AN : You all are aware that since it is M rated there will be lemons, yes? Okay, just putting it out there but I will put warning and divisions for anyone wanting to skip the steamy times.
I won't put warnings for nude scenes and brief glimpses of said activity though since they probably won't be that explicit on those bits.
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Thalia woke up with a start when she heard a horrible scream. It was so full of pain and sadness that her hair stood on end as she jumped out of her bed and immediately ran out of the tent, completely ignoring the fact that she ran out in her sleepwear.
Screw it! There was an emergency and if it meant running out in panties and a see through nightgown, then dammit she was going to do it.
She'd only grabbed her knife while running towards the scream, most of the senior hunters were already running with her in similar states of undress, some armed with bows, others with knives as well.
They ran through the trees as quickly as they could but as they ran Thalia noticed that the moon seemed incredibly dim and that worried her. Soon they burst into a clearing and Thalia spotted Artemis, bawling like a baby while kneeing beside what looked like a body.
Thalia and the others slowly creeped forward, shaken at the sight of their mistress looking so fragile.
"My Lady?" Thalia asked gently but Artemis didn't so much as react to her.
It was only after Thalia got close enough to really see the body that she understood why Artemis was like this.
"Di Immortals!" she nearly screamed as she covered her mouth and backed up.
Some of the others hunters close to her saw it as well and paled, one even stumbling back before throwing up. Others dropped to their knees in shock as their eyes remained nailed to the body and the youngest that just arrived started to cry.
There, before Artemis was Phoebe … or what was left of her. Her entire body had been mauled to pieces, literally. Her torso and waist had been separated with her intestines being the only thing connecting them.
Her left leg was missing and the right only had some traces of flesh on it. As for her torso, it was even worse. Her ribs had been ripped open to show that her heart was missing and her throat had been torn open.
Lastly were the odd signs of frostbite all over her body along with enormous bite-marks which probably came from a Hellhound. Even her blood looked like it had partially frozen over and her skin was a sickly blue with some streaks of black.
"W-what happened h-here?" one of the hunters, Mila, asked with trembling eyes as she looked around.
Artemis still didn't answer, only seeming to cry harder. Thalia understood why though. Phoebe had been her oldest hunter after Zoe died … and now she was gone too.
Thalia slowly walked closer to Artemis while looking around wearily. They had no way of telling if what did all this was still around meaning they could all be in danger.
"My Lady … we need to get to camp … please," she whispered gently while laying a hand on the goddess' shoulder.
Artemis sobbed some more as she slowly turned while shifting into the form of a 5 year old, clinging onto Thalia for dear life. Thalia held back a sigh as she picked her up, Artemis crying into her shoulder, and started to walk back towards the camp.
They would have to come back for the body later but for now, getting everyone in one location and safe was her top priority … while also taking care of a child at the moment.
Speaking of children, Thalia glanced around but didn't see Atalanta, Mira, or Umbra anywhere. She found that odd, knowing that they should have heard the scream since they were outside together when she draped that blanket over them before turning in herself.
"Kelly," Thalia called to one of the senior hunters, "can you find Atalanta and Mira for me?"
The hunter in question gave her a curious look before nodding and splitting off in the direction of Atalanta's tent as they arrived at the camp. Thalia on the other hand walked straight to Artemis' tent and brought the goddess to her bed.
She was still clinging on so Thalia sat down with the goddess on her lap and trying to soothe her. It took a few minutes before Kelly ran in with a frantic look.
"Thalia!" she screamed, "they're gone!"
"What!?" Thalia snapped back, the crying goddess momentarily forgotten.
"Atalanta and Mira, they're gone!" Kelly answered in a panicky voice.
At hearing that her adopted daughter was gone as well Artemis started to cry harder and Thalia could even tell that the moon dimmed from the wavering darkness that seemed to get thicker.
"What about Umbra? Any sign of him?" she asked in growing concern.
Umbra was bigger than just about any Hellhounds she'd ever seen, including Mrs. O'leary, so it was unlikely anything got to him. Hell, was probably the most dangerous thing aside from Artemis within a mile of the Hunt's camp.
And yet, now he was suspiciously gone along with the girl he'd been given to and Atalanta, someone who'd gotten awfully close to the new pair.
The body also made it clear that some kind of K9 did it … and Umbra was suddenly gone. Thalia felt a shiver run down her spine as cold realization set in, her entire frame starting to tremble at the thought of what could have happened.
"Oh my gods …" she whispered as she rapidly paled. "… He could have killed anyone of us … and Mira brought him in right under our noses…"
With her own words she knew that the Hunt wouldn't trust any new arrivals. One seemingly innocent girl had brought a monster capable of killing any one of them and they foolishly allowed it.
And worst of all, she knew that Umbra could stand mere inches from you in the darkness and you'd never know he was there. Never again would the Hunt feel safe in the forests and nights they called home …
...
Percy sighed as he felt the cold water run over his face and down his back, staining the dark marble bloody red. The marble in front of him was so clear he could see his reflection but right now he didn't want to see it.
He'd lost control. He was too new to having an animal form and all the instincts that came with it. He'd been prepared to torture her, maim her, break her until what little that remained of her sanity finally crumbled … but to feed off her while she was still alive? That was beyond what he'd wanted and it sickened him.
How could he face his sister or Rhea with what he'd done?
He sighed in frustration as he turned off the shower, the last remains of the water on his body freezing over before falling off his now dry skin as he started to move out of the shower.
He'd just gotten back after dropping off Phoebe's soul to Tartarus' prime torturers in the deepest parts of the Pit. Then he'd shadow traveled to the House of Night, their current lodgings, to get all the blood off his body.
Every inch of his regular clothes, save for his cloak of pure darkness, had been caked in blood and gore to the point he had to simply dispose of them and get a new pair.
Luckily his swords in their ring forms didn't get any form of stain even though he was pretty sure they had been coated in blood as well.
'What a mess,' he thought as he dressed only in a pair of baggy sweat pants and stepped out of his bathroom.
He glanced around his room, noting the large bed covered in silky, black sheets and pillows, the mahogany desk and dresser, and lastly a large book shelf filled with scrolls and books Nyx deemed necessary for his education of ancient history.
The walls and floor were all made of glossy, black marble with no windows though the ceiling looked like the actual night sky with even his favorite constellations glowing in it.
He sighed as he stepped out of his room, not feeling like he could sleep anytime soon. 'Maybe I should talk with Nyx or something,' he mused as he left into the long hall leading to the main foyer of the house.
But as he was walking a door a few feet done from his own opened and out stepped someone he really didn't want to talk to right now … or more like he wanted to but didn't know how.
Rhea's goldish-hazel eyes locked onto his flaming black ones, neither speaking for what felt like an eternity. It felt so awkward that Percy was getting ready to turn around but Rhea stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder though he tried his hardest to not look her in the eyes.
"Percy," she said softly in her soothing voice, "You should see your sister … she needs you."
He noticed that she tilted her free hand to the door she'd just exited meaning that Andromeda was in their right now.
"Are you sure she needs a monster right now?" he asked bitterly as he looked down at his feet.
He heard her sigh but didn't look up, not wanting to see the disgust in her eyes that he knew was there. He was sure that she'd been able to sense what he did in her barrier before he finished off Phoebe and erased it himself. However, her next words left him shocked.
"You're not the only one," she said, making his head snap up to look at her sad and regretful eyes.
"W-what?" he stuttered out.
"You're not the only one … who's lost control in their animal form," she answered hesitantly. Seeing his look of confusion she continued on.
"As you know, my sacred animal is the lioness. Well, most gods and titans don't take on the form of their sacred animal because they retain instincts and features of them."
"You mean?"
"Mhm," she nodded before pulling back her lips to show him a pair of fangs he'd never noticed before just like his own. Then she let her lips back down as she spoke.
"When I assumed my form … I lost control for three days and in that time … I … I …" Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she looked at him. She took a shaky breath before continuing.
"I've got the blood on innocence on my hands because I lost control and there is nothing I can do to take it back. So if you're a monster for losing control once on someone who deserved the punishment … then what am I?"
She started to full on sob now as Percy looked at her in shock at this revelation. Rhea, the kindest of the peaceful Titans, had committed a worse degree of murder than him. But … she was one of the sweetest and most forgiving people he knew. Besides, it wasn't like she was in control when it happened so why should she blame herself.
"You're not," he found himself saying before he could even think.
She stopped sobbing to look at him in surprise as he gently cupped her cheek and rubbed away her tears.
"You are not a monster so never call yourself that," he said with conviction as he stared into her beautiful eyes.
"But … I …"
"No. What's passed is in the past. Right here, right now, I don't see a monster but a strong, beautiful, caring, loving, smart, and gentle woman who's helped keep me sane through decades of torturous training and helped me stay positive," he said to her, their faces so close that their noses were practically touching
"Really?" she asked softly, looking remarkably fragile right now and depending on his words, could break like a glass sculpture.
"Yes, every word of it," he replied without hesitation.
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