hours later everyone was ready, but there was a problem with storage.
"No way in hell." Perseus snapped "come on you can't just lay the sword on us, we'll be killed for sure if we get into an accident." Protested Grover.
"I'm not putting my sword away when i'll obviously need it!" He snapped back.
"Come on man you've got plenty of weapons on you already." Thalia replied annoyed. She had a point, but Perseus still grumbled about her and the other's stupid lack of foresight.
The trip was surprisingly calm. Thalia and Zoe not being at each other's throat for once. Although Pheobe was less than pleased about Perseus joining. Unlike her Zoe knows full well that even if the entire hunt tried to stop him, it wouldn't work.
She could only hope that he would bite the dust eventually.
"So..." Grover trailed off after a much too lengthy silence. "Who's you're godly parent?"
"Assuming I have one." Scoffed the swordsman. "Oh please, a regular human couldn't swing around a sword that large." Scoffed back Zoe, her tone sounding much more mocking than teasing Perseus.
"What do you know about humanity?" Coldy shot back Percy.
"I've been mortal before." Neutrally replied the old huntress.
"Yeah, and now you're barely immortal and you've been looking down on people ever since. Like you were inherently superior to others. When in reality all the qualifications for joining your little feminazi squad is to be a hateful sexist virgin with a troubled past."
"I will turn this vehicule around and--"
"And what? Shoot me? Stab me, burn me? Strike me down with lightning, sick a mutated squirel of death at me? Please do get something original or I won't even give you the time of the day."
"A mutated squirel of death?" Thalia breathed incredulously, wondering if he was messing with them or not."
"Devil forgemasters." Perseus answered the silent question.
"What the hell is a devil forgemasters?"
Perseus groaned "what do they fucking teach you at this damn camp?"
"How to fight monsters and survive." Thalia answered defensively.
"And?" He added expectantly.
"And what?" Thalia demanded.
"Don't they teach you about the more relatively modern stuff? Forgemasters have been around since the medieval age when alchemy was at the height of it's popularity."
"And what do those forgemasters do exactly?" Grover wondered aloud, expecting to soon regret even asking.
"They are dark magicians who practice Alchemy in tandem with necromancy, ressurecting corpses and turning them into they're own twisted servants with the help of enchanted tools." Answered Zoe having fought more than a few back in the medieval age.
"I thought they were extinct." She added having temporarily forgotten her indignation. She shared a look with Perseus in the rearview mirror.
"We both know knowledge like that never stays gone forever." He stated his good eye boring into her soul.
Zoe brought her eyes back on the road. Reminiscing the first time she layed eyes on that cold rage filled orb.
It was supposed to be a normal hunt, but the wolves took one whiff of a particular smell before bolting off in the opposite direction of the specific monster they were hunting.
Zoe had a hard time keeping up with her mistress as she followed the hounds.
What they found wasn't a monster, but it would end up becoming far far worse.
A young boy, barely twelve by the looks of it was bashing in the skull of one of they're wolf with a rock, knee deep in a river. Zoe went to shoot the boy, only to dissable him, but Artemis lowered her arm.
It's then that she noticed the eyes of the wolves were glazed over, like an outside force was compeling them to act in this way. Which made sense since every hound the hunt ever trained were taught to never harm a child like this.
She considered helping him, but as he sent a wolf twice his size flying with a swipe of his arm. She realised the possessed animals were the one in need of help.
"Milady." Breathed Zoe pointing at the glowing brand on his nape.
"A curse, not one i've ever seen before." Answered the Goddess narrowing her eyes.
The tired boy was knocked to the ground by a wolf. It's maw agressively snapping inches away from his face. He kept it at bay with his forearm and to her shock started hitting the wolf with his other arm, or to be more precise, his stump.
While a strange near mad thing to do, it worked. The boy quickly and savagely stomping the head of the wolf until it was a bloody paste.
He panted angrily, his body covered in dark blood from head to toe. He threw his head back screaming in what she could only describe as pure rage.
A sound no child should ever be able to produce.
She went to move towards him, but the snapping branch under her foot made him bolt off faster than an olympic runner.
Zoe tried to run after him, curious as to what in the god's name was going on, but Artemis stopped her.
"Leave him be Zoe." She calmly ordered "but my lady, that child is at deaths door."
"Believe me there is no one more angry to have to leave a small child in this condition." She replied softly, but I sense something dark, something that might bring us danger that we do not know how to face. Let us pray that he finds his way to safety." Zoe rarely saw her mistress so mournful, but she couldn't exactly blame her for having little hope for his survival.
Now barely a few years later she is on a quest with said boy. She looked at him and could only see the scrawny bloodied child fighting for his life. Not the cold and arguably mad killer with a monstruous weapon.
What happened to him? Her curiosity demanded, but it seemed that he learned how to remain secretive.
So she asked him a single question that she honestly shouldn't have.
"Who is Sally Jackson?"
Perseus stiffened a look of uncontrolable rage mixed with deepless sadness crossing his features.
He took an audibly deep breath, Thalia swearing that ground shook a little as he did.
"She was an angel."
He muttered, his voice unbelievably small. "That was private." He added coldy.
Zoe shrugged carelessly "can you blame me? Thou is a secretive person my curiosity had to be somewhat satiated."
"How about I satiate my bloodlust by snapping your fucking neck!" He bit back, agressivity crawling back into his voice like a lone blood thirsty wolf.
"NONE OF THAT!" Thalia suddenly yelled sensing an impending fight. "All three of you!" She snapped "we're trying to find Artemis so please, let's not kill each other on the way."
"Agreed." Percy said after a moment "we kill each other afterward."
"Agreed." Simultaniously replied both hunters.
"Oh gods what did I do." She groaned burrying her face in her hands.
Grover comfortably patted her shoulder. Knowing full well that what she had assembled could only be described in one way.
A fucking mess.
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