Chapter 3

Percy POV

I jumped to my feet and pulled out riptide uncapping it "we've been expecting you" said a dracena who was clearly the leader if the golden armor is anything to go by. "Normally we would make your deaths slow and painful but we have been paid much to make them quick expectedly the lieutenant of Artemis" at this Thalia stiffened.

"Paid by who" I said stalling for time.

"That is none of your concern demigod" he replied "now die!" he raised his bow and the others did likewise. I was racking his brain for anything that could save them I could feel water under the floor, probably pipes.

I tried to make the pipes burst but they wouldn't there wasn't enough water I could feel more coming but I doubted it would get here in time 'my luck has finally run out' I thought.

Just as they were about to shoot two explosions went off behind the dracena killing fifteen or so and disorienting the rest. They released their arrows but they all missed their mark except one which I deflected off my sword. The hunters were getting over their surprise and so were the dracena so I did the obvious thing.

I charged straight into to them hacking and slashing as fast as I could trying to keep the enemy distracted and buy the hunters time. I decapitated one and plugged my sword into another disintegrating them both Thalia was at my left stabbing Dracena with her spear and pushing them back with Agis. Artemis was on my right fighting like a whirlwind with her hunting knives and the hunters kept shooting volley after volley past us.

Even so we were greatly outnumbered and most of us were injured from the fall the only thing that was keeping us alive was that they were in complete and utter disarray. I saw five or six go through the door into the other part of the warehouse and Thalia charged after them. I wanted to help but I kinda was busy with the 30 dracena in front of me.

I sliced one in half and then the building shook as an ear splitting roar pierced the air followed by Thalia's scream. The scream distracted Artemis long enough for a dracena to pin her to the ground and hold a dagger to her throat "Time for you to die goddess!" it said, at this I had one thought 'Over my dead body!' and I felt a wave of rage wash over me.

Third person POV

Percy felt the water arrive, he burst the pipes killing some of the dracena in the immediate vicinity and distracted the one holding dagger to Artemis long enough for Percy to tackle it losing riptide in the process. As they both jumped to their feet Percy snarled making it flinch long enough for him to snap its neck with his bare hands. He then used the water from the pipes to kill the remaining dracena by either drowning them or crushing against the wall as they were blasted by water.

It was at that time that Percy remembered Thalia 'how long has she been in there 7 minutes more?' he thought as he burst through the door with Artemis at his heels expecting to see Thalia's corps but instead found Thalia with her back against the wall and her waist bandged.

Thalia POV

I saw a small group of dracena heading for the door to the other part of the ware house. So I ran after them determined not to let a single one get away. As I ran through the door it closed behind me. Something big roared to my left and I turned to see a drakon staring at me and I made the mistake of looking in its eye. For those of you that don't know looking into a drakon's eye makes you feel fear, it terrifies you in every way possible.

So I at that moment was frozen with fear unable to move the only thing that I could do was scream. While I was standing there a dracena shot Me in the stomach forcing me to break eye contact with the drakon as I stumbled to the wall with my back to it.

I tried to get out my hunting knifes but I couldn't move 'dang it the arrow must have been poisoned' I thought. As I slumped to the ground I quickly scanned the room, it was huge like an airplane hangar there was 13 drakons in it each as wide as a bus and 2 or 3 times as long 'so this is how I'm going to die dang it I should have told him I loved him when I had the chance now he'll never know' I thought. "I love you Nico" (Nico isn't gay in this story) I said to just for once have said it out loud, it made me feel warm inside despite the fact I was going numb.

"Some last words for your friend Nico?" a dracena laughed walking forward its sword drawn "We'll be sure to tell him when we kill him he is after all on our li.."

It was abruptly cut off by the sound of glass breaking and a silver arrow passed through its neck disintegrating him on the spot. A man in a silver cloak that had apparently jumped through one of the second story windows fired several more arrows killing the remaining dracena. The bow clasped into what looked like a silver charm bracelet on his left hand but what really got me was it was a hunter's bow.

He pulled out two silver hand and a half swords and charged the drakons 'do you have a death wish kid' I thought but immediately changed my mind as he killed the first drakon in 10 seconds by ripping off one of it's scales and stabbing it in the head with one of his swords up to the hilt.

Another drakon snapped at him with it's jaws but simply jumped backwards into the air pulled out a silver throwing knife and launched it at the drakon's eye with enough force that it actually came out the other side of its head and embedded itself in the floor killing the drakon instantly before lightly landing on his feet about ten feet away.

I was impressed by the ease he killed them but one thing kept bothering me 'why did that seem so familiar' then it hit me 'that's one of lady Artemis's moves I must have seen her do that a hundred times' I thought. Now with only one sword the man charged another drakon but this time killed it with a classic greek style move by rolling under it and stabbing up with his sword piercing its heart.

He then retrieved his sword and killed the remaining drakons in a similar fashion with a mix of greek style moves and moves taught and used only by the hunters of Artemis even some that only Artemis herself could do.

With the only thing remaining of the drakons being 13 big piles of monster dust he ran over to me and said "Stay still I'm going to pull out the arrow." I tried to say ok but instead it came out as a soft grunt. "Oh forgot the poison also inhibits speech sorry" he said as he yanked the arrow out I couldn't help but let out a small whimper.

He pulled out a needle and said "Just a heads up this is going to hurt but it's a small antidote and will stop the poison from spreading" and then without even waiting for an answer this time jabbed the needle in administering the antidote.

Third person POV

"OOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!! that freaking hurt" Thalia yelled

"Good you can talk guess that means the antidote works." he said calmly.

"Wait you didn't know the antidote would work, who are you, and how did you get a bow of the hunters of Artemis" Thalia said as fast as she could "to answer your first question no I didn't know if it would work I wasn't sure what poison they used so I only had a best guess from a daughter of Apollo. As for who I am that doesn't matter and the bow was a gift from my mother".

He said cutting away shirt around the wound but being careful so as to preserve her modesty "What are you doing you've already given me the antidote".

"That is true but only stops the poison from spreading for about an hour if I don't dress the wound it will eventually kill you" he pulled a tin with some kind of cream in it and put it on the wound causing Thalia to mutter a string of curses..

Once done he pulled a big square of gauze and taped it over the wound before wrapping her abdomen "Listen first I'm going to leave this here." he said picking up the tin "You're going to need to apply this once a day for the next week you understand?" She nodded "Good and second you are not to tell anyone I was here if anyone asks you killed the drakon's and found this cream and the antidote in a supply closet."

"What why?" she asked.

"The less people know about me the better..." he stop and looked at the door Thalia had come through the fighting had stopped and she could hear people running "You'll be safe your friends are coming, good bye and sorry but I'm going to need to take this." he said grabbing her quiver of arrows before making and inhuman leap and jumping out the window he had come in through just as the door burst open to reveal a frantic Percy and Artemis quickly followed by the rest of the hunters.

As soon as Percy saw her he ran over "are you...ok we….heard you...scream" he said trying to catch his breath.

"Ya I'm fine just look a drakon in the eye then got shot by a poisoned arrow no biggy" Thalia said in the most nonchalant voice she could.