MOONLIT [Discontinued]

Torture and Escape: Unbroken (M-Rated)

A/N: To the readers, this is an M-Rated chapter. I did not want the whole story to be M-rated just for one or two chapters so I put the warning in the heading only. Those who are underage are requested not to read.

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I'm not an angel, I'm not a saint
I've been a closed book full of mistakes
But when you're broken, when you're in pain    
I'll walk through fire with you

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3rd Person POV

Zoe woke up with a jolt in Artemis's palace. Her head was killing her. It was a dream, right? She thought to herself. They were safe, right? That was until she tried to feel her body. Looking down she was covered in a net meant to capture demigods and immortals. Her heart sank as she knew what happened was true. She tried to reach for her knife strapped to her thigh. It seemed that reaching it was possible but cried out in pain the moment she extended her hand. She realized that her hand was broken, and now that she was aware, it looked like she had taken quite a beating. The taste of blood attacked her tongue as she felt her lips had been split. Grunting in pain and trying over and over, Zoe managed to free herself from the net. 

One look around, it was confirmed that it indeed was not a dream. The Hunt was strewn across the hall, each wrapped in a net similar to hers and had various injuries. Losing any thoughts she had, Zoe rushed to the aid of her sisters in arms. All were unconscious so Zoe tried to wake them in the most sensible order. She woke Atlanta up first who winced in pain, holding her ribs. "What hap-" Atlanta asked but Zoe cut her off. "Not now Atlanta. We need to help our sisters. You are the senior medic, check for life-threatening injuries, and treat them" she said. Within 10 minutes all the hunters were up. Some were sporting slings and crutches for broken bones or internal injuries while most had bandages wrapped around various parts of the body.

"Zoe, wh-where is Percy and Milady?" Phoebe asked the million drachma question in a panic-stricken voice. The hunters were overwhelmed by fear, fear for their patron and the boy they had grown to love as their brother. Nobody answered as a wave of anxiety hit the hunters like a 100 feet high tidal wave. Everybody was rooted to their spots. "Zoe, why aren't you telling us? Where are they? Who rescued us?" Atlanta was the one to ask this time. As they continued to search the palace turning everything over, their dread started rising tenfold at each passing minute and each empty room. By the time they met after a fruitless search, everybody had been reduced to tears.

"It can't be. No no, they seriously didn't do it. No, NOOOO!" Palena screamed. She started sobbing hysterically. Repeated attempts to calm her down failed miserably as they tried to ask what it was about. Finally, when she did stop bawling, she just collapsed on the sofa. "I was the last one to lose consciousness. I heard Orion saying it but I dismissed it as delirious thoughts" she said, tears leaking again. "What ar-are you talking about?" Naomi asked, her voice quivering in raw fear.

"They were holding us as b-bait. They would ask Percy and Milady to surrender themselves in exchange for letting us go. From what it seems they did that. Percy and Lady Artemis have been captured" she whispered. The united gasp and the subsequent sobbing by the whole Hunt showcased how grave the situation was. They had no idea what those savages might do to the duo. Artemis especially was in danger. The Giants weren't known to be kind to humans, especially women and Artemis was a virgin. A shudder ran through the hunters' spines as they thought more about the things Percy and Artemis would have to go through after saving the hunters.

Shakily, Zoe stood up. Crying right now was of no use, she had to let the Gods know of what had come to pass. The hunters could do nothing to rescue them, so the best alternative would be the Gods. They had the right to know anyway. Gritting her teeth as pain engulfed her body from the previous wounds, hand in a sling, she walked to the doors and opened them. "Atlanta, with me. Sisters, there is no point in sitting and ruing. We will tell the Gods and help them in any way possible. All of you heal up and wait until we come back" she commanded. Atlanta too was having difficulty walking. She winced at every step she took, clutching her midsection as the broken ribs made even breathing a tough task. Together, Zoe and Atlanta literally dragged themselves towards the throne room, leaning on each other for assurance that one would not collapse before reaching their destination. The passersby gawked at them, no doubt thinking what could possibly have happened to them.