Chapter 30: The wolfs outta the bag Part 1

[Artemis POV:]

"We need to get to-" before I could finish my sentence, a creaking noise filled my Chariot bus thing and soon we began to fall out of the sky.

"Percy's outburst must have disrupted the godly powers around here.. I never knew he had become so powerful" Analysed Annabeth.. I had no time to pay her any attention.

The ground approached fast and my hunters could do nothing but scream in fear.. I conjured as much power as I could to slow our descent, but we hit the ground no less hard.

"Ugh.. this Is why I'm afraid of heights!" spoke Thalia, I always found It weird my half sister was scared of such things..

"My chariot is wrecked and I am weakened by the land, we must proceed on foot from here" I heard groans of annoyance, we'd trekked through Alaskan lands before the enhanced stamina, my blessing valued so much is rendered useless here.

"Which way My Lady?" asked Phoebe, still cradling what seems to be a light head trauma. If Damia- Percy Is battling I'm afraid we will only be a hindrance like this. I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding and spoke the words I knew they didn't want to hear.

"We need to find a place to make camp and heal. We are of no use to our Wolf Injured and tired" I could already see the protests brewing.

"BUT HE COULD BE IN DANGER!" shouted first Thalia followed by Annabeth, those two were more alike than people realised.

"I know, trust me I know, but it'll take us hours to reach him at our fastest of which would likely further injure us. It is better to rest and heal to be of help later, you both know better than I how powerful that demigod is." Honestly, he has long since surpassed that title. I'm certain no Gods could challenge him in this realm.

"I- We can't- NO WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM ALONE!" screamed Thalia, Annabeth's face showed she understood as much as she hated it.

"T-thalia Artemis Is right, this is the best strategy.." Thalia turned to argue in betrayal until she noticed the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Alright, hunters pack up lets find a place to camp" no more words were said and we set off.

[Percy's POV:]

The storm kept alive around me as I waited for Lamia to continue, I have met enough wronged monsters to give her that much. A moment later she spoke.

"I-I was a Demigod daughter of Hecate, one of her favourites she'd tell me, I was accomplished. I had helped in the defending of Olympus from many monsters. My accomplishments garnered Zeus attention, one I accepted against my better judgement. Soon enough I was pregnant with his spawn, something that Hera didn't take too kindly to. Once born I tried to hide them from her, begged the goddess for mercy saying I'd disappear from Olympus.. But no, she cut them down in front of me! And cursed me to live with the pain forbidden from even the cold horror comfort of sleep! I have not slept in millennia and my sons and daughters' cries plague my every thought. The Insanity it caused my stains my mind to this day I cannot eat if it isn't a child I have starved to death more times than I have slept SO GIVE ME THE CHILD" she roared, This time however the desperation showed, I could see the conflict in her mind.. And oddly I felt I could relate to it all and the thought saddened me. Just what happened to cause this?

"Calm down Lamia, I too am a demigod and so I will not let you feast on them, but I will not let you starve either. Surely there is something you can eat that isn't sentient?" I want to save her from this, I feel like I have to.

"Damian, we need to get out of this storm. The little ones are getting too cold" spoke Anna, I grunted in agreement.

"Lamia, Join us, there should be a forest near where I can hunt for a meal. What say you?" she looked at me with a crazed, but faltering expression.

"It doesn't matter wolf.. I've tried! Anything I eat I puke up." ouch, I'd hate to live without food.

"Well you've never tried medusa's cooking. I promise you it can break any spell" I don't know when I started trying to comfort this girl but I do.

"... You'd really feed me? Why? What do you gain from this? I fought against you demigods in the war, I'm the reason we monsters can sniff out your scent. WHY would you help me?" She looked exhausted.

"Because for some weird reason I feel I can relate to you and I don't want you to continue down this path, It'll help no one." Every monster I help, reduces the conflicts of the future. Peace will always be better than war. Sorry Mars.

"Fine, but how do you suppose we get there? I'm betting you're not letting me free anytime soon" true that, I won't risk Fidi or Emma's safety over a Pitiful whim. I started to focus on her restraints, willing them to lift into the air dragging her frail thin body with it. It was now that I could see her clearly, she really did resemble Hecate with her red hair and pale figure.

"Hey! This is not comfortable!" She changed tunes fast.

"Be happy you're uncomfortable and not dead" she shut up real fast after that one.

"Can we go now? I'm getting snow In places children shouldn't know they can go" ok now I'm curious.

"Where can snow go mommy?" asked innocent Emma. Medusa Blushed as Anna distracted her from the question.

I instructed them to climb onto my back As we left to find a hunting grounds, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starving myself.

[Amphitrite's POV:]

"YOU HAD ANOTHER ONE?!?" I screamed at my unfaithful husband.. Sure he was no Zeus.. but he had cheated on me three times now, and one of them was a cyclops!

"L-Let's talk about this honey!" OH WE'LL TALK ALRIGHT.

"Don't you 'HONEY' me, I know you better than you think I do. I forgave you for Percy, I looked Past Tyson, and now you want me to do It again for this Natasha girl you've hidden from me! How long has that- she been walking around huh?" I was fuming to say the least.

"A few years after I had Percy." was all he replied. And somehow I don't think that was his last endeavour either.

"You know I was just coming around to the idea of having Percy around, the boy showed me the part of you I loved, loyalty. Now I see that was misguided. Clearly he got it from his mother and not you" I spat at him like he was nothing to me.

"Just tell me this.. Have you cheated since, and so help me lie to my face and I will join whoever wants to bring down Olympus next" I feared the answer because I already knew it. Hera is good for some things.

"I- yes.. I have" was all the reply he had to give. I should've seen the signs earlier..

"How many are there?" he refused to look at me. The man whore!

"I don't know, at least 3 more and.. One on the way." Suddenly I felt my anger dissipate. Why was I getting mad over him? He didn't love me, He didn't treasure me. I know this world of ours is anything but monogamous.. But the lies and betrayal, it's no longer a life I can live.

"I want a divorce"

[Artemis POV:]

Deep in this snow-cased forest, we came across what looked like a hunters Lodge, one built for a group by its size. And in use at that. I signalled to my hunters to surround them quietly and assess them. What I witnessed made my heart wrench.

"OI YOU LITTLE SHITBAG, GO GET MY FUCKING BEER! YA KNOW WHAT GET MY BELT TO YOU NEED ANOTHER FUCKING LESSON BRAT!" A female's voice, spouting abuse. Clear as midnight's moon.

"Y-yes Mommy, sorry Mommy.." spoke a petite boy's voice.. My heart hurt at the sound. No child deserves such a life male or not.

"No, It can't be, but they look so alike?" I heard Thalia whisper from the bay window.

"What is it, what do you see" asked Annabeth in a hushed tone.

"I see... my-my mother, but she's dead!" the air became heavy at her words. Thalia's mother was supposed to be dead at the hands of a car accident. The mania, as Jason learned her to be, was by her greed for youth and attention. I do not blame Thalia for running away from her especially if this is the turn out. How was she even alive? and why here?

Thalia said nothing as she watched in distress, likely looking for anything that she could use to deny the likeness of her mother. I knew better than most how badly her mothers life and death affected her. When Jason, the cheating male, told her that their mother was one of those insane Mania spirits, she all but lost it in grief. It takes a lot to fall into the level of insanity required to become a Mania upon death. The woman must have either been crazed with greed or stricken with grief.

"I'm not a bad mother.. no, I'm just making sure he is strong enough!" Her mental state was definitely broken. Something I wouldn't excuse this abuse for, Percy had taught me this impartiality over the years. To see the true victims rather than search for a reason to make the female one. She needed help of course, but he needed help from her first.

"Thalia, I think we should go in and talk to them" spoke Annabeth, I guess we were on the same wavelength.

[Percy's POV:]

We had just arrived at what looked like the perfect hunting spot. Freshly treaded ground signified prey had been here not too long ago, the river meant a water source and the vegetation was rich meaning there was a good chance this was a feeding grounds for something delicious.

"Make a camp here to keep warm, ill take the Lamia with me to hunt. If she tries anything I'll have to apologise to medusa for serving snake" medusa laughed at my words as they slid off my giant back to the snow-drowned grass below.

"Can't taste much worse than demigods" ooh low blow. But a good comeback. But I've a better one.

"Well I know one thing you haven't tasted with I hear is divine" I spoke looking smug. Get your heads out of the gutter, that's too shallow for this.

"Hmm and what's that Dami?" She spoke with a knowing look.

"Me" Ok can't lie the cringe hurt, but her smile made it worth it.

"Oh gods, just go and hunt Damian before we cook you and try it" Reyna said in mock annoyed amusement. Acanthis decided to remain buried in my fur, likely having slept through the whole ordeal. Why did I have to pick the laziest bird as my companion?

I willed the shackles on Lamia to rise and follow me as I set off deeper into the thick foliage of the forest keeping track of any subtle changes on the ground, trees and most importantly scent. For the most part she kept quiet in favour of not becoming our next meal even if I had no intention of actually doing so, could you imagine the fear on Fidi? Besides, I probably need a lot more than the little meat on her bones.

I was happy none of them had brought up whatever.. happened back with the whole starting a storm, earthquake, new shackle powers etc. Honestly I myself have no idea what's going on with that. It's almost like I can hear the planet's will and mould it to my liking. For now, I wanted to focus on feeding everyone so we can at least be confused on a full stomach.

"So What are you? No demigod can pull that off" Oh cmon.

"I'm not your average demigod. Look I don't know what that was either let's just get some food- no not babies- and discuss this with the others. I'm sure Reyna is having a fit" she was.

Moments later I caught the scent of some bison, a tricky prey due to their numbers and strength. To hunt only 2 without injuring the rest would be a challenge Especially with my size.. speaking of which. I can't shrink. Like at all.

I've tried it twice on this hunt and nothing has happened, no tingling feeling. No feeling of a block. Just nothing. I could grow and shrink back to this size, but considering I now came close to mid tree heights.. that wasn't very helpful. I hope it's just hunger.

"Bison to our left wolf" she alerted me quietly, being restrained has really tamed her crazed personality, had she not spoke, I'd probably have missed them.

I circled down wind using the dense trees in an attempt to hide myself. The plan was to find the elder ones, swoop them up in my maw and run away. They'd have no chance of keeping up, reducing the need to harm them unnecessarily.

The plan was a success and I now see how cats get a hairball so often, I can practically feel my throat filling with fur. Once out of the bison's reach, I redirected us back to camp having to resist the alluring taste of bison meat the whole way.

Once back at camp, I dumped the bison down in a sloppy mess. Medusa clearly didn't appreciate it but got to cooking anyway. I lowered Lamia to the ground, willing her shackles to allow her some freedom around a nearby tree of which the children were now forbidden from approaching.

"Dinners ready come and get it non-child eaters" yup that grudge ain't going any time soon.

"Medusa..." she looked at me with defiance before relenting and sliding a portion to Lamia who looked at it bewildered that she'd actually got some food. For the first few minutes we sat in relative silence as we practically orgasmed at the taste of the food. Lamia was no different as she cried with each bite. Like I said, medusa's cooking can change all hearts with a single bite.

"Ok are we going to address whatever the hell just happened or not?!" Cracked surprisingly Anna who until now had been silent.

"I wish I could tell you but I have no idea, I can feel everything! The ground.. the snow, the air, this storm everything!" Reyna looked at me critically as if assessing my strengths in battle.

"Could It be related to that story you told us? The one of the wolf king?" The wolf king story? Oh right the story I made up.. it did match up but I made it up so that can't be it.

"Nah what would I have in common with a crazed all powerful wolf that killed half the pantheon?" Now I'm hoping it isn't true.

"Because you just became one?" Good argument there. I really gotta stop lying.

"Who knows. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, there isn't any way to find out" what can I say, I didn't like being compared to a murderous wolf as awesome and justified as he was.

They all looked at me sceptical before dropping the topic, they'll be the death of me one day and it'll all be worth it.

"So what now? You've brought yet another monster into our group, soon it'll be more monster than demigod, no offence" spoke Reyna, she had a point I was getting too distracted on this mission to the titans.

"Acanthis? Acanthis! Wake up you sloth of a bird!" She stood up in her snow owl form, coat whiter than the snow.

"What? I was having a good dream about sleep" wow she even dreams of sleeping.. I envy that.

"Need you to scout the skies for the Titans. Or somewhere to sleep the night" she nodded before spreading her wings to the skies above. A rush of wind and she was gone. Acanthis while lazy was also determined, she'd finish what she started and because of that, she'd never start anything.

"So what now?" I asked the group, already bored.

"How about another game? I was getting into that mortal game you call Truth or dare" said Arachne to my surprise. Luckily the kids had fell asleep with a good food coma, had my power spike not energised me I would probably have joined them.

"Sure, who is gonna go first?" I asked, a smirk from the girls revealed quickly it was me. Send help.

[Fate's POV:]

"No, your suffering is my entertainment!" Clotho spoke with a hearty laugh.

"Make sure you send Hephaestus the recordings after all this" spoke Atropos.

"Already scheduled sis" I replied. I almost feel sorry for not feeling sorry for him.

"Say, did you remember to give him protection against his stupidity for this game?" asked Clotho.

"Um, I thought that was Atropos Job?" oh crap.

[Percy's POV:]

"Huh, I just had a chill.. Ah probably nothing. On with the game!" I love sealing my fate it seems