Forgotten prophecy

Chapter 53

Ryker stood on the limb of a tree several hundred yards away from the borders of Camp Jupiter, his image dissolved in the gloom by the shadowy folds of his dark clothing. He made scarcely more sound than the wind itself as he looked over the camp, his face drawn and composed. His bow was held lightly in the hand that Orion had given him, his arrows on his back. He gazed over the camp, illuminated by torchlight, and watched the unknowing demigods go about their daily tasks seemingly without a care in the world. Ryker made a noise of disparagement and gave a slight shake of his head. He stepped off the branch and slipped down quietly to the forest floor. At the bottom of the tree stood Orion, his large red and black bow casually being rested on as a makeshift crutch. The Giant smiled slightly at the hunter and rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't be so angry." Orion offered good-naturedly, patting Ryker on the back and earning a fearsome scowl. "It's only death. It's not so bad, trust me."

"You resurrect in Tartarus." Ryker reminded him coldly. "If what you told me is true, this will not nearly be so easy for me."

"I don't know if anyone else has ever told you this, but nothing in this world comes easy. Especially the sort of freedom from the gods and their games that you so desire." Orion told him, mirroring Ryker's icy tone. "You've made enemies of both sides now."

"Because of your scheming." Ryker reminded him, scowling deeply. "Had you been forthright about Tartarus's plan for me in the beginning this might have gone differently."

"Maybe." Orion admitted. "But maybe not in a good way. Maybe he would have killed you outright. Or maybe the gods would have sank their claws in you again and dragged you back to answer their beck and call. It's best not to dwell on the past."

Ryker glanced up at the moon and sighed. He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, opening his eyes and assuming an emotionless façade. "It's time." He told Orion, turning on his heel and striding off towards the camp. He paused right at the clearing's edge and glanced back at the Giant. "If they try to capture me you know what you have to do. And you had better be right about what's going to happen... after. Otherwise when I come back it won't be for Tartarus. It will be for you."

"How about you just focus on making it back first?" Orion suggested with a bark of laughter. "And try not to take too long."

With a sneer and another sound of disparagement Ryker slipped into the dark of the night and faded into the woods. He breezed past the sentries with barely more effort than walking a straight line. Neither of the demigods seemed even remotely aware of how close they had come to meeting with the very monster that had been terrorizing their camp. Once within the borders of the camp Ryker slowed his progress significantly. He knew his target, but he didn't know where his target was located. He had observed the camp for several days, carefully planning out this final assassination. Her schedule had been hectic at best, almost as though she purposefully did not want someone to figure out her pattern. Indeed, there had been no pattern as far as Ryker could tell. A group of demigods walked by where he stood, his dark clothing blending perfectly into the shadows at the edge of a tent. Within the medical tent he heard the familiar laugh of Will Solace as he joked with a patient. The sound made Ryker feel strangely nostalgic, but he brushed it aside. If his time alone in the forest had taught him anything it had been that everything died eventually. No hunter was strong enough to fight off the greatest hunter of all; death. Before death nothing could escape. No prey, no predator. Nonetheless, it was an odd thing for Ryker. To willingly walk to his death. All his life he had fought for survival, fought to live and now like some cruel joke he was throwing all of that away.

He crept around the tent without a sound and darted from one tent to the next, listening intently for the voice of the one he hunted. But each tent that he went to simply provided more and more disappointment. He had just reached the furthest tent from the point where he had infiltrated the camp when he heard someone clapping behind him. He whirled around and saw a woman garbed in a richly colored dress smiling pleasantly at him. "I had wondered when you would make another attempt." She informed him, slowly crossing her arms. Her smile slowly slipped from her face to be replaced by a slight glare. "Do you know how much you vexed me? I had been searching desperately to find the immortal who had been killing demigods. I had begun to worry that someone even more powerful with the earth than I had been enlisted as an ally by Orion. You can only imagine my relief and fury upon hearing from Camp Half-Blood that the killer was in fact a mortal. Therein lied my problem. I had been searching for an immortal. You are not. Although, I must give credit where it is due. You are quite skilled at hidden movement and silence. In addition, that clothing of yours is quite something. Even as I gaze upon you it distorts your image. If I didn't know you were there I might even be fooled."