Chapter One: Who is Link?
Here it is! The first remade chapter! There has been a few changes and it has been lengthened a bit hopefully the story now has an even greater beginning!
Link . . . a special child . . . yes special. He's a demigod, meaning half god and half human. However, what's more interesting is his heritage that he doesn't know it for reasons that are yet to be revealed. Link isn't a bad kid he is kind, respectful, intelligent, helpful, talented, quiet, observant, humble, and much more; but he's not without flaws. People say he's too kind, too weird, and too easy to forget. He's a bit short than the average person his age, which is ten. His hair is a dirty blond which hangs over his ears, while his eyes are a sky blue color. He smiles brightly at all. He loves the color green and silver, while most of his siblings adore colors like gold and yellow, but that doesn't mean he dislikes it. Who's his father you asked? Well he's Apollo, God of the Sun, Music, Poetry, Healing, Archery, Reason, and Prophecy. But because of the fact he's easy to forget he's often forgotten by his siblings and father when they do activities together. Why is a god with his children? It's simple, ever since the Second Titan War the Gods and Goddesses have been visiting their children twice a week so they won't feel forgotten or neglected, but that doesn't mean they get everything right. In all honesty he gets along with his aunt way better. Strange considering that she dislikes all males. Who's she? But shouldn't you know by now? She's Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Moon, Maidenhood, Animals, Wilderness, Childbirth, and Archery. Ever since their first meeting, Artemis and Link often spend the days the gods and goddesses visit together, since Link is alone and Artemis' hunters are with their parent and siblings if they have any or if they aren't a demigod they go on hunts. That doesn't mean Link is without friends, for he has two, who like him, are often considered different from their siblings. One is the eleven year old Saria, who is a child of Demeter but she doesn't only tend to the strawberries but all plant life, causing many to say she like a sage of the forest or something. She even dyed her hair greenish blond. The other one is named Zelda, age ten, a child of Athena whose mind is far beyond what most children of Athena are at and at times consider to be the second coming of Annabeth. What do these three all have in common? They are all a little different from their siblings, their names are weird (Even by demigod's standers) and their ears a bit pointed. Though it could be a genetic fluke, but who knows? Since nobody really see their ears since their hair covers them. Also they have strange taste in clothes according to the children of Aphrodite because Link likes wearing tunics, Zelda likes wearing long dresses, and Saria enjoys wearing green colored everything. Despite the differences nobody really bother's the girls, since they fit in with their cabins well enough and they aren't forgotten by them, but Link is open game because of his accidental neglectful father and siblings. Is he angry at them, no. Link isn't mad, his nature doesn't allow him to stay angry at anyone for long, but he can dislike someone and there's one group he really dislikes, his name is Mido and his pals. Link didn't bother learning his gang's names. Mido is a twelve year old child of Ares, who contently torments Link for his differences from everyone else. There are days he gets a break, mainly because his friends and Mido were with their cabins doing activities. Normally Link would be with the Apollo cabin, but today he was allowed to sit on the porch of the Big House. Why you may ask? Because Chiron informed Link that Artemis and her hunters were to arrive to rest while Artemis went to a council meeting they were having before coming to the camp and he was given permission to wait for her there. As Link waited for his aunt, he thought back to when he and Artemis first met.
Flashback
It was just before dawn and Link sat alone on the beach. He hugged his legs close, watching the sun rise. Yesterday the gods came for a visit, but were a little late so they decided to stay overnight and give them the full day they promised them. This led Apollo to decide to let his kids come with him on the sun chariot to experience a sun rise with him, but forgot Link. The boy sighed as he waited for the sun to rise, at least he would see them, but then a presence appeared next to him. He looked over to find a pair of legs standing there; he looked up to find a girl with auburn hair and silver eyes.
"Hello nephew." She said with a bit of discuss in her voice.
"Hello Lady Artemis." Link said sadly as Artemis raised an eyebrow and sat down next to the boy.
"Shouldn't you be with your father?" Artemis asked as Link sighed again.
"I wish, but father and my siblings often forget I'm even here. Like all days when he visits, I'm alone." Link said quietly as Artemis looked surprise
"Really, why is that?" She asked as Link looked to her.
"I'm not sure, I usually get along with everyone, well most of them. And I try to be the best person I can be like being nice, respectful and all that, but no one besides my friends seem to notice." Link replied as Artemis nodded.
"I see, often the best of mortals and gods alike are like that, forgotten in favor for ones less than best." She told him as Link nodded.
"Do you think that I'm like that?" he asked as Artemis closed her eyes in thought.
"If you were like your father, I would have said yes ten times over, but you're not like him. You must get that from your mother. In truth, you remind me of Perseus Jackson." She said as Link smiled.
"Thanks . . . by the way, where are you hunters? Wouldn't you like to be with them instead of me?" Link asked as Artemis sighed.
"I wish, but the other gods declared that they want to spend time with their children in my hunt, so I'm often left alone as well during these days." She told Link as he nodded.
"What about the ones not demigods, couldn't you go hunting with them or something?" He asked curious as Artemis smiled, but shook her head,
"The rest of them are hunting, I want to be with them, but like the other Olympians here without children, I'm required to be here. Guess our presence is required or something." She said as Link nodded, then had a crazy idea.
"We could spend time together, as aunt and nephew . . ." Link said trailing off as he felt like the idea was not the best he could say, but was the only one he could think of..
"I suppose, but what should we do then?" She asked as Link's face brighten up
"We can go shoot arrows at targets, and maybe you can give me . . . some pointers." Link suggested as Artemis smirked.
"I think that would be nice, you would finally get a teacher whose archery is top notch." She said as Link chuckled at her wording, as the two got up from their positions traveled there and so nearly every time the gods stayed for a day at camp, Link and Artemis would spend quality aunt and nephew bonding. Soon she started molding Link into how she though men should be. After a few times of bonding, she introduced the hunt to him, and Link introduced his two friends to Artemis and the hunt and soon enough the hunters accepted Link as their cousin, well after a few unannounced tests that the hunts gave Link. Artemis decided to not even attempt recruiting the girls, since she didn't want to rob Link of his only two friends and so whenever the hunt arrived at the camp, they removed Link and his friends from areas that were going to be pranked as to not get them hit by it or they didn't do them at all since they rather spend time with the three campers they liked rather than waste time with the ones they don't.
Flashback End
So that brings us back to what Link was currently doing. Sitting on the porch and swinging his legs peacefully, well until Mido and his gang showed up
"Sup girly boy?" Mido asked as Link ignored him, this irritated the boy greatly, so he grabbed Link's hair and yanked it making Link face him.
"I said sup girly boy!" He said once again emphasizing 'girly boy' closer to Link's face, though the boy resisted rolling his eyes.
"Hello Mido . . ." Link said with an annoyed voice as the boy smirked
"There was that so hard, was it." He asked, letting but Link didn't respond
"Now, I've heard that your, uh, 'friends' were coming today and I just wanted to make sure you know your place since I didn't really like what happened last time." Mido said as Link smirked
"Oh you mean when my cousins embarrassed you? Or the part when they shot you with training arrows?" Link said as he smirked up at Mido, making said boy's face go red.
"I told you to never bring that up again!" He growled out the words and grabbed Link's arm and yanked him off the porch and started dragging him to the camps boundary line.
"Let's see if time outside of camp will make you behave?" Mido said with a dark grin as Link panicked, he couldn't go out their unarmed he could die! So Link did the only thing he could think of, struggle to get out of the mean boy's grip, but that didn't turn out well as Mido's gang grabbed him as well, keeping him from any attempts of escaping. When they arrived at Thalia's Tree the group threw Link onto the other side, Link attempted to reenter the safe haven for demigods, but Mido and his gang blocked them from even stepping a foot past the tree and all other attempts were stopped.
"Oh, you got to be faster than that!" Mido said snickering as Link once again failed to pass the older boys. Link was about to try again when he heard growling. Slowly turning his head, he saw glowing red eyes from the forest. His head snapped back to Mido with a pleading look.
"You better run girly boy." He said with a dark smile, Link's face palled. Link slowly backed up in disbelief that they would really leave him to die like this and seeing no other options Link ran in the opposite direction from the eyes and soon after a, Hell Hound burst through the forest and charged after Link. It ignored the others boys since they were protected by the barrier. This mad them laugh at the poor boy, though it stopped when a certain silver arrows hit the ground in front of them, they looked and it was now their faces that paled. Link, not seeing the arrow, ran as fast as he could and soon entered the forest doing his best to dodge trees, bushes, and other natural stuff littered on the forest floor. He thought about trying to reach another part of the camp barrier, but knew that the Hell Hound would get him for sure then. Link soon made a mistake by looked back to see where the monster was, but failed to make sure his path was clear. Link tripped on a root of a tree that was sticking out of the ground and tumbled down a hill. Link eyes were closed as he was in a lot of pain right now, the hill was not kind to the boy, but he knew he must ignore the pain and continue running. He opened his eyes and saw a pair of brown boots; Link looked up and saw a man with a large smile on his face, red short hair that did nothing to cover his long pointed hair. On the man's back was a gigantic backpack that seemed to be about twice the size of the man, and masks were hanging all around it.
"My, that was quite the fall you've taken. You've met with a terrible fate haven't you?" The man said as Link stared at the man with wide eyes. The man chuckled as he reached took off his back and reach into it.
"But don't worry I have something to make it all better." He said as he continued digging into his back and just when he was about to pull the item out the Hell Hound jumps to rip Link apart, but it skewered itself on a sword that the man held with his other hand.
"Sorry, I don't like any interruptions." The man said as the monster burst into gold dust. He then made the sword swung the sword around and stuck it into the ground. He then stuck out his, now, free hand to Link.
"I'm the Happy Mask Salesman, and you're Link correct?" The Salesman said as Link nodded taking his hand and being pulled up to his feet.
"H-How did you know?" Link asked while the man chuckled again.
"I have many connections child, one of which was your grandfather." The man said as Link looked at him confused
"Oh my, you were never told were you? Perhaps the gods didn't know, or maybe they did. Who knows, but the person I'm talking about you is your Grandfather: Perseus Jackson." The Salesman said shocking Link.
"W-What?" Link asked in disbelief as the man's smile widen.
"Oh yes child, that man was your grandfather, and he asked me to give something very important to someone of his heritage and I believe you are that someone." The Salesman said as he grabbed the sword and pulled it out of the ground. Then before the boy's very eyes, the sword turned into a pen. The Salesman handed the pen to Link who took it with amazement.
"This is . . ." Link trailed off.
"Yes, that is Riptide." The man finished for Link who looked at it a bit more before putting the pen into his pocket, the Salesman retracted his hand from the bag and was about to close it when he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh! I almost forgot something to make it all better!" The Salesman said as he reached into the bag handing Link a mask.
"A . . . mask?" Link asked as the man nodded.
"Yes child, a mask, all masks are made to make people happy! Sure you are happier now right? Oh and one more thing!" The Salesman said as Link noticed he did feel much more happy holding it. Then the man once again reached into the back and pulled out a book and handed it to him
"Hyrule Historia?" Link asked as he read the title aloud then he went to ask the man what this was, but he was gone. Link looked around and then back down at the items he received from the man. The mask looked oddly familiar, but its white hair, blue and red markings, and long pointed ears were throwing him off. Link turned the mask around and was about to put the mask on when a hand landed on his shoulder, he froze and slowly looked behind him to see a very relieved and very anger Artemis.
"Here you are." She said more to herself than anything making Link pale a bit at his aunt's anger filled face.