The Hunted (Completed Thread)

"Perhaps he left them behind knowing that you might follow him?" She said encouragingly, if the boy had then the son of Apollo was pretty clever for a boy anyway. She brushed a hand through her ginger hair, despite being in the forest for a day, cover in mud and dirt, not to mention a clash with monsters Katy still looked stunning. Perhaps that was an advantage of being a daughter of Himeros?
She struggled to pick up a trail, but if they searched long enough they would hopefully find which direction the monsters went in. Assuming of course, the monsters didn't find them first. Ideally she would prefer to wait for Hunter back up, but she didn't know if her hawk had reached the Hunters or not yet, plus back up might take some time to arrive. Every second currently counted as for all she knew their friends could be facing death right now.

"I guess we should try and find the trail, track the monsters and rescue are friends." Okay so it wasn't much of a plan, yet she didn't see a better one. She took a few step forwards towards some bushes. The next thing she knew Katarina was trapped in a net hanging about twelve feet in the air. She let out a startled yell of surprise before falling silent, cursing herself for not noticing the booby trap but also for yelling. Now any monsters in the immediate area would be heading in their direction.  
Her repeater crossbow dug painfully into her chest and prevented her from reaching her daggers to cut herself out. "Dimitri? Are you any good at climbing trees?" If he wasn't well Katy was going to be stuck up here for some time.

"I don't think so, I think he mighta left them hangin' on a branch if that was the case." Dimitri said, though maybe he had left them there to be found. "Maybe he did leave 'em on a branch and they get knocked down somehow." Dimitri said, with hope in his voice. Whatever the case, the rings were there and that meant so had the son of Apollo. A smile formed on his face as he continued to follow the hunter. "If no blood is around, I think that's good enough a sign." Dimitri said, his eyes wandered now, a little less tensely then they had been before. Things looked different now.

Dimitri nearly froze in place as Katarina was suddenly swiped up into the air, by a net. Dimitri was startled, he hadn't ever expected to see a real booby trap out in the forest. He'd always assumed monsters would take a barbaric path over a clever one. "It's been a while, but I'll get up there, I'll get you down Katarina!" Dimitri replied, instincts now taking over. His hands gripped the tree that had the net holding the hunter, but before he could lift both his feet up, he suddenly felt a scaly presence wrapping around his leg. It pulled him down, forcing him into the dirt with a thud. He'd seen one of these serpent-lady-things before, but never in a dire situation like this.

Dimitri rolled onto his back, but the serpent-like being was already hovering above him, her talloned hands now on his face. "Yesssssssss, I've yearned for demigod for ssssome time now." The being said in a chilling reptilian voice. The last time Dimitri had seen one of these, he wasn't even armed, much less trained to be able to take one down. Dimitri had no reply, he simply played like he was submitting. The serpent lady smiled as she was the submissive nature in his, rising slightly. Dimitri reached for the dagger that was on the back of his belt. He quickly rose and stabbed her in the throat, her essence then quickly turned into golden dust. He knew he got lucky, that was never going to work again in a million years. "Christ..." He muttered, breathing heavily.

"I'm comin'." Dimitri said, standing up and grabbing the tree again. He was shaken by the monster, badly, but he was able to get his sense together and make the climb. It wasn't the speediest, but he made his way up. "You could get hurt if I cut the whole net and you fall. I'm gonna cut through some of it, and you're goin' to take my hand and put your other arm around me and then I'm goin' to pull you out. Then we'll cut the rest so you can get your crossbow. Okay?" Dimitri asked, making sure she understood the plan. It wouldn't be long before more monsters showed up.

"Thanks I'll just hang around till you cut me loose." Her voice was tight with pain, her repeat happened to be digging rather painfully into her rib cage. She managed to smirk at her unwitting joke, Katy possessed little option other than to hang around trapped in the net till Dimitri freed her. She heard a commotion and struggled to reach her daggers, if she could just reach one of them then the Hunter of Artemis might be able to free herself. Whoever or whatever had set up the net was very good at catching demigods for she found herself barely able to move in it. "Dimitri?" She called out. "Are you alright?"

She let out a relieved breath when she heard Dimitri's voice once more. A twinge of guilt then struck her heart, Katy didn't want to have feelings for a boy but if she had been hurt or worse killed trying to rescue her then she would have felt awful. It would have been her fault that he was killed. Katy's green eyes peered out of the netting looking at him, she looked like the world's most dangerous and attractive damsel in distress.
She wasn't pleased at being caught in a net, she hated not being able to save herself.

"Yes okay just cut me free." She didn't want to think about what might happen if he failed to free her before more monsters arrived or if he failed to catch her. Katarina really didn't want to see if Artemis' blessing covered falls from twelve feet up in the air from a net with a hole in it. "Don't drop me please." Katy halted her struggles, if she kept moving he might not be able to get a grip or he might accidentally cut her with his dagger. It was all she could manage in order to help free her.

If Dimitri had a million chances to explain his sudden survival instinct, he simply wouldn't be able to. With the monster around, he had been nothing but shaken, and only found one simple moment where he was competent. He could hardly even think to himself, with all of the adrenaline currently rushing through him. He straddled the tree branch so that he was no practically next to Katarina. He took his dagger from its sheath once more, the thing was hardly even attached to his belt after the fall he just took. He cut only rows of rope on one column so that the net was still stable. "I'm not goin' to drop you, I promise." Dimitri said, the heat of the moment was beginning to effect him emotionally and physically. A desire to save the hunter who saved him awoke.

"Okay, now take my hand." Dimitri instructed, intertwining his hand with hers, gripping tightly. "Now loop your other arm around me and hold on to me, tightly." Dimitri said, there was just enough room for her to reach her other arm out. Dimitri waited for her to do so, before he finally spoke again. "Alright, don't let go. Leave the weapon in the net, we'll grab it after." Dimitri said, he then waited a few moments until he was absolutely sure they were intertwined together. "Here goes nothin'..." Dimitri said, nervousness beginning to enter his mind. He was terrified he might end up hurting Katarina. But at least he knew they were making it out together of falling together. There wasn't enough time to think of anything else now.

Dimitri carefully cut along more notches, so that her body would be freed from the net. Her crossbow fell, with a thud as it his the ground. As soon as enough notches were cut that Katarina's weight wasn't supported by the net, Dimitri dropped his dagger, he needed to get his other arm around her. In once sense, it was dangerous to only have Katarina's daggers if they were stuck up there, but it was necessary to get her to safety. Dimitri held her tightly, sliding himself back on the tree so that she was now on the branch with him. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Katarina watched Dimitri, she prayed to the gods to prevent him from falling, a fall from this height might do some serious damage. "Thanks I'd hate to fall from a tree." She joked wishing that she could help him cut through the ropes and aid in freeing herself. As soon as she found herself able to move she grasped his hand, trying to ignore the warm tingle in her hand from the sensation of their hands being intertwined.
She didn't want to leave her repeater crossbow behind the weapon was her life line. Katy rarely used her daggers as her preferred tool of destruction was the crossbow. Of course she could use her daggers but they were only ever a last resort weapon in her mind. A side arm as it were for when the going got rough.

Katy held onto him tightly, like a Hunter shaped constrictor, the sensation of being weightless was distinctly uncomfortable. When she felt the rough bark beneath her she almost stumbled, recovering her balance thanks to Dimitri still holding onto her and her own quick reflexes. "Yeah." She muttered eventually, her heart beating rapidly in her chest like a machine gun firing on full auto. "Thanks for the rescue." Katy whispered quietly, offering him a nervous smile, her green eyes shone with gratitude.
If the other Hunters were to arrive they would have know doubt tried to force the Dimitri away from their fellow Hunter, perhaps fearing that he might try to harm her or lead her away from Artemis. She didn't want her comrades to arrive just yet. Her eyes searched his, locking on she found herself unable to look or pull away. Before Katarina could stop or manage to regain control of herself, the Hunter's soft lips brushed his.

OOC: DUN DUN DUN!

Dimitri breathed a sigh of relief once she was safely on the tree with him. The thud from the crossbow hitting the ground of the forest didn't sound like that deep of a drop, but the thud of a body would have made it sound so much worse. His dagger was close by, stuck in the dirt, though he could see some sun reflecting off of it. He was about to tell Katarina that the pair should climb down, but when he looked back up they locked eyes. Dimitri was a person perfectly comfortable with eye contact, though in this case there was something special about the green eyes Katarina possessed. His head nearly tilted, as though he was trying to solve a grand puzzle of communication between the two of them, but the communication being purely through eye contact.

Dimitri hadn't ever once kissed another person, he hadn't really ever thought about it. In his mind it was all a natural thing that just happened when it happened. Surely, Katarina was no long a stranger to him though, at least that's how he felt. They'd shared a great deal in the last day and night together. Or maybe it was the eyes convincing him of that, but in either case, he felt an odd sensation of bliss when her lips touched his. The adrenaline that had given him so much leader instinct became absorbed in whatever this new sensation was. And in the moment, nothing else existed besides him and her. There was no dangerous scenario, no monsters, and no missing friends.

Except none of it was true. Dimitri still hadn't let go, and as though a literal crack formed in his chest, he became dead silent as the pieces went together in his head like a twisted puzzle. The expression from his face turned from pure joy to a twisted sense of hurt. He remembered the words Katarina had told him just that morning.

"Boys are forbidden, we're not meant to kiss, cuddle or love you." She had said to him.

Dimitri couldn't tell why it hurt him so much in that moment, it simply did. He understood that at least part of it was that he had let her break a rule of her kind. Maybe the other part of it was that he now realized the kiss was wrong. Something that made him happy was something that shouldn't be done. Dimitri didn't have any words to say. He could only wait for Katarina to react. He felt terrible for her too, as she couldn't stop herself. He should have stopped it for them, but he hadn't.

Katarina didn't want to stop kissing him, she pressed her lips against his her eyes fluttering shut. All of her desires, long repressed spilt out threatening to over power her training, all those long years of repression, self-deprivation and selflessness were being washed aside in a tide of forbidden desire. The logical part of her mind, the part which remembered her oath screamed at her to stop, yet it was all but powerless in the face of such a wild torrent of raw emotion.
Her body, her nature hungered for the long cage desires, the desires long since forbidden since she became a Hunter of Artemis. At the moment however her body simply did not care for the commands of her brain, Katy felt powerless to stop herself.

Part of her nature hungered to be free from the self imposed constraints, discipline and responsibilities that defined being a Hunter of Artemis. Being a Hunter was some what of a struggle for the daughter of Himeros after all, but sixty nine years without a single meaningful kiss happened to be a significant amount of time before finally cracking and giving in. After what was far too long, considering their friends were more than likely in mortal danger she finally managed to reign herself in, she forced herself away from him, almost falling off the branch in her haste.
Katy gasped for breath, how long had the Hunter been kissing him? Why didn't she stop herself? Oh Gods what if the other Hunters or Artemis found out? Surely a kiss would not get Katy kicked out, it was not like she was no longer a maiden. Panic, shame and worry filled her green eyes. "Oh Gods I should not have done that." She whispered. "I really shouldn't but... But I couldn't help it I wanted to." Oh she had so badly wanted to kiss him, keep kissing him, Katarina didn't care for the consequences of her actions. Katy still wanted to kiss him, she felt so free, her heart felt strangely warm.

Yet, no matter how much she enjoyed it the fact remained that she shouldn't have kissed him. What would Aria think? Or Em? Or Triss? Or any of her friends amongst the Hunters? Surely they might be able to understand the amount of pressure and stress she was under as a child of Himeros? Katy kept her distance from Dimitri which was difficult on a branch, not because the Hunter didn't trust him rather she no longer trusted herself.
All the forbidden desires bubbled beneath her, she longed deeply to feel his lips against her, for him to run his hands through her fiery hair... Stop. No. No. No. As nice as that might be, well amazing she could not, she must not allow herself to think like that.

Katy avoided meeting his eyes less she fall under the same spell again. Dimitri had been her first kiss though... What would this mean for her future as a Hunter?

OOC: I'm not sure but are there any desire monsters in Greek mythology?

OOC: I did a little digging. Lamiae and Empousai are two that I found. While they both posses intimate powers, (which I assume can work in any way) Lamiae are basically Succubi who devour generally younger men once they've attracted them. Empousai have fiery hair, a leg of bronze, and a donkey's foot. They're apparently wicked beautiful and also are known to devour people.

Dimitri's hurt all vanished within a simple moment. He assumed the kiss, as small as it was, was about to end. He was pretty sure he was going to open his mouth and say something to her about being sorry, when suddenly her lips and his were connected. This time it was something else. It was deeper and more passionate. And although Dimitri knew he shouldn't let her do this, he was powerless to stop her. The thoughts of her sisterhood of hunters all vanished from his mind, as he only thought about how blissful this moment was. He hadn't ever felt a sensation that sent tingles to his chest, but today was the day he had. As selfish as it was, he'd even forgotten about his friends in the moment. He forgot that he was a demigod, all the pains it carried had vanished for the time that Katarina was kissing in the tree. For every moment until she pulled away, he'd only lived in that moment.

Dimitri himself even had to gasp for air, he'd forgotten his need for oxygen. He listened to her whispers to them, and he could hear the emotions in them. Although he was still hurt by the fact that this act of bliss wasn't allowed among these two, he suddenly was able to get passed feeling sorry for himself. He looked towards the only girl who had ever kissed him, and coincidentally, the girl that had offered him so much guidance as well. He wondered if the kiss offered Katarina the same bliss it had given him until it was over. In a sense, Dimitri wished he could kiss her for an eternity, so that he would only feel that bliss forever. And although her making that small gap of distance between them stung a little, Dimitri had already made up his mind. Any crying or sorrow that he had, he could deal with later. But he only had so much time left with Katarina to make her feel better.

"Katarina..." Dimitri spoke, with a whisper in his voice. He wished he spoke like his dad did, with such wisdom and profound words. "I'm sorry I let that happen. I haven't really ever kissed anyone, and, I dunno. I just couldn't brin' myself to stop it from happenin'. It felt like a strange sense of bliss ran through me." Dimitri explained, his voice quiet, but attempting to be soothing. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to let you down." Dimitri said, looking at her beautiful ginger hair. He braced himself for what her response to her next question might be, as he was worried she'd say they should separate searching together. "Is there anythin' I can do to make things right?"

OOC: Ah okay thanks :)

BIC: Katarina struggled to reign herself in and deal with the riot of emotions that clouded her mind whilst her senses were assaulted by the powerful emotions stirred up by such a kiss. Her lips longed to meet his once more yet she resisted the forbidden action for now. But for how much longer could her resistance last in the face of such power.
His apology only made things worse in her mind, why could the boy have been easy to hate? Yet Dimitri was so kind and helpful plus they'd been surviving together as a sort of team. Conflict brought people together in a way that might be easy to imagine.

"I don't know but the fault is mine... I... I can't always resist my nature." She shook her head as if trying to shake off dark thoughts. Katy long subscribed to the belief that all the Hunters did on occasion feel similar desires as herself for well what just happened, unfortunately however for poor Katarina those desires were only ever amplified due to her parentage.
"I... Just wanted to so badly." She sobbed, no Katy didn't want to break down completely in front of him otherwise it would be exactly like what the Hunters thought boys did to you. It wasn't his actions at all that caused this, all of this apart from Dimitri and the monsters was her own creation.
She kissed him, she struggled to cope with the tidal wave of emotions and desires as it swept away logic and reason. All those years of self imposed constraints were rendered powerless to prevent it. Gods she wanted to kiss him, she wanted him to kiss her, for her to wrap her arms around him in a warm hug, whilst his hands wrapped herself in a hug... She shook herself again trying to de-spell such thoughts from her mind for good.

It didn't work. They needed to move on, Katy could not sit her and wait for herself to recover and put herself back together. Their friends needed them, regardless of their personal feelings for each other they would need to save them, they had to save them.
Then afterwards if there was time Katy could talk to him about their feelings and their kiss. Being a Hunter was important to her, for the last sixty nine years of her life she served Artemis proudly as a Hunter. It would take someone very special or important for her to leave and face Artemis' wrath over it.

No, she couldn't leave but perhaps she would be able to remain in contact... The thought died there and then, no it would not be wise to keep in touch with a boy. This sort of thing couldn't happen again.

Dimitri was left with a lot of thoughts and feelings as he watched the girl that was on the same branch as him. He never would have thought he'd seen her in such fear, especially after how she reacted in that net. She made casual jokes, despite the possibilities of her crossbow misfiring or her falling. Now that he watched her, he could see that she was scared right now. Regretful, even. He could see floods of emotions within her, even shame. And yet, the way she spoke and the words she said, she had wanted to kiss him. It made him feel better, in a sense. It might have been a mistake, but at least it wasn't him that was the mistake, only the kiss. Dimitri still felt immersed in an ocean of emotions himself, but he was willing to swim passed them for Katarina. The last thing she needed was for him to have a bad reaction to all of it.

Dimitri reached his hand out to her shoulder. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to his hand, but he felt he needed to console her. "Katarina, let's get down from this tree." Dimitri whispered to her. "We can get our weapons and keep on walkin'. We'll talk 'bout other thangs." Dimitri spoke, his tone ever so gentle as he attempted to console her. "I won't tell anyone that we kissed, okay? It isn't just your fault too, I could've said somethin' or done somethin' to stop it." It wasn't like Dimitri had anyone in mind to tell that he had kissed someone, to him it wasn't a boastful act. If anyone, he might tell his father that he was a step further into manhood, but he hadn't seen his father in years anyway.

"I'll take the lead, you've been goin' for a long time now." Dimitri assured her. He had no clue where this sudden ken of leadership skills came from, but he was perfectly okay with using them. He finally took his hand from Katarina. He felt regretful doing so, as though a connection was leaving him when he made contact with her no longer. Dimitri took his canteen once more, as he looked up into the sky. "Drink. It look like it's gonna start rainin' soon. That could make this easier on us." Or harder, with a potential build up of mud and dealing with rain through the night if they had to spend another night out here. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Katy wanted to move away so that he couldn't touch her however Dimitri managed to touch her simply because Katarina's own body refused to follow her commands. She listened to him, trying to remain focused without losing herself in those eyes of his. Those gorgeous eyes... No, no Katarina needed to focus she could not allow herself to get like this. The Hunter nodded when he said that he wasn't going to tell anyone that they kissed. Strangely it hurt her that he wanted to keep it a secret but she knew that they must, the other Hunters would not understand and they would logically assume that Katy was now smitten for Dimitri.

He was right, Katy could not have stopped herself. She tried to but... Evidently the daughter of Himeros failed in preventing her desires from assuming control. Dimitri could have stopped her, yet he didn't so maybe the Hunter surprised him? Or maybe he enjoyed the kiss and secretly did not want to admit it seeing how fragile the Hunter's control was over herself.
She nodded again. "Okay." Katarina really did not want him to take the lead, she preferred being in front however clearly or rather obvious she was in no fit state to lead anyone anywhere at the present.

She shivered when he moved his hand away, Katarina longed for his touch once more, they could intertwine their fingers and meet their lips in a soft kiss. "Yeah okay." Katy accepted his canteen, her fingers brushing his and their eyes locking for a fraction of a second. Katy moved her hand away, wrapping the other one around it protectively before cautiously accepting the canteen.
This time the Hunter of Artemis made certain to not touch the male's hand. She took a swig of the water before passing it back to him. It indeed did look like rain, they needed to move if they wanted to find any tracks or trails. The rain would wash it all away so then they would simply be left with nothing. "As ready as I will ever be, you?" She answered slash asked.

Dimitri wasn't crazy about finding his friends, in a strange way. He prayed to more than just the gods that they were all safe and alive and that they would all find eachother, but at the same time, he knew he pretty much had a clock of time he could spend with Katarina. He wanted the clock to tick slower, which was odd because he hated the situation of being hunted. He was pretty sure the hunters returned to camp every winter, but even then, it's not like it would be the same. The other hunters would be watching, and how could Dimitri even know if she'd want to see him anyway? Then an even worse thought entered his mind; what if Katarina died instead? Dimitri swallowed hard at the though, his nerves shook him as he imagined the news being declared. Would it even be declared? He knew the hunters disliked males deeply. Dimitri said a new silent prayer to himself, wishing Katarina safety wherever she went. "I'm ready." Dimitri said with a nod.

The pair climbed down the tree, but every moment felt more intense. Every-time one of them happened to touch the other, even just to help one another get down from the tree, Dimitri felt some sort of warmth between them. He tried his best to ignore it, but he was aware of it. He picked up his dagger, placing it back in the sheath. Even now, after all that happened up in that branch, he couldn't believe he didn't die from that monster. With that sigh of relief in mind, he picked up her crossbow and handed it to her. "Let's get movin'." Dimitri said, nodding his head in the direction they were heading before. He wasn't sure what the future was going to hold for them. Would there be a second night, or would there never be a moment again after this day?

He thought about what she might be thinking. Was it hard for her to watch him walk? He was lucky, he figured, he didn't have to watch Katarina because he was ahead. Even still, he occasionally glimpsed behind him, not only to catch a quick look at the hunter, but to be sure she was safe. It was ironic in a sense, the hunter could defeat a dozen Dimitri's, yet he wished only to protect her anyway. "What was camp like before you joined the hunters?" Dimitri asked, almost somewhat abruptly and out of nowhere. It had been nagging him to ask about her life, but he hadn't until now.

She would not be able to see him again, even on those rare occasions where she came to camp with the other Hunters. She knew that her fellow Hunters would never allow her to be truly alone whilst there were boys around, perhaps they could still talk but never on anything too deep. Nor could they allow themselves to make physical contact with the other less it give away a connection between the two.
It might not have been ideal but they might just have to try and remain only friends. Perhaps it wasn't fair but this world did not exist to make things fair.  

Katy tried to ignore the warm feelings that spread into her body either from accidental or deliberate contact with him as the pair of them scaled down the tree trunk. Katarina put considerable effort into ignore those feelings, she could not allow herself to slip up again.
She accepted her crossbow back, checking it swiftly for signs of damage. Fortunately, there was none so she was somewhat comforted by the familiar weight of her preferred weapon. "Thanks." She whispered though she could have picked up her weapon herself, it was still a nice gesture. Which only served to make Dimitri more desirable for Katy.

She watched him take point before following him, her eyes cautiously flicker around the forest for any signs of monsters. Being back on the move helped to focus her mind away from him and back on to the task at hand.

"It was much smaller than it is now and there was no protective barrier." She answered quietly, the barrier was a welcome addition in her eyes and probably should have been added sooner. But then again Katy would never have wished for any daughter of Zeus to be killed at a young age, so that they could become a tree and protect the camp from the many hostile monsters.

The demigod tried so hard to stay focused on the task ahead, but there was a lot running through his mind. Even without his sudden feelings for Katarina, he still wondered about his friends and if he was even going to make it out of this forest alive. "What made you wanna leave Camp Half-Blood and join the hunters?" Dimitri asked. The early 1900's were a very different time, that much he was certain of. He suspected it may have been due to the unfair treatment of women at the time, but he wasn't so sure. He kept his eyes open and remained alert, but his subconscious continued to nearly interrogate itself. He got caught in a sudden phase of homesickness, something that hadn't happened to him since he'd left Camp Half-Blood a couple days ago. He thought about his mom and dad on the farm, and the thought crept up on him, that he wondered what they would think about Katarina. It was a nice thought, but all it was was a fantasy, and it wasn't doing him any good. As his eyes continued to peer forward, he felt a tiny raindrop on his head.

Dimitri had mixed feelings about the rain as the first few drops hit down upon the forest. At its current state, it wasn't a danger to the tracks, but there was no way to know if it was going to come down harder or not, for all he knew it could start to storm any minute. Weather could be a useful tool to some demigods, and Dimitri was no exception due to his water manipulation. And while if it began to rain more, he'd be in his element for his powers, the tracks would also begin to wash away. And life for the other demigods out there may very well get much harder. He glanced back at the hunter, who was still behind him. Christ, she was so beautiful. "If this path is right, we gotta be gettin' closer." Dimitri suggested. He wondered just how far the others could have made it by now, and when or if they would find another sign of them.

Between the old familiar homesickness and the new-found love-sickness, Dimitri was holding up better than he ever would have expected himself too. "I was thinkin'..." Dimitri began, his voice was just loud enough so that the hunter could hear him. "Just in case somethin' happens to me and I die in this forest, please bring these rings to Abigail. She'll know what to do with them." Dimitri asked of her, not daring to look back with the topic of death now in conversation. He hadn't thought about dying much so far since they'd woken up, but as the sky darkened from the clouds and the bliss from the kissing had ebbed away, he remembered it was a real probability.

Katy sighed quietly as if she didn't want to answer the question, it was more she didn't wish to remember those facts. "I grew tired of people only wanting me for something not because they loved or anything so I became a Hunter, a ultimate forbidden fruit as it were." A lot of the Hunters were surprised to find a daughter of Himeros amongst their number, particularly the newer members but Katarina had always been different from her siblings.
As the rain started to fall, Katy pulled her hood up over her head hiding part of her face in shadow. The hood would help to keep her head dry at the very least. She didn't want it to rain because it would make monsters that much harder to detect and they were already badly outnumbered. The enemy really did not need any more advantages over the two demigods.

"Hopefully." She whispered in a hushed reply, possessing no desire to alert the enemy any more to their presence. Maybe in another life she and Dimitri could have had something. Yet, she was a Hunter and wanted to be a Hunter still. If she left to be with him she would be leaving her life behind and Katy had no where else to go.

"Nothing is going to happen to you but sure." Katarina wasn't sure why the girl would want the rings perhaps there was some family connection in the rings? Abigail did have a brother who may or may not still be among the living. She might want them as a memory of him.
Katy wondered what her own family thought about her but most of them probably didn't think any more since they were dead. Or if not dead then old enough to be her grand parents or great grand parents in some cases. She shivered as the cold rain began to soak through her coat but the cold helped to clear her mind.

Dimitri had heard a lot about people who used love as a game, apparently it was quite common. He wasn't certain if it had to do with lust, but the thought in general made no sense to him. Dimitri was born and raised around a community where being unfaithful or dishonest with your partner hadn't even been a thought lingering in anyone's mind. With Dimitri's old-fashioned views he adopted growing up, the concept just made no sense to him. Companionship was supposed to be everyone's goal, in his mind. "I'm sorry to hear that. I woulda liked to believe that thangs were different back then." Dimitri replied with sympathy in his voice. The rain was getting harder and more cold. It was definitely a storm, Dimitri just wondered if the thunder was going to hurt or help them.

The water was a sight for sore eyes, at least when it came to Dimitri it was. It meant he was in his own element. Dimitri began to feel an odd sense of confidence rise over his hurt from the separation of his family and his hurt from his kiss with the hunter, as though the rain was fueling him emotionally and physically. The back of his mind still had lingering feelings, but he found the strength to begin walking faster with determination building in his heart. He had friends stuck out here that needed him. He had the gift to will water, he could have been as dry as the handle of umbrella even under the ocean if he wanted to be. But for the time being, he allowed the rain to take layers upon him, at least so that Katarina didn't feel cheated out.

Suddenly Dimitri heard a scream, though it was more of a feint echo of a scream. He could hardly manage to hear it, but to him it sounded like a female voice. He silently cursed the rain, if it wasn't raining it would have been a lot more clear of a sound. Dimitri only offered one glimpse to the hunter. "Let's go! Be careful, watch your feet, a fall here could be bad!" Dimitri said, his dagger was now in his hand as he began to run towards the distant echo. He had no clue where it came from, but it was something. He was determined to not let this slip through his fingers.

"They were in a way Dimitri but I don't really like to talk about my past before I became a Hunter." Her tone made it clear that she wouldn't appreciate any further questions along that line. Even the other Hunters didn't know much about her pre-Hunter life. Katarina shivered in the rain, blinking as a few drops fell near her eyes. This rain might become a problem for both sides. Katarina froze at the distant scream, that could not be good, it might be a trap. A monster replicating the sound of a human in order to draw out the demigods or Hunters and kill them or capture them in a simple ambush.

Katy didn't get time to say such thoughts however as she dashed after Dimitri preferring to act instead of talk or plan. Move fast, punch hard and kick monster butt and in both of their cases look amazing. "No kidding you too." She called back to him, easily keeping pace, leaping gracefully over a fallen tree, her crossbow held tightly in both of her hands.
She slipped on the wet ground but managed to regain her footing so that she didn't fall over and land on the muddy ground.

Dimitri hated the fact that yelling out was too dangerous. All the demigods were certain of that fact, otherwise they would have all found one another long before the first night even fell. But to beckon for allies was to also beckon for enemies, and there were many more enemies than allies. As an ally, it was Dimitri's job to chase after whoever made the scream; whether it be camper or hunter. It could have always been a monster, but it was worth the risk. Dimitri wasn't even sure exactly where the scream came from. But he continued charging towards the direction in which the shout had originally came from, though it had since gone silent. Time could be running out for whoever shouted.

Dimitri didn't slow his pace, he trusted that Katarina was right beside him. It was a long way to where the scream had come from, and the rain was only getting worse. Dimitri heard a shock of thunder in the distance, the crackling not too rough on the ears, but he suspected that it would soon reach them and they would be caught in a storm. It was almost as though the gods themselves wished for the pair to be punished. Or perhaps blessed in a strange way. Dimitri weaved over and around obstructions in his path, he hadn't ever imagined himself running into a fight. But just as he grew his determination, something went wrong.

CLANK!

Stepping into some deep leafs, Dimitri couldn't have possibly seen what he'd stepped on, at least while he was being so careless anyway. Teeth dug into Dimitri's leg, causing him to grunt out in pain. He instantly fell over, his right leg not able to stand any longer with the sharp teeth and pressure clinging to it. Dimitri held in the pain, despite how badly he wanted to shout. He'd stepped into a bear trap, and where there were traps, there were monsters too.

To add insult to injury, quite literally, Dimitri couldn't dull the pain with his water healing, it wouldn't be healthy for his leg to undergo healing with teeth in it. Now with his backside in the mud, he tried his best to cognitively analyze the bear trap. There was no release hatch, and fear crept into him as he realized no mortal hunter left this here. "Go find whoever that was!" Dimitri asked of the hunter. "They could be in real danger, and trust me, I'm not goin' anywhere." His voice came out very weak and pained. He gripped the gaps in the teeth of the trap, using all his strength to yank. It partially opened, relieving the pressure, but there was no way he was getting it off. Keeping his leg in comfort was all he could do while he waited.

Katy skidded to a halt next to him immediately trying to help him escape the trap. At his asking she looked up her green eyes pained. "I'll be back for you." She promised him, she patted him once on the shoulder before grabbing her crossbow and disappearing into the forest after the source of the scream once more. The scream sounded out once again, Katy now that she was closer recognised it as a Hunter's. She emerged into a clearing to find herself facing not one, not two, but three Cyclopes.
"Oh..." She muttered it was so obviously a trap now that she stopped to think about it.

She brought her crossbow up to fire when it was knocked out of her hands by a Cyclop's club, moving faster than she would have believed possible for a creature of its size and bulk. Fortunately her hands and fingers were fine, Katy ducked dodging the next swing of the club and rolled forwards, drawing her daggers as she did so. The second Cyclops missed, his staff which was a branch striking the first Cyclops on the back of the head. The third one, Katy's luck ran out, the club sent her flying, scattering her weapons. She hit the ground hard, rolling with the impact, her head striking painfully against something hard.
Stars filled her vision and she tried to force herself up however she blacked out. Not exactly the glorious ending she had hoped for.

"Well that makes three hey brothers?" The third Cyclops roared pleased with himself as he advanced on the unconscious form of the daughter of Himeros. "That makes three Hunters of Artemis."
"A fine hit bro!"
"Yes but you hit me over the head with a stick!"

The third Cyclops sighed, going over to check if the Demigod was still alive, finding a pulse he smiled, tying her hands and feet up before slinging her easily over his shoulder. "Come we'll take this one back to the cave to put with the other captives!" His brothers stopped bickering for a second.
"Yeah!"
"Then we can eat them all!"
"No." Replied the third. "We must wait to get all six of them before we eat because otherwise the sixth one won't come."
"Oh."

With that they headed towards their cave leaving Katy's weapons lying abandoned in the mud.

Despite having nothing but time, Dimitri didn't think about anything. His mind couldn't escape the absolute agony of steel in his leg. It was fortunate, in a sense, that it had been him rather than a child. The thing might have broken someone else's leg just on impact. Dimitri's teeth were gritted, nearly all of his focus went on not screaming out in pain. Katarina leaving certainly didn't feel good, but he had no time at all to reflect on that. The strength it took to keep the bear trap open even a little was not easy to execute, especially with the pain he was in. His muscles grew tired, and eventually the teeth reset back to where they were, leaving Dimitri in the worst agony he'd ever felt. His body feel backwards into the mud, he was ready to give up. Only soft grunts of pain came from his throat, the pain was far more intense than anything he'd ever felt.

"C'mon, Dimitri..." He spoke to himself, weakly. He managed to sit up again. He was caked in mud on his entire backside, from his legs to the back of his head. There had to be a way out of this trap. Dimitri shuddered at the scary stories he'd heard when he was younger about people getting their legs cut off to get out of bear traps like this.  Dimitri eyes his dagger through the pain. There was no way he would be able to cut his own log off, let alone with a dagger. Dimitri grunted out, the dagger wasn't going to be useful in any way here. And it wasn't like he could try to light a fire to weaken the chain or any part of the trap while it was pouring rain. Dimitri searched his pockets once more, and with fient realization, he came up with a plan. But he didn't like it.

Dimitri yanked out his friend's chained rings from his pocket. He absolutely hated the thought of defiling an object of sentiment, but he had no choice. Dimitri looped both rings around teeth on the right side of the trap, then tied the chain around the pole that the trap was connected to. He then pushed his leg that was caught in the trap with his other leg slightly into the adjacent teeth. It hurt, badly, but he managed to grip the free side of the trap with both of his hands so that his leg would no longer receive any pressure from that side. His fingers were being slightly dug into, but they weren't nearly as effected as there was no pressure on the opposite side. Dimitri now pulled his leg away from the side with the rings, forcing the rings to work for him, pulling the teeth away from his leg while he pulled as hard as he could with his hands, even watching some blood draw from them.

He was relentless with his efforts, as bad as they hurt, and when it looked like there was enough room in the trap, he yanked his leg out. His boot got caught, but he gladly pulled his foot out of it and grabbed the boot after his leg was out. "Thank Christ..." He whispered aloud, still in deep pain. The trap had made another clang noise as it shut on nothing but air. Dimitri had to pull once more to recieve the tings, and although there was no apparent damage, if he lived to see one of the siblings, he'd have to come clean. Dimitri layed back, and let all the water that had collectively soak him rush to his wounds, that ironically, were collectively in the same area. It took some energy, but Dimitri could feel the pain begin to dull in seconds.

The demigod stuffed the rings in his pocket once more. He wanted to be out of this forest and to never return. Dimitri attempted to stand, but wasn't prepared for the pain in his leg and feel down once more. He caught himself with his arms, but he knew it was going to take a while before he could run. He was alone again, except now he had a difficult choice to make. Should he go after Katarina again, or should he wait for her. He sighed at the choice, he'd figured it must have taken him some time to escape that trap. Even still, she could be anywhere. If anything, there was at least one thing he was certain of; he was certainly thankful for that water.

Katy crawled out of her unconscious slumber, the first thing which the Hunter noticed was the fact that both her side and head ached something fierce. She gritted her teeth against the pain, the pain however happened to be a good sign. It meant that she was still alive for the moment. She struggled to move, finding her back resting against a rough rock wall, her hands and feet bound by tough rope. The Hunter opened her eyes to reveal a cave, lit by a large wooden fire. Seated around it on larger flat stones were three Cyclopes, their weapons were nearby.

She tried to not make a sound but as she looked around she could see the other Hunters, only one appeared to be moving. The demigods she couldn't really see very well, as they were largely hidden by the fire. She wondered if her demigod comrade Dimitri still lived. She hoped that he might and found herself deeply hurt by the thought that he might be lying dead next to the bear trap.
If only she had taken point instead she might have been able to detect it and thus save him. No she could not think like that she had to believe he still lived. After all when she left him, the boy apart from his leg had been fine.
Katy shuffled in her bindings, seeing if she might be able to free herself. Unfortunately this was not to be, they were simply too tight on her so she could not just slip out of the ropes.

Dimitri waited around for a while. He practiced pacing around on his bad leg, and slowly it became easier and easier. He had the rain to thank for that, seeing as how his body not only recovered better with water, but also felt better. He felt doubt and paranoia over the certainty he had been previously feeling. What if something had happened to Katarina? Or, what if she'd found the hunters? Would they really trace backwards just to save some boy. Dimitri wished that there was some way he could have left a message or something, so that he could at least make some brief circles around the forest. The rain continued to fall, hard, Dimitri just hoped it wasn't too hard on the others if they were still breathing. Katarina would never just leave him, right? The demigod froze at the thought. She would have at least said goodbye if she didn't intend on seeing him again.

After so long of standing around and pacing, Dimitri still wasn't sure what to do. He stood idly by until he spotted moving figures in the distance. He was about to beckon for them until he realized the shapes were far from human. He made them out to be some odd hybrid of what looked to be like a lion or an oddly shaped bear. Dimitri couldn't identify them at the distance, but he was sure they weren't mortal animals. It was at that moment he decided it was time to go. Not just to go find Katarina, but so that he could continue to live himself. Dimitri wondered if they could possibly be checking the bear traps. He took off in the direction the hunter had earlier, though it was a jog at most with the condition of his leg.

It wasn't that hard to trace where the hunter had gone, there were marks in the mud. Each time Dimitri spotted tracks that didn't belong to a human, he shuddered. There was so many more monsters out here than he had realized. The demigod wandered up to the clearing where the tracks had lead him, and the sight was horrifying. A familiar crossbow with two silver daggers not far away layed in the mud. Dimitri fell to his knees, literally now knee-deep in mud. He'd seen enough of all of this hell. He could feel tears finally welling up in his eyelids. The demigod began crying, holding in sobs. For the loss of his friends, for the stress of this nightmare, for the over-tiredness, and for the loss of Katarina.

"I know I haven't been faithful lately." Dimitri began, in a husky and desperate tone. "If you're really up there, you have to understand how all of this has shaken my faith. It's just with how much I've seen, how much I've had to do. But right now I need a sign, I don't know what to do, I need..." Dimitri gave up on his prayers, it all seemed so pointless to him, all of it. The emotional roller coaster he had been on since he entered this forest was just too much for him to process. His tears dried up, despite his desperation still being the exact same. Dimitri wasn't sure how he would be able to live if he survived all of this. But maybe some of the other demigods survived. Dimitri wiped his eyes with his hands, struggling to stand once more. He grabbed the two daggers from the mud, their vibrant silver was defiled with mud. Dimitri looped them onto his belt and held the crossbow in his hands.

He'd wished he'd taken some sort of weapons training for these, but he hadn't. His basic understanding was point and press the trigger. Whatever had fought Katarina had absolutely massive feet, and it wasn't alone. Dimitri began following the tracks, his expression purely miserable. These tracks would be easy to follow, it was only the end that truly worried him. He eventually wandered upon a cave. The rain was still pouring as hard as ever, and Dimitri didn't even bother to take time to wish he could fight in the rain where he actually stood a chance. Ever so carefully, he took what he was certain would be his last steps into the cave.

Oh this could not be good, Katarina thought as the Hunter observed one of the Cyclopes pick up a large cauldron before placing it in the fire. Another poured water into it. Yeah this really was not good, Katy didn't fancy being turned into a tasty Hunter stew for some monsters. She wondered if the other Demigods and Hunters here had tried to escape or at the very least think of a way to escape.
She tried to think of something which she might be able to use to help her escape or at the very least get this bindings off. If she could move freely Katy might be able to grab her weapons.. Her weapons. Oh Zeus where were they? Perhaps the monsters had abandoned them in the field where they captured her? Or they'd taken them as trophies marking their victory over the daughter of Himeros.
She could not free herself however unfortunately.

Instincts were all that kept Dimitri walking. The fear that was going through him was at large, to the point where he considered himself petrified. Hunters who had trained for decades, some even centuries, had fallen here to the feet of whatever monsters were waiting inside. The demigod took short silent steps into the cave, as the rain became further and further out of his reach. He could have always lured them outside, but that plan was bad enough as it was. Sure he'd be in his own element, but they would know where he was and turn him into dinner in just minutes. Although Dimitri wasn't one for stealth, he was much more comfortable hiding from them than confronting them.

Dimitri came to see shadows glowing in the caves. Three massive shadows, to be exact. He carefully hid behind a bout of rocks. Tilting his head out, he took a look at the image in front of him. There were some people on the ground, they all looked likely to be hunters. He spotted Katarina with no problems, his eyes drifted towards her. He breathed a silent breath of relief as he saw her moving. It was the cyclopes that had him not so relieved. The three of them towing over a cauldron of boiling water. It sparked in Dimitri's head, suddenly. The rain might not be here, but with the element of surprise, he still had at least a chance to attack and free Katarina.

Dimitri planted himself on the ground in a sitting position. He had to talk himself into it in order for him to decide to finally go through with it. The sensation of the danger was all too real to the teenager. Being with his group prior created a barrier of false safety, and even traveling with Katarina made him feel not so in danger. This, however, was even worse than being alone in the forest. It wasn't just his life that weighed on his shoulders anymore, but others too. Katarina could die if he didn't do something. With one more look towards the hunter, who he wasn't even sure if she'd spotted him, he stood on his own two feet again.

As silently as he could, he willed all the water that soaked his clothes and skin, into a ball of water that rose in front of him. He looked up towards the ceiling, spotting a stalactite that was hanging above one of the cyclopes. He launches the ball of water with as much force as he could at it, there was now no going back. The large rock fell, bashing into the skull of one of the three brothers. With a thud, that one fell, the thud of him hitting the floor louder than the rock hitting him. Dimitri approached just enough to be able to will the water from the cauldron into a wave to smack into another's face. This one, was of course, not knocked out.

"WAAAAAAAA!" Rang through the cave as the scorching water came in contact with him. He fell onto his backside, still wailing.

"Demigod!" The last one standing declared, turning towards Dimitri. The teenager knew there was no way he was going to be able to defeat a cyclops in a straight fight, and he was all out of water and all out of surprises. Dimitri jumped towards his former companion, and cut her bounds. He put a hand under her arm, helping her up. He handed her the crossbow.

"Are you oka-" Dimitri was cut off, as a giant foot made contact with him. He flew into the rock wall of a cave. The sharp pain in his sides was a bad sign as he cried out into pain.

Katy hadn't noticed Dimitri's arrival until the moment a stalactite crashed into one of the cyclopes, downing him. She couldn't help but smile when he willed the cauldron into a wave to strike at the other cyclopes. This left one more still able to fight whilst the other wailed in pain. "Look out!" She yelled too late in warning as Dimitri was sent flying into the cave wall. Katarina brought her crossbow around, swiftly firing all of the bolts into the cyclopes, it fell down towards her dissipating into dust as Katy hunched down to protect herself from the impact.
She reloaded, sinking a fresh clip of bolts into the chamber of the repeater crossbow, shooting the still wailing cyclopes so that he to was now dead or banished. After all the monsters could never truly be killed unfortunately for the Demigods and Hunters.

She tossed a knife at the still live Hunter. "Free the others I'll... I'll check on the boy." Katarina tried to ignore the suspicious look she gave him as Katy headed over towards Dimitri. She dropped her weapon nearby. "Dimitri?" She asked hoping that he wasn't too badly hurt, she fumbled for some ambrosia. "Here, take this." Her green eyes burned into him, filled with an array of different emotions. Love, care, worry, fear, guilt... Katy was trying to act like a normal Hunter around him. "I... I owe you for helping me through the forest so the ambrosia is on the house." She smiled at him slightly, though it vanished when the other Hunter came over to watch. She kept her distance from Dimitri as if she weren't entirely certain that he was safe to be around.