Percy Jackson-Estranged

Chapter 35-Release The Hound

Several days of travel had passed, a large group of demigods and a few other odds and ends with them seeming to be driven by a primal force. Rests were few, as it was unnecessary to the group. Hardly any of them were the least bit tired, in spite of little sleep. Now that they approached their destination though, most of this energy seemed to burn away, replaced by something else: desperation, and eagerness. These emotions were not normal, coming from a source that seemed beyond human. However, this only pressed them on. 

A large hill stood before the hunters, an obstacle that hid something behind it, something that seemed to resonate with darkness. Zoe looked up and grit her teeth, before charging the hill along with the rest of her companions. The past days had been trying on everyone, worries leaking in through their minds. It had all built up to this, and now, finally it would be time to fight. Their pent up emotions would be released. Yet, when they reached the top of the hill, they all froze. What had previously been hidden from their view made some of them pale in shock. A mansion of pure shadow, tall enough that it should've been within sight hours ago, stood in the midst of a horde of monsters. Waves upon waves of hellhounds, cyclops, dracaena, and more nearly encircled the building. It was an army that would be unparalleled in size, not even by Gaea's forces in the previous war. 

It was enough to scare away any opposition. 

Well, maybe not any.

As if on cue, a roar in the distance shook the very ground itself, making a few of the hunters lose their footing. According to plan, a shape swooped down from clouds, nearly a quarter the size of the mansion itself. Festus the dragon, carrying a number of passengers, blitzed towards the ground at an incredible speed, having broken the sound barrier already. His jaws unhinged, and a bellow rang out, probably deafening half the hellhounds on the battlefield. As he approached the ground, his wings spread wide, covering a number of people in shadow. Slowing drastically, the massive dragon landed with a loud crash, carefully avoiding stepping on anything. It's metallic body gleamed in the light. Its riders proceeded to step off the dragon, some of them falling off with no real grace. Zoe walked over to the most unsteady one, who seemed to be hugging the floor for all they were worth. "My ears... my poor ears... my legs... nothing works right anymore..." Grover whimpered to himself as Zoe approached. Saying nothing, the huntress sighed and let him be. The satyr would recover eventually. She had a battle to engage in. 

Taking one more glance back to assure herself that everyone was more or less prepared, Zoe pulled an arrow from her quiver and position it to fire. Closing her eyes and summoning up a picture of Percy in her mind, the girl bared her teeth and laughed. When her eyes reopened, they were void of anything but excitement. It was time to kill. 

Releasing her arrow into the forefront of the horde, she wasted no more time. Letting out a sharp whistle, Festus roared once more, before inhaling and bathing the closest of the monsters in fire. That was the sign. With a cry of emotion, Thalia charged the army, followed closely by her brother, Piper, Annabeth, Reyna, Leo, Hazel, and Frank in the form of a bull. The enemy did the same, hellhounds approaching as quickly as they could manage in spite of the dragon that was clearly unmatched. Their instincts took priority. 

Decimating the first of the hellhounds, soon arrows were flying in bursts. Zoe and Artemis loosed them the fastest, the arms a blur of motion as they repeated the process they were so used to. Zoe soon found herself overwhelmed with the desire to be in the fray, and strapping the bow to her back, she pulled out silver daggers. Smiling to herself, she darted towards Thalia, prepared to stand by her friends' side to retrieve who was most dear to them. Artemis looked over at the running figure, before narrowing her eyes and pushing her power into her next arrows. A silver light was emitted from her, and from then on every shot seemed to pierce hundreds of monsters in succession.