Percy Jackson protector of the hunt

chapter 9

Percy P. O. V.

Ares charged me, and I planted my feet preparing to take his attack. When he pulled out his big double handed sword. I smiled, and changed my sword to its normal form. He swung, and I jumped over and back-flipped, and landed a couple of feet away. I pulled some of the fire from the hearth, without him noticing, and ever so slowly started to wrap it around his legs, while I sliced and stabbed at him. After he attacked one last time I tightened the grip the flames had on his legs, as well as summoned some of the water out of the air. I continued to tighten the flames, as well as wrapping his arms in the water. Once he realized what was happening he struggled trying to free his legs, but he could barely do anything because I kept attacking him with my sword. He had a hard enough time trying to keep me off of him, but then I started to pin his upper body in the water, and soon all he could do was move his head. He cursed at me as I walked up to him, and tightened the grip of the flames, and the water. As I got closer, I let the fire and water mingle. I could feel the power double, and I had to be careful not to crush Ares. Soon he was struggling to breath, I came up and placed the tip of my sword under his throat. "I win." The look in his eyes, was one of fear, and respect, albeit grudgingly. I released the water and fire, and saw that he had burn marks all over his body. He also had something that looked like a wolf burned into his clothes. "Do you yield?" I said as Ares was leaning over trying to catch his breath. I looked around at the other gods, and saw that they all had surprise written all over their faces. I kept my sword under his chin, just in case he hadn't had enough. He looked at me, and before I could react he lunged at me, and pulled of my helmet. He stood over me with fear written over his face. "I knew it. Only one other person had ever beaten me, and it turns out you are one and the same." He went and sat back on his throne still holding my helmet. Every other god looked confused at what he said, that is until they saw me sitting on the floor. Then they had their weapons ready and were ready to strike, but instead of being blasted to bits Artemis stepped in front of me, and protected me. She reached down, and picked me up off of the floor. She slipped her hand into mine, and pulled me beside her, while every god looked at me. What surprised me most was that Zeus got up, and shrunk down, and bowed to me. What was up with all of the bowing? It was starting to get weird. "Percy Jackson, I believe I speak for all the gods when we say we are sorry. We should've trusted you. Ryan has been terrible to the camp, and we have seen his true colors. We have seen the error of our quick judgement, and I would personally like to apologies for our lapse of judgement." I looked at Artemis to make sure that I heard that. She looked as dumbfounded as I did. "You aren't going to kill me?" I asked kind of scared they still planned on it. Zeus stood, and started to laugh a deep bellowing laugh. He shook his head. "Kill you? Where did you get that idea?" He said still chuckling. I looked him in the eye, and said, "Because you demanded my death after I left camp. You all hated me, and I thought you still were mad and were going to kill me." The look on everyone's faces was one of shame and remorse. "Yes we did demand your death. However Iris showed us what had been happening up till the point where the wolf attacked you. After that we couldn't find you anywhere. However she only showed us a couple of weeks ago. Almost the same time that 'Alpha' came to camp with the hunters." I nodded still kind of confused about why Zeus of all people was apologizing. "So what are you going to do about Ryan?" I asked, almost kind of hoping that they would kick him out of camp. "Nothing. You have done enough, however if something like what happened before happens again, then we will not interfere with what you do. Especially with all he has done to you." I looked around the room awed at what that meant. That meant that I could literally kill the guy, and they wouldn't stop me. I looked at Hermes. "Lord Hermes, are you ok with this?" He looked at me, and I could see his anger, but it wasn't at me and what I could do. It was at his son Ryan, and I was shocked to see that his anger almost made him do it himself. I realized that if I hadn't mauled he probably would have sent someone to hurt the kid for being a jerk to all the other campers. I nodded, and turned back to Zeus. I pulled out my sword, and I saw the fear in his eyes. I turned and walked toward my father. I looked him in the eye, I said. "Poseidon, because you have disowned me, I am no longer your son, but I forgive you. I will stay with the hunt, and I will protect them. However I will not answer to anyone else, but Artemis." The look on his face was one of hurt, but also of slight joy. I could tell he was afraid that I would hate him. The fact that I didn't hate him, was the reason for his slight joy, but the fact that I would no longer be called his son disappointed him. I looked him square in the face and I didn't look away until he flinched. I smiled a half smile, one that almost had a sadistic nature in it. I turned to Hestia, and I bowed at her. Every god looked at me like I was crazy, but then I engulfed myself in flames, and all of the gods backed up as quickly as they could, well all but Artemis. I stood, and looked at Hestia, she looked at me and smiled. She walked forward, and wrapped me in a hug. I was slightly shocked, but then she pulled back and looked at everyone else. I saw many surprised faces, but the look on Artemis' was almost murderous. "Can a goddess not hug her champion? Her warrior?" The gods looked even more surprised by this. "What do you mean champion?" Zeus asked. "I have asked Percy here, if he would represent me, I blessed him with some of my powers." Everyone looked kind of shocked. I nodded, and said, "Are we done here? I would like to get back to Camp Half-Blood, and check up on the hunters." Every god nodded, but before I could turn and walk around, I smelled the fear in the room, but I turned back around, and looked at every god in the room. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Well you see," Zeus started. "Ryan has gotten out of the infirmary, and he has taken camp back over. He is ruling camp with an iron fist." I looked around, and suddenly I growled deep in my throat. Every god looked at me. "I can't believe all of you gods have let him come back into power." With that I turned and walked out of the throne room, with eleven shocked gods standing in my wake. I made it to the elevator, and entered the first floor. When I walked out of the elevator I looked at the guard, and said, "Hello, please excuse me I'm in a hurry." With that I turned into a wolf, and ran out the door towards camp. In about an hour I walked across the border of camp. At that exact moment Artemis flashed beside me. I looked over and nodded a slight hello. I turned back into a human, and reached for her hand. We intertwined our fingers and continued walking into the camp. When I reached the center of camp, I noticed that I hadn't seen a single camper walking around. I looked at Artemis, and her eyes said what I couldn't. We both pulled out our bows, and continued to walk through camp. We looked around everywhere, until we heard a noise coming from the arena. I looked at Artemis, and she understood. She started to run around the arena, to come in on the other side. When she got there I went up to the entrance, and looked in. What I saw, caught my breath in my throat. I saw Ryan, and Annabeth standing in the center of the arena, talking about something. I leaned in to listen. ". . .He has betrayed us. He has gone to the enemy." Said Annabeth. Then something happened. Lightning started to flash across the sky. I looked for Thalia, and saw that she had little bolts of lightning dancing across her skin. This couldn't be good. I walked into the arena, before anyone could die. When everyone saw me, they turned, and started to reach for their weapons. "So the traitor has decided to come home." I turned and saw Ryan there holding a sword. I let my bow disappear, and said, "Boy trust me you don't want to do this." I turned to the rest of the campers, and looked around. I saw that everyone had their weapons drawn as well. Except for the hunters, and the cabin leaders. I nodded the gods were right, and now he is spinning me to be the bad guy, again. "What do you mean traitor? Who is this traitor that you speak of?" He smiled, "Well mutt the traitor is you. And you are no longer welcome here. I as the leader of the camp, hereby ban you from coming here again." I smiled, but he couldn't say it. It seems like the chance that the gods wanted me to take would be here sooner than I expected. "On whose authority do you ban me?" "On my own." He whistled a quick short note, and I saw movement in the crowd, and soon there were a couple of Ares kids holding a screaming girl. I looked at her, and realized it was Jenna. I growled deep in my throat. This guy was seriously starting to make me mad. He smiled a sick sadistic smile. Then he walked up to Jenna, and reached a finger up and under her chin. He ran a finger up the side of her face. She jerked her head, and tried to bite his finger off, but he moved his hand out of the way before she could. "Don't you dare touch her again." I growled. "Or what? You are a pathetic weakling, who relies on girls to protect you. You know since you have left, I have flirted with several of your 'Hunters', and not a single one has done anything to stop me." I turned to Thalia. She knew exactly what I was asking. "We couldn't do anything to stop him. He threatened to exile us if we tried to do anything. We were stuck, and he also threatened to do other things to us if we didn't behave." I could hear the anger in here voice. I turned back toward Ryan, and Annabeth. "How do you plead." He yelled at me, using exactly what I said to Annabeth when I put her in the infirmary. "I plead innocent of all except for killing you." I pulled ou I t my sword, and prepared to fight, but before I did I said, "Campers. I want you to ask yourselves. Why would Ryan say that I am a traitor hmmm? I was only here for a couple of days, but yet he is demanding that I be killed or exiled from camp. I believe it is because he knows that I am a threat to him ruling this camp. I won't stand for it any longer. Ryan Castellan. You are the guilty one. I am simply here to bring about your punishment here on earth. What happens in the afterlife, isn't up to me anymore." He smiled as if he had the world in his hand. "Please, a mutt like you couldn't even scratch me. Let alone kill me. I am the greatest hero to ever live, and a little mutt coming in here thinking he is some big shot isn't going to scare me. I bet you weren't even a hero. I bet you were no one, and now you are playing all big, and tough to try to earn some respect." I smiled under my helmet, and I looked at Artemis. She gave me a nod, and I knew what I could do. I hit my wrist, and made my armor morph back into a watch. I bowed my head, so that no one could see my face. "You say I wasn't a hero, but I've done and seen more than you could ever imagine. I have literally been to hell and back. I have fought two wars, seen most of my friends die, and even killed a couple of titans, and primordials. You couldn't even hope to compare what I have seen, and done. So when you say that I wasn't a hero, you be very sure that you can support what you are saying." With those final words leaving my mouth, I looked up, and stared him right in the face. I saw fear engulf his eyes, and could smell it coming off of him in waves. I looked at Annabeth, and the fear on her face, was equal to that of Ryan. He charged at me without preamble, but before he could go more than five steps, an arrow pierced his foot pinning him to the ground. I smiled, as I let my bow disappear. I walked up to him, and grabbed his face in my hand. I forced him to look at me. "You took everything from me Ryan. You deserve to rot in the pits of Tartarus, but your father asked me to make it quick. However I want you to feel the bone crushing loneliness that you put me through. I want you to feel the pain of knowing that everyone you call a friend is going against you. I want you to know how it feels to have your father abandon you. The look in his eyes, showed that he was beyond frightened now. I turned around to the campers, but again I bowed my head to hide my face. "Campers I want you to see your 'hero' as he truly is." I summoned some water, and created a mist to make an Iris message with. I pulled out a coin, and said, "Fleece, do me a solid, and show Ryan Castellan's past before I left. Show the last couple of days." Over the next hour or so, Ryan's life was shown for all of the camp to see. How he stole everything, how he slowly turned everyone against me. Then something surprised me. He left the day before I did, and headed into town. The Iris message followed him, until it showed him standing in front of the apartment that my mom used to own. He picked the lock, and pulled a bomb out. He set the bomb near the door, then armed a detonator. The time skipped forward a day, then it showed him sitting in a tree, watching me as I pulled up. It showed the apartment exploding, as well as a sadistic smile on Ryan's face. I had seen enough. I turned and slashed my hand through the Iris-message, then stalked toward him. He really had taken everything from me. He took my friends, he took my mom, and he took my home. I pulled out my sword, then when I got to him, I reached down and pulled the arrow out of his foot. His screams filled the air. I smiled as he curled into a ball on the ground. "Stand Ryan. I will give you the chance to win your freedom. I will not kill you if you can't defend yourself." I looked towards Leo, and nodded. Leo ran out of the stands, and grabbed a sword from the rack along the wall. He ran over, and handed it to me. I threw the sword down in front of him, and backed up a couple of steps. "You have two minutes to stand and face me, or else I will come after you no matter what." I sat and waited, while slowly he pulled himself off the ground. Blood soaked the ground every time he took a step. He stood across from me, in a defensive position. I smiled, this was going to be fun. I made my sword a hand-and-a-half grip, then charged him. Because of his injured foot, he couldn't move as fast. I swiped at him, and he barely deflected it from cutting him across the chest, instead my blade sliced deeply into his arm. He screamed, and clenched his hand against his arm. A spray of blood shot out between his fingers. I heard a shuffle of feet behind me, and spun and deflected something. I reached out, and felt someone about two feet in front of me. I reached up, and ripped of her Yankees cap. I wasn't even shocked anymore. I hit her with the pomel of my sword, and she was out cold. I reached down, and picked up her knife, and slipped it into my belt. Ryan charged me from behind, however I caught his hand, and broke his wrist. He screamed in pain, and dropped his sword. I reached down, and picked it up. I set both swords across his neck, and I looked at him. Utter disgust filled me when I looked at him. I leaned closer, and said, "You are found guilty of murder, and that is enough to kill you, however I won't do it. I may be a soldier, but I don't kill in cold blood." With that said I looked at the campers, and saw that no one had their weapons out. I nodded. They had all seen Ryan for what he was, and that was good enough for me. He had lost all of his power that he was gaining. I turned and walked back toward the cabins, but before I got out of ear shot, I yelled, "Get rid of them. Both of them. They don't deserve to be here, and by the degree of the gods, I banish them from Camp Half-blood." With that said I disappeared into my tent, and curled up and fell asleep.