The Male Hunter | Olympus' Traitor #1

Chapter 24: Annabeth gets Outmaneuvered

Sorry this took so long to get out!

The Hunt stood inside a clearing just outside Bunker 9, waiting for the Conch horn to sound. Percy stood with his group off to one side, while Thalia was with hers. Jacob fingered his ring nervously and glanced inside the bunker where his sister could be seen guarding the flag. "She'll be fine," Hannah reassured him. "She is a hunter after all." Jacob nodded as Hannah returned to crafting her shield and spear out of the Mist and shadows.

"You know, I never understood how that works," Jacob said, gesturing to the round shield on Hannah's arm and the nearly six foot long spear in her hand.

"It's. . . complicated," Hannah hesitantly replied. "Basically the Mist has magical properties, so when warped correctly it acts similar to metals such as Celestial Bronze. The shadows just allow me to control it better." Jacob nodded. He still didn't get it, but he probably never would. It can be hard to explain your powers to someone who is not your sibling.

Reaching his hand out towards one of the remaining patches of sunlight from the setting sun Jacob pulled it towards him, allowing it to swirl around his hands. He did this to several more patches before making it gather in his palm. Jacob then slapped his face over his eye socket, and when his hand lifted you could see all the light gathered inside. "What?" Jacob asked incredulously in response to a snort from Hannah. "It's handy."

"You're an idiot," she laughed.

"Well I think it looks cool," Jacob muttered.

The conch horn sounded, signaling the start of the game. Immediately, the Hunt sprung into action. Percy and Thalia disappeared into the trees with their groups, the girls on the ridge above the bunker ducked out of sight, and the guards inside went on high alert. Jacob twisted his ring to bring forth a bow, causing Hannah to frown. "Are you sure?" she questioned.

"I'm sure," Jacob nodded. "I've been practicing, and I know you'll cover my blindside. Besides, I grabbed my stash of specialty arrows from the Apollo cabin when no one was around," he grinned mischievously while nocking an arrow. Hannah moved in front of Jacob to protect him from melee combatants, something they had practiced many times. Although this time she favored his left side, intent on protecting his blindspot.

Maybe half an hour later a rustling could be heard in the underbrush, causing all the defends to tense up. It quickly stopped, but then started again as a lone figure stepped out of the shadows, Piper McLean. "There's at least a dozen more out there," Hannah muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Jacob nodded, but it could barely be seen. "Ms. McLean," Jacob addressed, raising his voice. "Are you lost?"

"Oh, I'm not lost," Piper purred. "I'm exactly where I need to be. Now could you be a gentleman and escort me to the flag?"

Hannah and Jacob could feel the magic flowing from her words, and Jacob's eyes glassed over for a second before the sight of his girlfriend snapped him out of it. Exchanging a quick look with Hannah that said, trust me, Jacob spoke again. "Of course," Jacob said as he stepped to the side and gestured towards the bunker. "It's right through here." Smirking, Piper walked past the two demigods towards the bunker. The Hunters guarding the area were both mystified and fuming that this boy had allowed the enemy to just walk right by him. Sending a wink to the guards inside, Jacob discreetly put his first arrow back and drew a new one out of the quiver. The defenders recognized the design, and struggled to suppress giggles as he drew back and fired at Piper's feet. As it struck the ground between her legs Celestial Bronze wires erupted from the arrow, launching upwards and quickly mummifying the Daughter of Aphrodite.