Chapter 557 + Arachne 11

Truthfully, I could have just taken out Dawnbreaker and turned them all into dust.

I didn't want quick or easy.

I didn't want clean.

And she certainly knew how to make an entrance. I'm pretty sure I would be utterly terrified if I were in their place. Her presence was utterly deafening, even compared to what I had done moments prior.

Where I just casually strode over, not bothering to emphasize my presence, Salem practically radiated terror.

She gently held her hand up towards the ceiling.

The spell I had cast—the one that kept the 'blood' from drizzling on me from the sprinkler system—wasn't skin tight. It was more like a small bubbled area around me, and her hand left that safety to feel the blood lightly fall onto her palm as she pulled it back in with a frown.

It's not like she didn't know what was going on. When I called her and had her come over, she saw all the babies. Frankly, even she, who had killed villages and such in the past—well, seeing people use infants as livestock was disgusting.

She took one look at it and asked me who I wanted dead.

If I weren't in such a shitty mood at the moment, I might have been swooning a bit.

She turned her head slightly, red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. Her voice was soft, almost gentle.

I didn't hesitate.

"I want them to know what it's like to be treated as prey."

Salem scrunched her nose.

Her gaze swept over the vampires like one might glance at an anthill.

Just complete and utter disdain.

"Very well."

Then she stepped forward—and the Grimm stirred behind her in the shadows, hundreds if not thousands of red eyes all staring out from the walls.

A sharp, metallic screech cut through the rising tension.

Up above, on the second-story balcony that overlooked the main floor, Mr. VIP vampire had clenched too hard on the metal handrail and turned it into scrap metal.

I rolled my eyes because the look on his face really told everyone how he thought himself some type of badass.

Even among the hundreds of vampires filling the space, his presence now dominated the room.

For some reason, he showed not an iota of fear.

I had no idea if it was bravery or utter stupidity. However, at this point, I didn't quite care.

"I don't know what swamp spat you out," he said, voice deep and deliberate, "but you're in the wrong nest, witch."

I raised an eyebrow at his insult. The way he said that sounded like more than just a term used in an insulting manner. Like he deliberately called her a witch, emphasizing it.

Curious…

Salem didn't respond either. Maybe I would have been vocal about 'defending her,' but even if her face stayed utterly emotionless, I could pick up on the faint annoyance she now radiated.

One very important thing I learned early on about having a harem of strong women is that you need to know when and when not to 'defend their honor,' as it were. Sometimes, they enjoyed me stepping in, but a lot of the time, they'd much rather be the ones beating an idiot senseless.

I can't say I don't understand it, on either part.

Having one of my girls step up to 'defend me' does give me the warm and fuzzies when it happens.

She simply turned her head and looked at me.

"Why does this insect speak with such arrogance?" She asked, uncaring at the many 'insects' looking at her with bloodlust in their gazes.

I gave a small shrug.

"Carefully cultivated self-delusions of grandeur from living in an echo chamber, I would assume." I said pointedly. "That, or they're really fucking stupid. Which is also a highly probable answer."

"Ah." She spoke as if all questions had been answered. "I believe I understand. Some insignificant insects acquire a modicum of power and believe themselves important."

I gestured lazily toward the crowd below.

I nodded. "They're so low on the totem pole that most things don't even bother to acknowledge them, which led to this."

Salem just hummed.

The VIP vampire slammed a foot onto the balcony's edge, voice booming out over the room.

"Take them!"

Dozens of vampires surged forward, fangs bared, hands like claws. Any kind of semblance of rationality or humanity went right out the window. Frankly, I didn't know who the beasts were at this point, the vampires or Salem's Grimm.

Though neither of us moved nor made even a motion to stop them or to defend.

A blur of black and bone leapt from the shadows.

The first vampire never made it halfway. Literally ripped in half with a scream.

The second Beowulf slammed into him mid-air, jaws snapping, claws raking. The two figures twisted and tumbled to the floor, and only one stood up.

It's kind of ironic that Beowolves look like werewolves.

Was it racist to use Beowolves, considering that they don't get along with vampires almost anywhere?

Dozens more Beowulfs erupted from the darkness, a wave of raw savagery tearing into the oncoming vampires like a coordinated pack of nightmares.

It was rather intense. Might have even been a good show in better times. Unfortunately, the Beowulfs weren't exactly the smartest bunch, mostly operating off some kind of preprogrammed instinct.

They aren't living beings; their flaw is their adaptability in a fight.

Well, at least these ones. I knew that some Grimm got smarter if they lived for a very long time, but I know Salem wasn't taking those out with what were basically just her lowest-level minions.

On the balcony, the VIP vampire scoffed.

"Mutts?" he spat. "This is what you're so confident in? Hounds from the gutter?"

Salem didn't even blink.

She crossed her arms, expression unreadable, eyes never leaving the carnage.

The Grimm began to thin. While the occasional Beowulf would tear apart a vampire, it was becoming more common that several vampires would take down a Beowulf without dying. Though, that isn't to say they were coming out unscathed.

It was fairly obvious these vampires had no real combat experience. They were just relying on their superhuman abilities.

Hell, most of them were wearing clubbing clothing and didn't look like they've ever worked a hard day in their life.

It was certainly an odd sight, though.

Two groups of monsters just tearing into each other with reckless abandon.

The VIP vampire let out a barking laugh, spreading his arms as if vindicated when the final Beowolf fell. With a roar, one vampire grabbed the head of it before it had a chance to dissipate and held it up, followed by shouts on their side.

"Arrogant insects, was it?" he mocked. "Delusions of grandeur?"

He mimicked our words, mocking them with glee.

Salem didn't respond; her small eyebrow rose up.

Then something huge slammed into the floor.

An Ursa Major burst through the shadows layering the wall, covered in jagged bony spikes, bellowing loud enough to shake the rafters.

It plowed through the vampires like a battering ram, crushing three beneath its fists before hurling a fourth into the far wall hard enough to leave a crater.

Boarbatusks followed next—muscular, tusked beasts barreling out of the shadows with speed that defied their size. Their bladed tusks ripped through vampire flesh, flinging bodies aside like dolls.

More Beowulfs returned, pouring from every crevice and crack in the walls—an unending tide of black death.

Creeps and other smaller Grimm skittered out behind them, crawling across the ceiling and floor like a very bad or really good horror movie.

And then—

A hand.

It reached out of the abyss behind Salem, fingers curling grotesquely, as if pulling itself free, rising from the shadows.

A Nuckelavee burst out.

Its horse-like lower body scraped against the concrete as it dragged itself free, the grotesque humanoid torso atop it letting out a low, grating wheeze.

It stood tall enough to nearly touch the ceiling of the warehouse. The very large, industrial-size warehouse that could fit houses inside with ease.

The screams started again immediately; the semi-coordination the vampires had was demolished when the Ursa first plowed through them like an out-of-control car. Before, it was like both Salem and them were sort of playing; now, it was quite thoroughly a bloodbath.

The haughtiness was gone. The arrogance was gone. The sense of superiority had run away and was nowhere to be seen.

They were being hunted.

Unfortunately, it wasn't some grand setting, a warehouse, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

It was still most welcome.

They deserved no less. I wasn't one that took pleasure in others' pain or death. Unless I get pissed off, I usually just make heads roll and leave it at that. But every so often, I meet people that deserve a special bit of attention.

I wonder how the people back on Remnant would react to seeing the Grimm being the good guys for a change.

A vampire that screamed and cried out as a Boartusk impaled it on its horns was perhaps the best answer I could have asked for.

I rested my head against Salem's leg, and she looked down at me and gave me a small smile. An odd contrast to the screams and cries, the limbs being ripped apart and devoured, and the fighting happening inside.

Similarly to me, I don't think Salem particularly takes pleasure in wanton destruction or violence unless it's earned her attention.

Mostly some sort of chore to her, if I'm being honest. However, she too looked like she was a bit more…enthused as her Grimm left vampire corpses in their wake.

I gently pulled on her sleeve. "Leave the idiot up top alive; I got a friend that would appreciate it."

Salem looked at me, then looked up at him, the vampire—their leader, some VIP, some sort of higher-up. I didn't actually know his status, and I didn't care. But he looked utterly terrified now, as if he realized how he had fucked up.

Really, a lot of people seem to lose their survival instincts after gaining a bit of power; it's rather sad if you think about it.

The giant Nuckelavee reached out, its large hand raked against the upper level as the VIP vampire ducked for cover.

I could see him and a few others nearly tumbling down the stairs as they tried to escape. It looked like he had personal guards—how quaint.

I reinforced my hearing so I could pick up what they were saying over the noise of everything else happening.

"Get to the door! Get me out of here!" He hissed, nearly throwing his guards forward.

But Thorum stood there, as if forgotten by everyone else.

I don't know why the vampires still alive hadn't tried to plow through him to escape, but maybe it's some sort of unconscious need to listen to orders from their superiors?

Vampires are weird depending on where they come from, so who knows?

They pushed through several of their own, even grabbing some random vampires and throwing them at any Grimm nearby so they could make a clean escape.

The Nuckelavee was also getting swarmed. Vampires jumping onto it, trying to tear at it, but it was like mosquitos trying to take down an elephant.

One vampire I noticed made the bad decision to try and drink its blood.

That was amusing to watch.

The first guard went to grab at Thorum, not even bothering to yell at him or tell him to move.

Thorum, good-natured as he is, was also in about the same mood as me as well.

He grabbed the vampire by the head and slammed him into the ground, hard enough that it cracked the concrete.

The vampire was no longer moving.

The others trying to escape had frozen.

Thorum smiled happily, though I know it was more forced than anything.

Apparently, they decided that numbers would win them the day. Maybe it was their arrogance still deluding them, or maybe they were just desperate.

But they tried to lunge at Thorum, and he crossed his arms, letting them attack him. His aura shimmered golden, like dragon scales all over his body, and they couldn't even get past it.

Thorum then started throwing punches. Punches that were used to fight dragons.

Vampires were very much not dragons, especially this bunch. Thorum looked awkward and embarrassed as his fist went through one vampire's chest completely and out the other side.

The bashfulness with which he dislodged himself perhaps instilled even more horror in them than if he had just killed them outright.

Rather quickly, the vampire that had been mouthing off found himself all alone.

More literal than figurative, too, as the vampires in the building had nearly all died. Ripped and torn by real predators.

The Nuckelavee reached across the room and grabbed the frightened and squirming vampire leader, depositing him right in front of both me and Salem as it stood there protectively.

"Hello." Salem said sharply as he hit the ground, Salem staring down at him. "This is a much more appropriate eye level, is it not?"

The sounds around us had slowly faded, leaving but Grimm still standing.

One vampire was left within the building.

He looked around, and he too noticed as well. The term audible gulp was rather apt in this case as he swallowed hard.

Salem raised her hands; he nearly fell backwards, but it wasn't for him. It singled out the shadows receding, pulling the Grimm back inside, disappearing as if they were never there in the first place. And it all wrapped up neatly, merging back into Salem's own shadow.

"Have I ever told you how terrifying you are?" I asked her.

Salem pursed her lips, trying not to look pleased with my compliment. "Do you wish to deal with him, or would you like me to do so?"

By that, she wanted to ask me if I wanted her to keep him alive but wished he wasn't so.

I sighed. "Stupify." I flicked my wand, shooting the spell at him.

First time I've used it on a living being, but it's a rather neat spell. A stunning spell stuns a person, as you would expect.

"Lady Salem!" Thorum came stepping over the fresh corpses, not even batting an eye at the dead vampires. "Truly, you would be a fearsome foe to have!"

Salem's lips twitched a little. She wasn't used to being complimented, well, by anyone other than me, when she does something like this.

She's very much like Meridia, in that she doesn't care about things outside her immediate circle, but she likes it when those within the circle appreciate her.

Thorum, by association of being my best friend, is within the circle, so she likes the compliment, even if she doesn't show it.

Salem gracefully took a seat next to me, and I adjusted myself to have my head on her shoulder. I felt her fingers start running through my hair as Thorum hopped up and joined us.

The moment lingered for a bit, maybe ten or twenty minutes. I'm not usually this…melancholic. I can get over things quickly. Maybe it was just the alcohol in me that held it in place.

"Are you well?" Salem finally asked me.

"Hmm, just remembering how shitty the world can be sometimes." 

"Aye." Thorum took out a bottle, taking a drink. "It is a reminder."

Otherwise, the warehouse was dead quiet—save for the soft, wet squish of someone stepping through entrails.

Blade walked in through the front doors.

His coat flared with each step, boots echoing against the blood-soaked concrete. His gaze swept across the carnage, over the shredded vampires, the black ichor from fallen Grimm, and the claw marks carved deep into the walls.

Then his eyes landed on Salem.

His hand almost went to one of his blades. Salem, too, looked at him, and I could see her just flicking her wrist in an instant, casting spells, if she got annoyed.

"Peace." I held a hand up. "She's mine." I took her hand, giving that more meaning than he probably acknowledged in that moment.

Blade stared at us for a while, but he didn't reach for his weapon either.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked, voice low, tight with caution. 

I spread my arms. "Aggressive surveillance."

"Very aggressive." Thorum raised his bottle as if to toast to it, downed it, and then threw it at the idiot vampire still stunned on the ground.

Petty, but deserved.

You know, I don't actually know if he's conscious or aware in that state. His eyes are wide open, but he might not have a presence of mind while like that. Something I'll have to look into later, because that would be kind of terrifying in its own way. I have no mouth, but I must scream.

But Blade didn't laugh, and we didn't either.

He looked back at Salem, then at the stunned vampire slumped unconscious at our feet.

"Explain."

I tilted my head. "You're a half-vampire who hunts vampires, right?"

Blade frowned. "…Yes."

I pointed over at Thorum, who was currently trying to flick gore off his elbow without making a mess.

"He's the same thing," I said. "But with dragons."

Thorum froze. Looked up.

And gave a sheepish wave.

Technically, it was kind of correct. I just didn't care enough right now to give a full essay-level explanation on Thorum's existence.

"…Hi."

Blade blinked once. Just once.

"I'm a Mage." I decided to use a commonly known terminology. "Salem here is a…witch? Is it okay to call you that?"

"It's accurate." Salem said nonchalantly.

I nodded, settling on Witch then. I know Medea doesn't like being called it, and it has different connotations depending on where it's said.

"…The fuck?"

That's also accurate.

It looked like he wanted to ask questions, but I think he just decided not to. He seems like the type that doesn't care unless it affects his work.

Blade kept staring at the unconscious vampire.

"So, how'd your hunt go?" I asked, knowing he went off to try and hunt down some big, bad vampire leader.

"He ran before I could get him." Blade grunted, then scowled. 

"Unfortunate."

Blade just grunted again, looking back down at the vampire on the floor. "Is this guy the one who ran this place?"

"Yup," he responded casually. "Real arrogant shite for being such a moron."

"Sounds about right." Blade snorted. "I'll take him off your hands and see if I can't get anything important from him before he gets a morning view of the sun."

"Hold your horses, Dracula." I held a hand up. "Got a friend who asked me to keep him alive."

Blade raised an eyebrow.

"Ever heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" I asked, then blinked. "The acronym, government organization stuff."

"No." Blade responded, seemingly frowning.

"They handle bullshit like this, the weird stuff. I have a friend there, and I gave him a heads-up to come on over. They should be arriving soon and asked me to keep one of their leaders here." I gestured to the idiot. "If you want, you can bail before they arrive; I won't say anything if you want to keep off any reports. But if you want to stay…Agent Coulson is a good guy; it might be worth talking to him."

I liked Coulson; I wouldn't mind pointing people his way that would be worth talking to. Blade was…also kind of a straight shooter from what I knew of him at this point.

He didn't leave us to 'die' when he could have. And he was hunting down vampires; it's hard to argue against that.

"...government?" Blade repeated. "Really?" He seemed genuinely surprised.

"Worried they'll judge you for being a half vampire?"

Blade snorted. "I'm more worried about being a Black man with a bunch of unregistered weapons."

Did…he just make a joke?"

[Line Break]

Blade stuck around.

For the roughly…hour it took for people to arrive. Admittedly, I hadn't actually sent the information until things were settled.

As Shield Agents swarmed the building, he hung back slightly, eyeing some windows if he needed to escape.

It's funny, this warehouse didn't have fire escapes or other exits. Maybe that's why the vampires picked it out originally, but poor code enforcement was their undoing.

Or something, they were probably screwed either way, just a little ironic.

There wasy a…scene to investigate. They didn't come in guns blazing, but it was clear they were ready for a fight, not necessarily from us.

Some heavy equipment they were packing.

And it seemed to knock any wind out of their sails once they saw the carnage.

Sorry, not sorry.

However, my eyes lit up. "Coulson!"

Agent Coulson walked in, looking around, seemingly burning it into memory before he eyed us on the other side of the room. He took a long roundabout path towards us, one that wasn't covered in literal pools of blood.

Thankfully, the sprinklers had turned off.

Honestly, I should have done so sooner, but…. I was worried about tampering with the thing and actually killing the infants. It looked so badly set up that a wrong hit on the equipment might cause some damage.

Granted, theants were…dead in all ways that mattered; it would be very disrespectful to treat them so carelessly.

My healing magic was good at many things, but it was also weak in others. Blood loss wasn't something I could 'heal' in a normal sense like this.

"Mr. Schweinorg." Coulson greeted me. ." He eyed each of them.

"I didn't expect you to actually show up; weren't you still in New Mexico?" Because the whole Lokiing was…only a couple of days ago.

"I was no longer needed over there and was on my way back to the office in upstate New York." He responded. "I figured I would take a detour since you're not my responsibility."

Well, that sounds rough.

"Introductions?"

"Greetings, son of Coul, I'm Thorum, friend of Wilhelm!" Thorum was happy to introduce himself.

Coulson raised an eyebrow.

"No relation to the other Thor, just so you know." I quickly added.

Coulson nodded.

I gently raised up Salem's hand that I still held tightly. "This is Salem, my woman." I may have said it with a bit of pride. Salem acknowledged him slightly but was cold. "He threw himself in front of Jeanne when he thought she was going to be harmed." I told her.

And like that, Salem's evaluation of him elevated magnitudes. 

It's the circle again; the fact that I called him a friend and he protected Jeanne meant he was now not irrelevant.

"I'm Salem." She said pointedly.

Coulson nodded, not looking at all put off by her cold and detached tone.

Also, points for not staring or making comments about her appearance. She has pale skin, black marks on her body, bright red eyes, and white hair. Suffice to say, she did not look normal. Now, I found her absolutely stunning, and I'm head over heels, but it's worth noting that she most certainly stands out.

"Miss Salem, Mr. Thorum, it's a pleasure." Coulson responded neutrally. He then turned to Blade, and before I had the chance to offer the introductions, he spoke first. "Mr. Brooks."

Blade stilled, immediately tensing up and staring at Coulson. "How do you know my name?" He asked in a low hiss, his eyes narrowing.

"You've been on our radar for a while now." Coulson said simply with the slightest hint of a smirk, as if it were amusing. 

Blade stared incredulously. "Been on your radar?"

"We've known about the vampires in the city for a few years now, but the extentnt of their…presence hadn't been properly reported. We have since had to purge some intermediaries and found out that some positions had been compromised. We've since been reevaluating the continued threat level of their continued existence."

Coulson said a whole lot that could be summarized as some of their lower-end grunts had either been bribed or, through other means, they had reported false information previously.

Two and two wasn't hard to put together.

"Your name is Brooks?" I looked at him.

"Did you think my real name was Blade?" He deadpanned.

"...then why do you go around calling yourself Blade?"

"Because it sounds cool!" Thorum chimed in.

That…couldn't really be the reason, right?

Blade slowly lowered his sunglasses just a hint, and I could see his eyes. I knew everything I needed to know.

I just nodded solemnly.

From one man to another, I understood.

"Mr. Brooks." Coulson spoke up again. "I understand that you seem to have a very good…understanding of vampires. We at SHIELD would be more than happy to hire you on as a consultant, if not a full position, if you would be willing."

Blade looked genuinely surprised. "You want to hire me to kill vampires?"

"More or less." Coulson nodded.

".....this is the strangest day of my life, and I kill vampires for a living."

"Mr. Brooks, this is perhaps the most mundane thing in respect to my job this week." Coulson informed him.

Salem looked at me. "I believe you are involved there."

"I claim complete innocence."

"We're currently trying to open communications with Wakanda." Coulson stated, that neutral smile still on his face as he looked my way.

"...I take some responsibility."

"I would like a debrief on that, but let's stick with the priorities for now." Coulson took out a card from his pocket. "Mr. Brooks, my card." He handed it over to Blade, who accepted it hesitantly. "You look like you want to be anywhere but here, and we won't stop you from leaving. Whether you decide to join with us or not, there are some ground rules. In the future, I hope you call us after one of your…night activities to clean up properly. And as long as you keep your activities to a certain group, we won't police you too heavily."

Ah, there's the subtle warning, the carrot along with the stick.

Basically, don't kill innocents, and we won't have problems.

How practical. 

I guess Coulson and them acknowledge that they have less than stellar knowledge and ability to currently combat supernatural threats.

"I'll think about it." Blade said noncommittally before swishing his large cloak as he turned around, and rather than going to the door, he hopped up to the second floor that still remained and jumped out one of the cracked windows.

Huh, I wonder why none of the other vampires thought about doing that?

I never thought I'd see the day where I met someone named Blade who wore sunglasses at night and thought he was cool.

Life is funny sometimes.

"There's a group of infants upstairs." I started talking. "They're essentially brain dead from oxygen starvation from constant blood loss."

Coulson nodded. "We'll handle them with care and make sure they're properly put to rest." Coulson's expression softened.

"How's your arm?" I changed the subject.

"As good as new." He quirked a smile. "Mr. Schweinorg, you left quite the mess around us." He gestured to the many limbs and blood that littered the place. "Do you have a suggestion on how tondle this…mess, considering your particular expertise?"

He barely glanced down at the stunned vampire. I suppose it didn't need much of an explanation there.

"Burn it. Don't even bother and burn the entire building down after taking care off the other…things." 

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that hyperbole?"

"No, I'm serious, burn the whole thing down and let it all turn to ash." I shook my head.

"It is a crude method, but not incorrect." Salem chose to chime in. "Their blood carries magical properties; if left alone too long, it could lead to some curses forming. Fire can cleanse it without any need for overtly cautious measures."

"What she said." I squeezed her hand. "Listen to her; she's much smarter than me."

Salem snorted, pinching my hand as if to tell me to stop being an idiot, in a playful way. "It's basic knowledge for anyone even remotely competent."

"Unfortunately, we have yet to structure any competency in the department, so your expertise is very appreciated, ma'am." Coulson thanked her. "In fact, it would be further appreciated if you would be interested.

Salem looked at him as Coulson held out a card to her.

Slowly, she grabbed it; maybe she was being polite for my sake.

"If you would be interested, Shield would be very happy to hire you on as a consultant."

I think this is the first time I've ever seen Salem look genuinely confused and bewildered.

[Line Break]

Non-Canon Omake: The Little Spider, Part 11

There was a cold air that enveloped the room after Arachne spoke.

Contrary to her brother, Artemis's anger didn't explode outwards or intensify, it was cold and subtle.

That's not to say she can't exhibit an explosive anger, but she burns cold, not hot.

"You should treat a god with more respect, child." Artemis's voice was icy, and it was accompanied by an invisible pressure that made the other people in the room start to sweat.

"My lady, please allow me." Zoë Nightshade tried to calm her down, a little successful as the tension in the room slightly alleviated, but there was still a sort of looming presence coming from the goddess. "Child, thou seems to be mistaken about a great many things regarding us. We exist to help those like thyself."

"....help me?" Arachne blinked in confusion.

"To be a woman in this world is difficult. To be at the mercy of any man who holds power of thyself. Many of us have suffered such fates and we offer a place to escape. A sisterhood." She emphasized, trying to use flowery words to sell the image.

Zoë was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in while looking at Arachne.

"Are ya daft in the head?" Arachne finally asked. "Why do ya think a need anythin' like that?"

The huntress knew that this was going to be difficult. Or rather, the girl was difficult. 

Zoë Nightshade furrowed her brow and wanted to sigh because the potentially newest sister of hers was too ignorant of the world. "My lady helps young maidens who have suffered incomparably at the hands of men. Many of them have been abused and attacked in the most vile and digusting ways. My lady helps them, nurtures them, brings them into the Hunt and gives them safety and a family."

Her first step was to talk about the feats of kindness of her goddess, to paint a better picture.

Arachne wasn't stupid, she could understand what was being implied when she mentioned 'attacked and abused'. It's not like her parents haven't had those talks with her and she was ignorant to certain things.

"Yes, but why would a join?" Arachne reiterated, confused as to what was even being offered at this point. "Ya not offering anything to me."

Zoë furrowed her brow again. "Thou would be trained – "

"Are ya a moron?" Arachne interrupted her again.

"Excuse thee?" She was taken aback because she's had never been talked to in this way before, especially with her goddess standing right next to her.

Arachne pointed to Chiron who was awkwardly standing behind his desk as this whole conversation was going on. "Trainer of Heroes."

While Chiron didn't voice it, or show any reaction in fear of angering Artemis, he was very glad that his existence wasn't ignored. 

He did take pride in caring for and training students.

"It's different." Zoë defended.

"Cause he's not a girl?" Arachne scoffed, understanding exactly what was being thrown at her feet. 

Zoë grit her teeth, to stop herself from getting overly upset. "You would be personally trained by a goddess."

Arachne rolled her eyes. She had been trained by gods since she were a babe. "Do ya think a could get this 'personal training' if a gave Ares back his cabin?" She said in a mocking tone.

Funny enough, Ares would probably jump at the chance if she were really into it.

However, she was being sarcastic as if it were some 'great generosity' that she gets to train with a god.

"Thou doesn't understand." Zoë shook her head in exasperation. "Thou art being given the opportunity to become more. To escape the bondage placed upon thee."

"Ya keep saying some shite like that an I don't think ya even know what yer talking about anymore." Arachne was starting to get annoyed. "Even me mum spoke well of Chrion. If a want more training, a will ask him. He trained the best o' the Greeks."

"Thou speakest of Chiron, but do you know his greatest warrior, the famous Heracles?" Her nostrils flared, the memories seemingly still fresh in her mind as she recalled him. "Doesth thou know what he had done to me? Child, I was one of the Hesperides until I was used and banished from mine kin for helping him steal one of the golden apples."

"Did he force ya?" Arachne asked, crossing her arms.

Zoë tilted her head slightly, surprised by the question. "Did the brute force me? Nay, he never laid a hand on me. He did something –"

"So ya weren't forced. Did he blackmail ya? Did he take one of yer family hostage? Did he threaten ya in any way?"

Zoë blinked. "No, he…..he feigned love for me, using my heart to get what he wanted. Then he abandoned me after he won his prize, leaving me with nothing."

Arachne found herself at a loss, not quite sure how to respond to that until she finally blurted something out. "Are ya really that dumb?"

Zoë reeled back at the harsh words, once more taken aback by the sheer bluntness of the response. "How dare thee!" She hissed back.

"If someone who claims to love ya asks ya to do something bad that will hurt ya, then he doesn't really love ya, ya dumb cunt." Arachne spout out like it were obvious. "Don't blame someone else for yer bad decisions."

"You side with that brute!?" Zoë couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"No, he sounds like an asshole, I just think yer a dumb cunt too and blaming someone else for yer own fuck ups." Arachne huffed. 

She felt like everyone around her here was an idiot.

Zoë was stunned into silence.

Artemis, likewise, was surprised by how this talk turned out and had never experienced something like this before.

They both had assumed that Zoë's story would have elicited a sense of sympathy and understanding in the younger girl. But it was clear that plan had backfired.

Arachne knew quite a bit about Greek Myths and Legends. They were some of her favorite stories when she were little. Sure, almost everyone evolved in the stories were usually assholes of some degree, but they were still interesting stories.

So Arachne knew who the Nymphs that guarded the Golden Apples were. And the fact that she had been kicked out meant that she had betrayed her other family members out of some stupid reason.

It was ridiculous to Arachne, since when was 'love' an excuse to be a complete idiot that betrayed your family.

"Ahem." Chiron cleared his throat, trying to mend the strange atmosphere. "Lady Artemis, if I may?"

"What do you want to say, Chiron?" Artemis, despite her emotions right now, she did have a certain thought about Chiron. Artemis didn't particularly like most males, but Chiron was one of the few exceptions. He had never once done anything that could be described as 'bad' and genuinely taught any students he had. Not to mention, she was one of two that originally taught him archery and other crafts in the times before.

"Perhaps you should just lay out all the pros and cons of joining?" Chiron could get a better feel on Arachne's mindset, and simply laying out the benefits and drawbacks would most likely yield better results than her….normal approach.

Or rather, in truth, Chiron didn't believe she would accept, but it would be less insulting and dare he say embarrassing if it were just bluntly handled and dealt with as soon as possible.

Artemis frowned, but she considered his words. "You would be trained by me personally, as all the hunters are. You would be joining a collective that would never betray you, that you could trust forever. And you would gain immortality for as long as you are pledged and part of my hunt." Though it was all mentioned before, it was delivered with less flowery words and more directly.

Zoë also nodded along as if it were some grand offering.

"That sounds pretty good, doens't it?" Percy whispered to Annabeth and Luke who had wisely not said a word during this whole exchange despite not being present.

Though, everyone heard him, and Artemis was pleased enough with what he said that she didn't get upset that he interrupted their talking.

However, Arachne scoffed. "Da ya think I don' know what kind of shite I'd have to agree to?" 

Once more, Artemis frowned. "Child, you are treading on thin ice with me. My patience only goes so far."

Arachne ignored her and continued. "I'd have to live in the wilderness forever." She glanced at Percy. "Could ya give up never going back into a city again? No more plumbing or hot water or fresh meals?"

Percy scrunched his nose, even if he remained silent.

"Why doth thou view such a thing negatively? Why doth the civilization of man draw thee to it? It is filled with vile men, disgusting smells, and loud noises." Zoë countered. "Thou would sleep under the embrace of the stars, camp with thy fellow sisters, hunt thy own food and prepare it. Thou art ignorant of many of the wild's boons that you would come ot enjoy. There is nothing more fulfilling than carving out your own survival in the harshness of the wilds."

Arachne scoffed again. "Why do ya think a don't know how to hunt or fend for meself in the wild? A said a don't want to spend forever living in a forest. A never said a dont like to camp, to hunt, to fish. If ya think I'm giving up a hot shower and mah weekly shows just so I can join yer stupid cult, yer crazy."

She was truly starting to wonder if there was something wrong with Zoë's head.

"Tis not a cult." Zoë defended quickly, and this was far from the first time they've been called such. "And thou would gain immortality."

"A can be immortal in a hundred different ways if a wanted to. Mah Grandpa is completely human and he is over two thousand and not aging." Arachne rolled her eyes.

Once more, the others look genuinely surprised at her statement. 

"And yer ignoring the most important thing." Arachne crossed her arms with a scowl. "Do ya think a don't know that a would have to cut ties with my family?"

"Tis obvious that thou would have to leave thy family…." Zoë said awkwardly.

"Yer telling me to abandon mah family for this shite?" Arachne was honetly speechless. 

"Thou art young, thou has yet to understand the world." Zoë sighed.

"No wonder yer family kicked you out." Arachne couldn't help but say, seeing the way she so carelessly talked about abandoning one's one family.

Zoë's expression immediately twisted back. "What did thou just say!?" Her anger flaring up for everyone to see.

Arachne didn't reac to her display of anger and even ignored it, flipping her hair back. " 'Sides, me parents wouldn't ever let it happen, so it doesn't matter."

"Your parents would have no say." Artemis spoke up, as if it were one of the reasons holding her back. "As long as you agree, then that's all that matters."

"An yer saying it's not a cult?" Arachne let out a laugh, unable to control herself.

"Tis not the first time that I have had to warn a parent of one of our huntresses." Zoë Said rather heroicaly, her anger from a moment ago slightly fading as she followed Artemis's lead. "If need be, a stern warning is delivered personally."

Arachne stopped laughing, looking at her and began to laugh even harder. "A havn't heard a joke that funny in a while."

"What doth thou find so humorous?" Zoë was quickly reaching her breaking point despite trying to keep her emotions in check for her goddess's sake.

"Ya can't even beat me and ya think ya could threaten me parents?" Arachne shook her head. "Me mum and da wouldn't even give ya a second thought since yer so weak.'

Zoë furrowed her brow again, not sure what to make of that. It was the first time she had been so blatantly called out as 'weak'.

"I am the Leutenant of the Hunters under Lady Artemis." She defended herself.

"And?" Arachne asked.

"And….and…." Zoë was at a lost for words again. If it were simply someone throwing an insult at her, she's dealt with that tens of thousands of times. But it was the first time someone called her weak, not as an insult, but as if it were just a statement of fact and it completely threw her off. Atleast coming from a non-godly entity, a… little girl in her eyes.

"A don't want to join yer cult." Arachne finally responded with a very blunt refusal."

"Tis not a cult!" Zoë nearly screamed.

"Ya find young impressionable girls that have been hurt and tell him to abandon their family to live outside of society in an insular community and to worship an idol." She finished, pointing at Artemis. 

"We find young maidens and protect them!"

"You told me that a was too young to understand yer goals, but apparently a wasn't too young to throw away my family and join you." Arachne pointed out the strange logic.

That was enough to shut Zoë up for good.

From everyone's elses view, it was pretty suspicious that they were saying she was too young to actually understand anything, but at the same time, they were saying that she was apparently old enough to make a decision like abandoning her family.

Artemis, oddly enough, also didn't say anything. Though she was angry, she didn't lash out. She still had the mind to recruit Arachne, not just for herself, but to solve the growing unease among the gods. 

She could discipline the girl once she was a huntress of hers.

However, just because she wasn't verbally or noticeably making her anger known, it didn't mean she didn't have any thoughts on other things.

Why not give the girl a little nudge in the right direction?

Perhaps only Chiron noticed, but even he couldn't see full what she was doing as the goddess's divinity subtlety seeped into the younger girl.

Artemis was the Goddess of the Hunt, that came with certain concepts not too dissimilar from stealth and subtlety that many forgot about.

Just a little nudge to change her thinking to align more with their own, then it would be easy.

However, as soon as she attempted to something, two large slitted irises stared back at her and she pulled away in shock.

Artemis, for one of the rare times in her life, felt her heart pound.

Quickly, she forced herself to calm down, and no one realized what happen besides herself. And thankfully, a distraction came at the right time to keep attention away from her so she wouldn't be noticed.

Right through the door, Dionysus came walking in. Without a word, he grabbed Arachne, threw her over his shoulder and picked up Mr. Blueberry – who was happy to play along and walked right out the door.

Everyone was sort of…bewildered as it happened.

"So….uh, can we go too?" Percy raised his hand amidst the awkward silence.

".....go." Chiron finally said as he noticed Artemis didn't reject him. And the trio of kids hastily shuffled out the door.

Chiron was….oddly happy it ended as it did.

Artemis has Chiron called Percy in because she was curious about the cause of the conflict between both Poseidon and Zeus as Percy was evidence that Poseidon had broken his oath.

Second, she had Chiron call Annabeth and Luke in because along with Clarisse, those three were the defacto…'leaders' of the campers, and she was going to lay the normal ground rules to them to relay back to everyone now that her Hunters are staying in camp for a bit.

"Chiron." Artemis finally spoke up again, and the Trainer of Heroes could feel the icy tone in her words.

"Yes, Lady Artemis?" Chiron knew it was the time to be as respectful as possible. Even if he could normally get away with addressing her more familiarly, he didn't want to take that chance right now.

"It is customary to host a war game between my hunters and your campers when we come to the camp, yes?"

"....that is correct." 

It was normal for the campers to split into teams and play capture the fag just with more….swords and sharp edges and fighting and lots of injuries.

It was also tradition, that when Artemis and her Hunters came over, that they would host a game between the camp and the hunters.

Unsurprisingly, there were even more injuries, mostly on the camper's side.

Not to mention, the campers have never won.

Artemis had a new train of thought.

If the young girl looked down on her Hunters, then she would just have to force her opinion changed a different way.

A godly infused daughter of Ares?

Artemis mentally scoffed.

She knew half a dozen of her own that could have handled the same thing with ease.

"Good." She clenched her jaw. "Prepare it for tomorrow."

[Line Break]

A/N

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