I'm a hunter of Artemis, supposedly, noble, never wavering, and forever proud; but I'm not that type of girl. Lady Artemis and Thalia are so brave and confident. Even the girls who came to the hunters insecure; after just a few days they weren't so afraid anymore. I wish I was like that. Gaining confidence was one of the main reasons that I joined the hunters; that and Zach…
I run my hands through my hair and look at my roommate (tent mate?). Michaela's one of the girls I envy so much. She has beautiful long brown hair and she's always looked like she knows how gorgeous she is. I'll never understand why she joined the hunters, she's always been extremely confident.
Suddenly, a black head of hair topped with a silver circlet tiara, popped through the silver canvas. Thalia Grace stood in the opening of the Tent. We immediately kneeled at her feet, bruising my shins in the process. If only being a huntress had fixed my clumsiness.
"Oh, stand up!" She complained, and I could effortlessly imagine her rolling her eyes. Thalia was famous for hating those niceties that Zoe had always encouraged. We reluctantly rose. "Yes, Thalia" Calling Thalia my lady or ma'am was a death wish. It felt weird to just call her Thalia though. Occasionally we called her Lieutenant, but for the most part, Thalia was just Thalia.
"Yes your grace?" Michaela asks. She hasn't even been here as long as I have, but she's already higher up in the rankings them me. Artemis asks for private audiences with Michaela almost once a week. She's never asked to speak to me, since I joined the Hunt. Thalia catches my eye and smiles.
"Actually, I'm here for Jane," Thalia announces and raises an eyebrow at me. "Lady Artemis would like to see you." I blush.
"Thank you, Thalia." I say, making myself stand a little straighter. I walk out of our tent, moving into the meadow we're currently camped in.
It's strange, we've been here for a few days, and normally we'd be on the move, or at least planning an attack on a monster, by now. It's not like we're at any remarkable landmark. When I mentioned my suspicions to Michaela, she didn't get it. I'm probably just over thinking it…
Artemis's tent is unremarkable from the outside, the same silver material of the rest the hunt, the only difference is it's slightly larger size. I take a deep breath and hold myself rigid, hoping to look confident; and self-assured. What hokum… I step through the entrance into the tent. I bow my head first without looking up.
"You wanted to speak to me, Lady Artemis?" I ask, I'm half wondering if Thalia pulled me in here by accident.
"Yes, Jane." Artemis sits with a gazelle stretched across her lap. I remember on my first day as a huntress, I almost had a heart attack when I found out they called the adorable creäture Fabio. Artemis shakes her brown bangs out of her eyes and blinks as I enter. The goddess appearance hints to her only being thirteen; then again, none of us are really who we seem.
As for me, I've only been in the Hunters for six months, so it's not like I would've aged that much anyways. Though, I had always held out hope that I'd get prettier as I got older. Unfortunately, that was never going to happen.
"You may have noticed something unusual?" She asks, lightly patting the spot across from her. A carefully lower myself on the silver tarp. Fabio licks my hand as I sit down and I affectionately scratch under his chin.
"Yes, Lady Artemis, I noticed we've stayed here longer than we normally would have." I murmur; a little relieved that I'm not paranoid. Artemis nods, proudly. I'm completely surprised that she's pleased; I'm certainly not the first, or the fastest to notice. I run my fingers through the tiger pelt on the tent wall beside me, anxiously.
"You've very observant, that will serve you well, if you accept my task." Artemis muses, mostly to herself. I blink and think over the fact that she might have just complemented me. Me, little old Jane, just earned praise from the goddess Artemis. Holy Hephaestus.
"Task?" I ask, tilting my head. It's starting to sound like she selected me for a job, but that could never happen. There are so many hunters that are better than me. Thalia, Brenda, Lena, Hadley, even Michaela could do a better job than me. It's like a punch to the gut as my pride takes the hit.
"Yes, I've been sensing something… whatever it is, it's not pleasant." Artemis grimaces. "The local high school is the source, if the aura I'm sensing is a monster, it's a strong one; but it could also be a very powerful demigod, or even a minor god." She explains. I study her expression, trying to understand the meaning behind her words. "I cannot enter the school myself, at least not without scaring them out-of-town. I need someone who can serve as my eyes, not get distracted, and not draw too much attention."
I swallow, understanding why she chose me. Not draw too much attention. I'm not pretty or interesting enough for anyone to care about me. That's why a girl like Thalia or Michaela couldn't help her. I look down, biting my lip and fighting back tears. Even with the hunters, with immortality and confidence at my side, I'm still not special. Zach's word still dig into my heart, ripping it to shreds despite how hard I'm fighting to keep it together.
"Do you accept?" Artemis asks, lifting her eyebrows, daring me to disregard the honor she just bestowed upon me. My heart stops as I think about it, the challenges ahead of me.
"Of course my lady," I murmur, bowing my head. I'm the image of modesty,the downcast eyes and the slight blush on my cheeks. Modesty was never my problem though.
"I'll take you today, to sign you up." Artemis announces, standing, and before my eyes, shifting into a middle-aged woman. Even a little older, Artemis is still gorgeous. Her hairs a little longer, and she's about five foot six. She towers over my puny five foot three.
"What will you tell the other hunters?" I ask, standing quickly. I can feel myself almost stumble again
"The truth," Artemis exclaims, turning towards me with shock written clearly across her face. "What else?" I shrug, a little surprised by her answer. "You should go change." I glance down at my silver snowboarding jacket and jeans. She just tilts her head and frowns, I shrug heading back to my tent a little nervously.
My mind races through all the different possibilities as I change into a plain white t-shirt: a threat so powerful that Artemis was afraid to spook it. It's probably just a little monster, I'll just go in, spot it, and bring the hunters on the trail. I don't want to think too hard about the possibility that the aura is from a minor god, or even a very powerful demigod.
Not many demigods met me, I had never reached camp, but that would be a much harder situation. The mist I can see through as a hunter but I'm not a human lie detector, I can't pick deceptions out of thin air and a god, even a minor god would be way more powerful. I sigh and grab my backpack, stocked with my usual throwing knives and essentials. Time to start my first day as a normal high school girl.