A BLACK HEART

MANTICORES ARE A HUGE PAIN IN THE BUTT!

                                         A BLACK HEART CHAPTER 3
A/N:- So, this is the third chapter! Hope you like it! Also... one thing to note is that, again, like the previous story, there is a new Son of Poseidon here, Hector Babington and uh... like in most of the fics I have read with a similar topic, they either omit the son of Poseidon or make a demigod that is too arrogant... but I won't do that! Cuz I'm bored of such fics... so I want one where both the children are good! Technically.... Also... I changed Nico and Bianca's ages from 10 and 12 to 12 and 14! For some reasons! Anyway.... On with the chapter!

"There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."

"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"

"Silence, you insufferable girl!"

"Don't talk to my sister that way.'" Nico said. His voice quivered, but Percy was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all.

Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. The son of Hades was calm but it made the hairs stand up on the back of Hector's neck.

"Halt," Thorn said. The woods had opened up. They'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. They could hear the waves churning and smell the cold salty froth.

Dr. Thorn pushed them toward the edge and Hector stumbled, and Percy caught him.

"Thanks," He murmured.

"What is he?" Bianca whispered. "How do we fight him?"

"I don't know but I do know that we need a distraction," Percy said as Hector replied, "I'm working on it."

"I'm scared," Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier of some kind. Percy's heart melted but before he could say anything, the vice principal's voice shouted.

"Stop talking! Face me!"

They turned. Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat, a phone. He pressed the side button and said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."

There was a garbled reply, and Percy noticed Hector glancing behind him, wondering how far the drop was.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump! There is the sea. Save yourself."

"What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.

"I'll explain later," Hector said.

"You do have a plan, right?" She asked and Hector didn't say anything. He was unable to say anything.

"I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading their thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"

A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled and nicked his ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible... almost like a tail.

"Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise, you would already be dead."

"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I..." Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."

Percy so wanted to break character and say that they weren't alone, that they still had a family, a brother, and a father. But he couldn't.

"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."

"Luke," Hector said. "You work for Luke."

Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when he said the name of their enemy. "You have no idea what is happening, Hector Babington. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."

"The General?" Percy croaked, still weakened by the toxic kiss. "Who's the General?"

Thorn didn't think it necessary to answer and looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."

They turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Percy could hear the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.

"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.

"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."

"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"

"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well... there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."

"The Great what?" Hector asked, seriously confused.

"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"

"Okay," Bianca whispered to the two other demigods. "He's completely nuts."

"We have to jump off the cliff," Hector said quietly. "Into the sea."

"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."

Percy wanted to open his mouth and say something but never got the chance to, because just then an invisible force slammed into them.

For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over their heads.

This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.

Thorn winced and growled when he saw it as Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"

Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed.

If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.

The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind them, but none of them dared to look and give the monster a clear target.

Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia with a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.

Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.

Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible.

"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"

"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.

"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow.

At the last second, Hector hit his wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal.

"Yield!" the monster roared.

"Never!" Percy yelled from across the field as he ran forward, jumping onto Hector's shield, and using it as leverage to cover more distance.

His knee crashed into the vice principal's face, pushing him into the ground. Thorn had better reflexes, though and lashed with his tail, which caught Percy in the chest and sent him flying back, right next to Annabeth and the Di Angelos.

Thalia charged the monster with her spear, but then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind them.

The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets.

The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.

"No!" Hector ran out to help her as he parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. He raised his shield over them, but knew it wouldn't be enough.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

Percy groaned. He had two options. He could either reveal his parentage to a group of unknown demigods and potentially endanger all of them or to get captured along with the others.

He looked back at the teenagers. Annabeth was guarding his siblings while Hector was guarding Thalia. He knew he had to do something. He steeled his nerves. He had to call upon the power of the dead.

He was about to stomp his foot on the ground when they heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—" His sentence was cut short when something shot past them like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder. He staggered backward, wailing in agony.

"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply.

It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Hector tried to swipe at him with his sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked.

The monster dodged his attack and slammed his tail into Hector's shield, knocking him aside.

Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess.

"Permission to kill, my lady?" She asked, her eyes on the manticore.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than them all, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was beautiful but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast."

She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!" He lunged at Thalia and Hector, knowing they were weak and dazed.

"No.'" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoe ordered.

"No!" Hector screamed. But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest.

The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!" And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, grabbed Hector, and leaped over the cliff, and tumbled into the darkness.

"Annabeth!" Thalia yelled.

Percy couldn't stop himself. He grimaced and ran after them, diving off the cliff.

The young girl, who appeared to be the leader, scowled on his foolishness and advanced forward.

The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.

"Zoe Nightshade." Thalia's voice trembled with anger.

"Perfect timing, as usual." Zoe scanned the rest of them. "Three half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."

"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."

"Annabeth!" Thalia yelled. "You have to let us save her!"

The auburn-haired girl turned toward her. "I'm sorry, Thalia Grace, but your friends are beyond help."

The daughter of Zeus tried to struggle to her feet, but a couple of the girls held her down. "You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said. "Let me go!"

Just then, a shadow formed on their side and a really exhausted Percy dropped out of it, grabbing a distraught Hector in his arms. The son of Hades sighed and laid him down and collapsed on the ground, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

TIME-SKIP-

When Percy finally came to, he was surrounded by Hector, Bianca, and a hunter. He was also inside a tent of some sort.

The inside was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke.

Behind the twelve-year-old, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others he couldn't recognize.

"Join us, demigod," the goddess said. Percy sat across from her on the tent floor as the goddess studied him deeply.

"What happened? How long was I out?" He asked, his eyes startled.

"Water Hemlock," The girl answered. "Coursing through your veins. You were lucky that you had us by your side."

Percy was confused. He knew all about the highly toxic Water Hemlock, but it just wasn't it. His symptoms didn't match the ones in the encyclopedia of toxins that he had in his library.

His insides weren't supposed to burn. And it sure wasn't supposed to take action so rapidly.

Percy was about to ask the question but was interrupted by the huntress

"Why don't we start with your name?" She asked, taking the young demigod by surprise.

"My name is Perseus Jackson," He said after a slight pause, and then, after another pause, added a question that had been bothering him for long. "My apologies for being so naïve, ma'am, but may I also ask what your name is? If you are okay with that?"

The young girl laughed, a beautiful voice that rippled through the air. "Oh... this must be the first time in ages that I have seen such a well-mannered boy in my vicinity!"

Percy smiled and said, "Well, what can I say, I was taught by good teachers."

The girl's laughter stopped but her eyes twinkles with amusement. "Well, to answer your question, I am Artemis the goddess of the hunt and the moon."

Percy's eyes widened and he immediately bent in a respectful bow.

"You, Perseus Jackson, are a strange male," Artemis said. "I look forward to learning more about you.

A/N:- So, this is the third chapter! Hope you like it! Didn't really involve much of 'Percy' Action this time. Wanted to keep it a little low. But you'll get more in the later chapters! Also... I am thinking to skip the next few chapters from Rick's book... like Bianca taking the oath, and the ride to camp, and the capture the flag, and the prophecy. I feel like there's nothing that I could add there... so I shouldn't really waste both of our times on them... like seriously... you guys would be reading the same thing... I would be writing the same thing... and then I would have to find ways to add my Percy in without making it cringe or forced. So, that's a lot of work... so I won't be writing them! I'm straightaway jumping to the aftereffects of the prophecy! Hope you respect my decision! Bye! Have a nice day!