Chapter 3:
The morning came too soon for Rin as he was woken up by Artemis. He rubbed his eyes and looked up to see a ready Artemis with her bow and arrows. She looked down at him, "wake up Rin, it's time for a hunt, are all people in the future this lazy?"
Rin slowly opened his eyes, he looked at all the natural light that was coming from the outside along the upper edge of the walls. He looked at Artemis standing above him, the light was behind her giving her a divine look, well she was technically a goddess. Rin realised that he was actually staring at her, his cheeks turned red.
Percy shook his head as he got up from his spot near the fire and just stood there, "ah…. what exactly am I supposed to do? I'm not exactly the best hunter you know, I actually suck at using the bow and arrow."
Artemis shrugged, "it's alright just come along so that I can see what you are made of."
Percy nodded to the goddess, well soon to be goddess.
"Follow me then," said the goddess, she approached a side of the room that looked flat and plain, but when she pressed it, it opened to form a door which lead to a type of tunnel going upwards, there was a ladder built onto the side. Artemis grabbed onto the ladder and began climbing, she looked back to the still surprised Rin, "well aren't you coming?"
Rin nodded and followed her, he stepped through the door closing it, he looked up and began climbing. He focused on his grip on the ladder there, and once he knew he had a good grip he looked up, big mistake.
There a few feet above him was Artemis's behind, and Rin learned three things, one Artemis seemed to not have noticed, thank the gods, two to never look up when there is a woman climbing the ladder above in a dress, and three that underwear needed to be invented soon, like fast.
Rin's face blushed as he looked straight ahead as he climbed the ladder. The tunnel became brighter and brighter and before Rin knew it he climbed onto what looked to be the top branch of tree they were living inside of.
Rin came out of the hole and looked, and there was forest as far as he could see. The wind blew on his face, exciting him, something stored inside of him, inside his soul, a sound that demanded he run onto the forest and kill the first thing he found there.
Rin stood there on the branch, his eyes glowed gold again like his fight with Kronos, and then he remembered Artemis. The Artemis from his time, her character, the one time she had actually smiled at him, her loyalty to her oath and her hunter, but then he suddenly remembered this Artemis the one he was with, her smile, the way she tackled him to the ground, and how close their lips were, Rin remembered all that and then he heard her voice, "Forever the hunt."
Rin's eyes glowed, before Artemis told him to follow her, he jumped off the tree branch arms spread out.
Artemis eyes widened, "no! Rin!" She jumped after him.
Rin grabbed another branch with his arms and spun himself onto the branch, he looked up and saw Artemis falling as well, he reached out his hand and grabbed her before she missed the branch and pulled her up next to him.
"How did you do that?" she asked bewildered.
Rin smiled, the forest was calling out to him, he had to go, but he decided to play with her a little, "I'll tell you if you can catch me."
And with that he was off, he jumped tree to tree never stopping, and Artemis was soon on his trail, she was surprised Rin knew this forest so well, was he truly from the future? If so then how could he know the forest so well? If he was not and was a spy for Kronos why had he not killed me last night?
But even as all these though went through Artemis's mind she was smiling. This was the most fun she had in years! Ever since her mother, her brother and her went hunting. As soon she began to enjoy the chase.
Rin looked back and saw Artemis smile, he smiled back at her and he picked up the speed, he didn't know how, but he just knew where to go. It was like he knew were to step and were not to step. Trusting his instincts Rin just went with it. He needed this, to just run away from it all, from everything that had happened to him, getting stuck here, probably never seeing his mom again, never seeing Sara again.
But now he didn't care, this run for him was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time, and by long time he means a week.
But soon Rin ran to what looked to be a waterfall that lead to a river right below it. Rin slowed down when he approached the river and stopped to let Artemis catch up. He stepped into the river and let the water heal him, the ringing in his ears died down and the feeling of energy he felt was washed away by the calm of the river.
Just then a crunch was heard, Rin turned around and there was Artemis panting, "how did you do that? Even I, who have basically lived here all my life had trouble keeping up, I thought you said you weren't good in hunting!"
Rin simply shrugged, "I don't know Artemis I just…. I don't know felt something? something inside me snapped and I just ran."
Artemis gave him a puzzled look but shrugged. After a drink of water they set off again, this time Artemis took the lead. She and Rin were on the track of a deer and Artemis was really getting into it. Her every step was calculated and soon they were ducking behind shrubbery, the wind was blowing downwards to them. The deer was eating his fill of the grass.
Artemis drew her arrow and notched he bow. She took aim. The silence was deafening, before due to my ADHD I could never focus, never stand still, but now, now I felt I could be in this position all day. My very essence was waiting for Artemis to let go of the arrow and for the deer to fall down.
And then, THANG, the bow string was let go, I could see the path of the arrow, it's feathers cutting the air, and then in a second the arrow had pierced the deer hide.
The deer fell down to the grass as an arrow stuck out from its neck. Artemis slowly got up and examined the deer, it was a fine specimen, it was much larger than the deer that Rin remembered seeing in the present time.
Artemis pulled the arrow out and looked at him, "Rin could you help me out?" Rin nodded and they set out tying the deer up with some rope Artemis brought with her. As Rin was tying the legs together, he felt something.
The voice of Apollo suddenly rang out in his head, "Light the way to the future!" Yelled out in his head. Suddenly all the memories Rin had of Apollo came out, and just as soon as they did he saw a vision of something coming towards Artemis and himself at extreme speeds.
"Artemis look out!" Rin yelled, he grabbed Artemis around the stomach and jumped away from the deer. And not a second later that they did a giant spear impaled itself were the deer stood, and the entire ground was vapourised within a 5 foot radius. And the only thing left standing was the spear.
Rin looked at the spear and recognized it, it was…. no that can't be, Rin had just gotten rid of this guy.
"Dear me, it seems I missed," said the voice of Iapetus, and out of the tree line walked the titan. He held his arm out and his spear reappeared in his arm, he pointed his spear to Rin, "now, who are you?"
Rin got up and stepped in front of Artemis, his eyes turned blue like the sky for a split second. He took out his trusty pen and took off the cap, the sword extended itself and there stood Void Ripper. Rin held his sword in front of him, "didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to point?"
The titan sneered at Rin and charged, he thrust his spear at Rin's body and he managed to deflect every trust, the feeling of power he gained from Apollo's words still flowed through him.
Rin felt like he could see a second into the future, Iapetus's moves seemed to blur, soon there was a golden blur of a titan that struck a few seconds before the original that appeared in Rin's vision.
He then spun away from a strike to his left shoulder, he spun right and swung his sword catching Iapetus on his right forearm. The titan let out a cry of pain and his grip on his spear loosened, Rin took advantage of that and grabbed the spear from the titan, and once again Rin had taken a weapon from a titan. That had to be some kind of record.
Rin held the spear in his left and Void Ripper on his right. Rin had no idea how to use a spear, he fumbled with it a little but he held his grip on it tight. The titan looked up, he held his arm, his golden blood dripping down his celestial bronze armor.
"Who are you boy?" hissed the titan.
"Really you are calling me boy? Who are you Artemis?" Rin smirked at that little joke and Artemis who got back on her feet smiled as well.
Iapetus growled at Rin, he extended his right arm and suddenly the spear Rin held on to slipped out of his grip and back into the titans waiting arms. Taking advantage of Rin's shock, he sent a blast of godly energy at him, knocking the demi god off his feet.
Iapetus rushed to Rin kicking Void Ripper away, he then held his spear above the demigod's neck. "Bet you didn't know my spear had a charm that let it return to me whenever I wanted it to did you? Now DIE!" Iapetus raised his spear, and just as he was about to put it down he was pierced with an arrow to his already injured right arm.
"ARH You damn wh***!" screamed the titan to Artemis, who had already knocked another arrow into place to use. He raised his spear up to throw it at her, just then Rin kicked the distracted titans legs and pushed himself away from him. Rin then reached into his pocket and drew the reappeared Void Ripper out.
With his sword drawn he swung vertically at the titan, who had just managed to bring up his spear just in time to save his head. "How?"
Rin smirked, "you're not the only one with a special weapon, now taste my blade!" Rin pushed further down cutting the titans cheek with Void Ripper drawing blood.
"Enough of this!" yelled the titan, he started glowing brighter and brighter, then slowly he released his true form.
Rin closed his eyes and when the light died down he felt someone kick him backwards. He flew back to where Artemis was with her eyes shielded also.
Rin soon got to his feet looking at a super charged Iapetus, "now would be a good time for you to reveal your true form Artemis!"
"I don't have one," came the reply.
"What do you mean you don't have one?"
"I'm not a full god!"
"What?"
"Enough of this!" interrupted the titan, "brothers to me!"
And suddenly there were four golden flashes of light, and there in front of Rin and Artemis was the five brothers. To the left of Iapetus was Koios, titan of the north, farsight and intellect. Then to Koios's left was Krios, titan of the south, the stars and constellations. To the opposite of the two brother was Hyperion the titan of the east, light and fire and Percy's old friend Kronos.
"Well Fu** me sideways."