AN: Just an FYI, the Odontotyrannos is from Hellenic folklore. It was said to have attacked Alexander the Great according to legend. So no, this wasn't something I pulled out of my ass. Just trying to give my readers something new.

The Silver Hunter

Chapter 12

-Percy-

"What kind of deal?" Percy asked, frowning as he studied the god and spirit of war, "And I thought the gods couldn't interfere during a quest."

"Technically we can't interfere but there are loopholes and ways around that." Ares grunted with a blasé shrug, "Typically by offering aide in return for the quest doing a smaller task, 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'. Since they technically fall under the same prevue as regular quests it's allowed."

"Doesn't explain what sort of deal we're talking about." Lou points out.

"I'm getting there girlie, relax." Ares rolled his eyes, "And it's simple. You kill a monster for me, and I'll get you three a ride as far west as Vegas."

"That…that would actually be really helpful." Percy nodded, "I'm guessing it's a specific monster though?"

"The Odontotyrannos." Polemos answered with a smirk, every word dripping from the man's tongue feeling like it was weighted just to start a fight "Should be easy enough for you right?"

"Yeah, I don't like you." Percy turned to ignore Polemos and look at Ares, "Anything else I need to know?"

"It's west of here, outside town." Ares pointed, "Over by an abandoned waterpark. Just kill it and I'll get you that ride kid. Come back here when you're done." Ares got up and tossed some money to the waitress, "Come on Polemos."

"I haven't gotten my lunch!" the war spirit protested even as Ares pulled him out of the chair.

"And you need to lose the weight so move it." Ares, unbothered, drug Polemos out before they both rode away on their bikes.

"He has to be the last Olympian I would have expected to help." Annabeth muttered out as their food got brought over by the still semi-dazed waitress.

"Artemis." Percy and Lou snorted in tandem.

"…Second to last then." Annabeth corrected amused even as she sipped her drink.

"You guys know about this monster? It's not one I've heard of." Lou frowns, nose scrunched as she focused.

"It's from the old empire." Annabeth explained, "One of the first real records was of it attacking Alexander the Great. It doesn't have any poison or magical abilities like some monsters but, much like the minotaur, makes up for it with pure muscle. It also reforms very slowly which is why it isn't heard of much with demigods."

"So we get to do something special? Sweet!" Lou perked right up, "Hanging out with you guys is always the best!"

"Thanks Lou." Percy laughed, eating his lunch while checking his phone, using it to look up where the old waterpark was and how far away, "I'll start tracking it once we finish our food, I've got the waterpark pulled up here."

"Then we'd best start making a plan." Annabeth summed up, turning serious as they knew they were heading for a big fight.

-Poseidon-

The council was silent as Ares walked back in, using the pelt of the Chimera to decorate his throne before kicking his feet up. "Really Ares?" Zeus scowled, "Interfering with the quest? Offering aide?"

"You know damn well I didn't break the laws Zeus so don't even start." Ares rolled his eyes, "Besides, the Odontotyrannos needs to be killed. This takes care of two birds with one stone."

"Wow, an actual logical statement." Athena taunted.

"Athens was full of almost nothing but Scholars Feathers." Ares snorted, "You got thrashed by my Spartans. And the Spartans took things a lot more seriously as we had brain and brawn. A perfect soldier needs to be trained in all walks of life from battle, to education, to the arts."

"Yeah, Sparta was the best thing that ever happened to you." Hermes snorted, "It helped you actually grow a brain…and a spine."

"Watch it delivery boy." Ares narrowed his eyes.

"Children, behave." Hestia spoke up firmly, all jaws snapping shut, "Thank you. It seems that Percy and the girls have found the monster's trail."

-Percy-

Kneeling down, Percy ran his fingers through a track, "This is fresh. We're close." Whipping his fingers clean he summoned out Kindness, feeding in one of the few enhanced bullets he had been able to make for the sniper riffle. "Alright, remember the plan?" Percy whispered as he began to twist on a silencer for the riffle, looking Annabeth and Lou dead in the eye.

"You'll be in the highest vantage spot we can find using your riffle." Lou answered immediately, "Taking shots at it where you can. I have the best melee weapon, so I'll be in the thick of the fight with it to use my spells and my sword to try and bring it down. Annabeth will use her invisibility cap and pistols to harry it and keep it distracted."

"Right." Percy nodded relieved, "Let's do this." Following the tracks they found the waterpark sat bellow a hill, the Odontotyrannos curled up and sleeping inside the chained-up gates. It was a sight to see. Its head was equine, although Percy had never seen a horse to have three horns rising from its forehead, nor a mouth full of teeth like the tips of javelins. Its body reminded Percy of a tyrannosaurus rex in the size and the tail, but the arms were wrong. They were long enough to actually reach out and grab what the monster wanted with the muscles to back those desires up.

"Alright, I'll set up here and line up my shot while you two get closer." Percy lay down and set up his sniper stand, "I'll give you five minutes before I take my shot so hurry."

"No kiss for luck?" Lou quipped.

"Ask Rachel." Percy snorted back before shooing the girls away. After they were gone, Percy spent every second of those five minutes praying to the gods for his friends to make it out of this fight safely. Eventually, those five minutes were up. Looking down his scope, Percy found his target. With the monster curled up he couldn't shoot it in the eye, but he could try and get a clean shot to the skull. He had no idea how thick this thing's bones were though so he wasn't sure how effective this would be. Taking in a deep breath, Percy slowly exhaled, pulling the trigger as his breath finished passing his lips.

The silver bullet went flying, shooting through the air with a nary a sound thanks to the enchanted silencer attached to his riffle. His aim was true, and the bullet struck, the bullet hitting the skull and then blowing out. Meat and scale went flying, shards of chipped bone all dripping with ichor fell away to reveal that his bullet had opened a hole down to the creature's skull but not punched through. It had woken the beast up, however.

Its roar was audible even from where Percy was nestled on the roof as he ejected the spent shell and aimed again, firing a second bullet, this one conjured by the riffle itself. Through the scope, Percy could see more ichor fly from its flank as Annabeth must have begun her invisible assault.

Lou was moving like the wind, her body glowing with magic as she moved faster than he had ever seen her go before, far faster. Her blade was a crimson blur as she hacked and slashed at the Odontotyrannos' chest and legs, dodging the beasts grasping claws and snapping jaws.

"Come on, come on." Percy muttered, urging his riffle's enchantment to cool down and let him fire again, gripping the stocks tighter. The fight was going to be death by a thousand cuts and that just meant their enemy had more chances to land a decisive blow on one of their number. Kindness gave a pulse, signifying that it was ready, and Percy wasted no time in taking another shot, this time managing to get lucky and take out one of the beast's eyes while it roared.

With that injury, the Odontotyrannos became even more wild, thrashing about as it attacked everything that was, or wasn't in sight. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Percy muttered as it began stomping about, throwing its weight around as if hoping chance or luck would let it kill one of the girls. He saw more ichor flying as Annabeth attacked one flank, Lou slashing at the ankle at the other.

Getting an idea, Percy pulled out the second of his three special riffle bullets and aimed, waiting for the right moment. The angry beast was quick to oblige as it opened its maw wide to roar, letting Percy fire the round right into its mouth, this bullet causing a flashbang and releasing smoke. The beast choked and staggered, smoke pouring from its maw as it fell to the ground, thrashing at the pain in its throat. Lou, picking up on his intent, rushed forward, her blade flying as she slashed open the jugular that was now well within reach, golden ichor spilling to the ground as the monster began to crumble to dust.

Dropping Kindness, Percy let his body go limp as he sighed in relief. When this bullshit was all over he was going to train…and actually get better combat weapons. He couldn't keep dealing with the stress that dumb decision is causing him.

"Good job kid." Ares nodded to him as Percy and the girls trudged back to the dinner, the building empty apart from a pair of truckers, their rig waiting outside.

"You promised a ride west?" Percy prompted, handing over the skull of the Odontotyrannos to the war god while Polemos spun a bullet.

"Right here." Ares wrapped a knuckle against the side of the eighteen-wheeler, "It's heading over to Vegas to deliver a lion, a zebra, and an antelope. There's a Satyr waiting over in Vegas to get the animals free and deal with these two." He nods over to the truckers still getting their food inside.

"What do you mean 'deal' with them?" Lou frowned.

"Their business runs illegally, and the Council of Cloven Elders has been working to take down groups like them." Ares shrugged, "But the truck can still get you west for now."

"You even get a special bonus for being such entertaining little Rugrats." Polemos throws a trio of backpacks at them before vanishing in a flash.

"I really don't like him." Percy scowled at the spot Polemos had occupied moments ago.

"Nobody does." Ares sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "But if left alone he tends to do stupid things so me and the other war deities take turns being stuck with babysitting duty."

"So…who's watching him now?" Annabeth asked with a frown.

"…Fuck!"