Percy Jackson: The Cursed Hero

The Return of the Huntress

Three Months Later...

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As suggested by Freya, I had managed to find the woods that she mentioned. And luckily, I had managed to make myself a home at the near centre of the woods.

It took me forever to build the house that I would be living in. I had to cut a few of the big white birch trees down in order to do so, but for some reason the trees would grow right back in record time as soon as I turned my eyes away for a split second. However, I didn't complain about it since it kept me busy with the house. It took me a while, but I was getting there. As for making sure the thing stayed upright and tough to break, I had to call Freya over to help me move some of the rocks onto the house itself and solidify it in place.

The inside was only enough for me to rest, since it looked completely bare. Only a bed, a roaring fire in the centre like a huge hearth, and finally some shelves for me to store some things. As for the rugs, they were pelts I collected from the animals that I had to hunt for food. As an added bonus, there was an abandoned farm not so far away from where I was, so I was sure to collect as much of the food and crops that I could. I was never one for farming since I wasn't very good at it, but I had to give it a try at least, otherwise I would be a very hungry demigod.

I was getting to finish the left side of the house, when I heard the sound of roaring monsters to the east. By my sense of hearing, the sounds were at least a hundred or so metres away from me. I kept my mouth shut, as to not make a sound or move. When I was absolutely certain that the sounds had died down, I went back to chopping the wood needed for the side of the house, swinging Riptide into the hard wood and slashing it into two. I was about to swing again when the sounds got louder than before.

I stopped completely, noticing that the sounds were closer. As I listened closely, I could hear the sounds of clashing metal, several roars of pain and the sound of a woman yelling out curses, as she was obviously fighting off whatever it was that was trying to kill her.

For a short moment, I wanted to help whoever it was out. But then again, do I risk being discovered? It's been over a year since I had any contact from the Gods and the campers, and I had no evidence that they were after me. Well, obviously there were people after me, but I was hoping that they wouldn't find me since I knew that they would bring me to Olympus to face judgement. Then again, I knew this woman needed help. And knowing how I hated the prospect of leaving people to their doom, I made the decision to help, knowing that it would probably cost me my peace and isolation from the world.

Shaking my head, I rushed towards the sounds of battle to the east. I had to rush pass bushes that were growing blackberries and wildflowers in the midday sun, but I finally managed to burst through into a clearing that was circular and was littered with the bodies of several monsters that I knew from before. The only thing that was left alive were a bunch of other monsters and a girl somewhere in her mid-teen years, firing arrow after arrow at the creatures. And to my surprise, I knew the young woman completely.

Tall, graceful, and gorgeously beautiful: dark brown eyes, a slightly upturned nose, copper-colored skin, and long, dark hair which gave her the impression of a Persian princess. And that proud regal look on her face always was one of the clearest images I remember her by. One of the many people I'd never forget in my entire life.

It was Zoë Nightshade, the Daughter of Atlas and the Former Lieutenant of Artemis.

She continuously fired arrow after arrow at the monsters, which I now recognised as Draugr: undead warriors that were killed in battle but lived again in abject fury towards the gods of Asgard. Now they were just reanimated warriors that looked like they had crawled through hellfire, as their bodies burned with fire. I knew straight away that she wouldn't stand a chance, and my suspicions were correct at this point since one of the Draugr swept his jagged sword underneath Zoë and she tripped onto her back.