Chapter 3: Gaining Acceptance

[Percy's Pov:]

I will not terrify you with the details, but know this... my fur looks worse than a roadkills roadkill.

Artemis had quite literally forced me to act as a meat shield protecting my little one from attacks I'm sure had the ability to at least dismember me in multiple ways. Nonetheless, I kept at it, No one hurts my little pup. And I'll take any pain to enforce that No matter what awaits me.

"That's all for today Damian, you did well for a male mutt. Aria will have the spare tent. You can sleep outside" snarled Artemis clearly she has no trust for me. Which is understandable since she is a man hating goddess, Besides, sleeping below the stars ain't so bad especially knowing zoe is among them, maybe I could talk to the other wolves and see what it's like here. I began walking Aria to her tent before Lady Artemis spoke out again. "Oh and Damian?" I stopped and faced her, "stay away from my female wolves if you want to keep what makes you male" right, plan chat to wolves is a no go, I need little perce thank you very much.

With Aria tucked into her furs I left the tent and climbed the nearest tree, why? I don't really know, only that it felt right and comfortable almost as much as the sea itself did. I thought nothing of it. 'So I'm actually in the hunt huh, never would've expected that one' I couldn't help, but give a chuckle at the thought. So much had happened in the last few days, I became a wolf (which I have come to quite enjoy if I'm honest), gained a dam daughter who is also the daughter of Iris... still no idea how to explain that one to Annabeth, maybe over a Nemo movie with some blue Coke.. maybe some blue cookies.. dam ADHD heh dam... I hate this sometimes its only thing that stayed the same, lucky me. With my mind no longer focused I decided to just let morpheus take me for the night.

"Apollo, turn that light off dammit!" And of course the sun got that much brighter.  "Stupid apollo..." reluctantly I woke from seamless sleep and jumped down from my overly comfy branch. "Aria! Time to wake up" hearing her stir, I waited patiently outside for her to dress and emerge from her tardis of a tent. We were so decorating that in sea blue and rainbows later, that'd actually go well together I think.

Aria sported a classic hunters jacket and trousers now only she had placed a sea green satchel around her waist with all manner of sewed on designs. The 4 year old already looked like a mini cute rebel and it suited her immensely. She climbed aboard my back and we dashed through the camp to the breakfast table, there we found the campers just arriving and Artemis already at the table taking a helping of the succulent dears leg. My mouth salvaged at the sight, what would I need to do to eat that.. no what wouldn't I do to eat that. Obviously Artemis noticed this and decided to take advantage of it, how wonderful.

"So... You want this juicy leg of meat huh? SIT!" she commanded with a sly smile and without out hesitation my wolf body obeyed. Wolf instincts errr 4? I'm losing count already. "PAW!" instinctively I lifted my paw up to her hand. Dammit, well at least it's not for dog food... well maybe if it was blue... dam.. after a few seconds I was released from my stupor when Artemis chucked me a leg of meat.

It was a tasty piece of meat well worth the (cough destruction of my cough) dignity. Not that I will ever admit that openly.

After dinner was complete I was introduced to what would be my future. An event they decided to call the "Wolf chase" and as you can probably guess the hunt well hunted me. With bows, traps, zaps and no time for naps . It was as if tartarus had come up to the earth itself. "He's here! Quick get em!" Shouted my oh so faithful cousin Thalia, dam this is gonna hurt like hades. After being zapped to the void and back, filled with arrows, chased into a dozen traps and denied all rest for hours the 'game' was finally over and the hunt was called to sleep by my new found saviour. I walked towards the location of our tent where Aria already was in deep sleep.

"Damien, could you come here please?" Requested, surprisingly Artemis from her tent, was it due to me being a wolf that she was so polite? I am still a male wolf or not. I trotted over to her tent and gave a quick bow to her, she earned at least that much.

"What be the matter lady Artemis?" I spoke using all the polite words my ADHD filled brain could muster. Her reply was one I was not expecting.

"I need you to find percy jackson, my wolves are unable to as they are busy". Du du da I'm doomed. How does someone track themself?!? Besides this is a temporary plan, I still have to fix this and get back to camp half blood and my wise girl, Dam I missed her. Wait why does she even want to find me? Did I offend the gods or something no not that I do that all the time and I'm safe.. ish. Oh well no point trying to figure it out for now.

"Forgive me my lady, but I cannot as my priorities are Aria and Aria alone. I dare not be far from her no matter the reason" while not the entire truth, it was still the truth, Aria is my daughter now and there's no way I'm leaving her in the hunt where these hunters can plague her mind.

"Hmm, fine but you find out anything and I mean anything about that man, you come to me first. Got it?" Wow, I'm a man, not a 'boy'. Nice to see I've the man hating goddesses respect.. I think and hope.

"Oh and Damian. I'm going to bless you as a temporary guardian of the hunt since the hunt gets along SO well with you and it would make having a male in the hunt that much more bearable" why do I feel like this is not a good thing. At all. Merely nodding my head I accepted the silver ball of pain into my chest, does silver even hurt me? I don't think I'm a werewolf am I? Nah don't have my human form, oh well. I set off towards my tent not really caring for any powers I may have gained. Once I reached my tent I checked in on my little Aria before heading to my cosy tree spot I'd come to rather like. Climbing as a wolf was no easy feat, but I made it work using my claws to 'grip' the bark. I said goodnight to my daughter in my mind before promptly putting my overactive mind to sleep.

The following morning, I woke to yet again apollo and his stupid torch light! I swear that god has ut out for me. Then of course followed a barrage of pebbles from the very kind hunters who wanted to oh so kindly wake me for breakfast. "Sorry hunters, apollo beat you to it". Thank the gods the hunts abilities come zoolinguism (an actual thing in the hunt). So I knew they heard me when they left with a humph, clearly hating that a male especially apollo beat them at something.

I trotted off to the dining table to be met with a different sight. Wolves, the hunts female wolves to be exact, all 5 of them. The wolf who I assumed to be the alpha looked my way with a look of interest that I hadn't expected. Being a male I'd expect to see looks of scorn and disgust especially since I'm a technically a lone wolf or stray? I don't know the term I'd use. "You are a strange one. Why do you act so tame?" Tame? Does she mean why am I not a savage beast trying to kill everyone at the table for that amazingly juicy pig I want to devour so so badly? After dragging my attention back to the wolf, I responded "I'm smarter than your average wolf" chuckling at my own words "I guess so" was all she said before turning her attention back to Artemis not before curling her lips? Up first. I'll take that as a successful first impression then.

After morning job allocations and my "training" I decided it was time to start planning my next choices. I can't stay here forever my wise girl is waiting for me, the only issue is everytime I think of leaving the hunt I get this.. feeling of emptiness like I'd lose something my heart desperately wants to keep. Is it a gaurdian thing? wolf instinct? The longing to remain in the Forrest where I belong.. It feels more than that like I have something or even someone here holding me back by the heart, I don't think its Aria either since I was planning on taking her with me if anything so who? With no answer to that question, I decided that at least for now I think I will stay in the hunt and find this source of longing. besides it not like I can even get into the camp, even if I did what would I do? I can only talk to the hunt and my daughter so speaking to them is only a fleeting dream. Sure Aria could translate to them, but that's no way to live. My best bet is to stay in the hunt under this false name, "who knows? Maybe life as Damian might just be more peaceful".

Realising my words were pretty much a challenge to the fates who loved to mess with my life, I spoke out... sealing my fate."Fates, if you heard that DO NOT. I repeat. DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A CHALLENGE!"

[Somewhere in the universe]

[Fates pov:]

"Oh would you look at that, percy wants to have a peaceful life.. what do you say sisters? Should we give it to him?" The sisters grinned a hideous grin before speaking in unison "why give him peace now? The entertainment has only begun"

[Back in the hunt]

[Percy's pov:]

After having figured out my plans, I walked around camp for a while since Aria was learning archery and the wolf chase didn't Start for another few hours. I came across a cave just north of the hunts campsite and of course went inside because I just wanted to. Once inside I looked around just letting my wolf filled curiosity accompanied by my ADHD lead me and of course it led me straight into a female wolf ambush. Thanks wolf side great job seriously superb remind me to give you a golden star after this. The wolf pounced on me pinning my body and snout to the cold ground. The alpha walked up to me again, no longer sporting the expression of interest rather an expression that clearly said "if you don't explain well, you'll die slow" she then begun to actually speak confirming what I had already guessed. "MALE, why have you come to our cave?!? You seek to mate like the filthy male you are?" As fast as she had said it was as fast as I denied it. "HADES NO, I have NO romantic interest in wolves. At all. None?" immediately after thinking it I couldn't help but think 'why do I sound so unconvincing? I do not like wolves, I'm a normal boy... well I am a wolf, but still she does look attra- not gonna finish that thought'. She looked at me curiously before nodding at the wolves around me who let me up. "If that's true, why are you here then?" Honestly I did not know how to answer that very good question that I had literally been asking myself the whole time. "I umm don't actually know, I kinda just wondered this way out of curiosity I guess?" She looked at me with the same eyes Annabeth does when she is trying to pry a secret from me. "Fine, since you're here. We shall introduce ourselves. My name is karla, the alpha of this pack. This is Anya a lone wolf. the others are bell, lotus and Rose who're sisters born of the same litter. I took this as the chance to properly introduce myself.

"I am Damian, the first male wolf accepted into the hunt and blessed by lady Artemis. I am here solely to care for my adoptive daughter" It was quite strange not having a mountain long list of titles to call out, it was almost refreshing not having to. For a few hours we spoke about how the wolves operated in the hunt, from hunting to defensive training with the hunters; not to mention tracking down monsters, targets and animals when Artemis herself was unavailable. I grew to feel at ease around them as they around me right up until we were having a jolly chat and laughing occasionally. Karla was actually quite the laid back girl-err wolf she told me about their history's how she used to run with lupa's pack until she was scouted by Artemis as an alpha, the triplets about 2 years older than Aria were actually rescued from their ex-pack which had rejected and begun to attack them, but the most interesting of all was Anya the youngest of the wolves at the same age as Aria and was none other than lycaon's daughter who was born without the ability to change human, similar to me in that sense. She was kicked out of the pack by Lycaon himself when he found out. Later she learned she wasn't a werewolf at all as she showed no reaction to silver their staple weakness, percy felt utter hatred at this fact and wanted nothing more than to kill him a few thousand times over. Content that the pack accepted him, he left once more for his comfy spot in the trees above, a place where nothing could escape his senses be it sleeping or awake.

Tomorrow the hunt moved to new forest to hunt the cyclops that had been reported there. Finally a chance to test my "trainning" I knew one thing above all else though. I must protect the hunt. I must protect aria. And I must protect Artemis.