Author's Note- I said in my first story, Joining the Hunt, that I had an idea for a second story. Well here it is. If you read my first story you may notice that some of the thoughts, paragraphs, and/or sentences are the same. The first two paragraphs are exactly the same. Also, all of the dialogue in the first two paragraphs is directly from the book, so if you notice grammatical errors or things that don't make sense in those paragraphs it is not my fault.

Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the characters in this chapter.

The Child of the Prophecy: Thalia's POV

Artemis said "Annabeth is right. Which is why I must first make a reward. My faithful companion, Zoë Nightshade, has passed into the stars. I must have a new lieutenant. And I intend to choose one. But first, Father Zeus, I must speak to you privately."

That is when it clicked. She will ask me to become a Hunter. That way, I will stay fifteen forever and will not have to be the child of the prophecy. I will not have to face Luke or Kronos and make the final decision.

When she said this I was confident in what my response would be. I will join the Hunt and Percy will be the child of the prophecy.

I heard Percy and Annabeth having a conversation, but didn't hear any thing they were saying. I was caught up in my own thoughts.

There are so many thoughts running through my head. Luke. Kronos. Immortality. Power. Did I really want to be the child of the prophecy? No. I definitely did not.

I will never have to face Luke. I know that if I face him I will get lost in his deep blue eyes and obsess over his sandy hair. I will get distracted and he or someone else will take advantage of that. I can not let that happen.

I want the power of immortality. My fatal flaw: power. I can have more power. I can be immortal.

I won't have to face Kronos or make the final decision. The decision, the decision to overturn Kronos and, from what I understood of the prophecy, sacrifice myself.

A single choice shall end his days. Can I make the choice to kill myself? I am not sure. Should I take the risk of not being able to? And cause the fall of Olympus.

Then I realized I can't let myself back away. I can't be weak and give in to the power. Most importantly: I can not let Kronos get any stronger.

The longer it takes to be fulfill the prophecy, the stronger Kronos gets. He must be stopped!

"Thalia, Daughter of Zeus. Will you join the Hunt?" Artemis asked me.

I took a few moments to process what I was about to say, then began "I would love to join the Hunt, but I cannot." She was shocked, but I continued. "I'm sorry and appreciate the offer, but Kronos must be stopped. The more time passes the stronger he gets. We must stop him now, before he gains full form and strength."

My father stood up and said "My daughter, it is a wise and difficult thing you are choosing to do. Consider well."

"Father, I need no consideration. I know what I must do. I will do it no matter what or who I may face."

Hermes then stood up and spoke to me. "Thalia, I have seen your feelings for my son Luke. Are you sure that if you face him in battle you can do what is needed?"

I took a deep breath before responding. "Hermes, I have given that much thought, and the truth is I don't know. I know, there is no way I can kill him, but I doubt he could kill me, either. We have known each other for many years and I am positive our friendship will save me."

"You can never be sure." That was all he said in return. I could tell by the look on his face that he knew I would have to face Luke, and that Luke would have a tragic death. I almost cried at the thought. Luke: my first and closest friend, apart from Annabeth, gone.

Artemis had regained her composure and cleared her throat before saying "If this is your choice then so be it. But, I am still without a lieutenant. So, is there anyone else in the room who would like to join the Hunt? Perhaps you, Annabeth?"

Annabeth was dumbstruck. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Eventually she said "I-I-I…"

Annabeth's POV

"If that is your choice then so be it. But, I am still without a lieutenant. So, is there anyone else in the room who would like to join the Hunt? Perhaps you Annabeth?"

Did Artemis just ask me join the Hunt? Me, Annabeth Chase a Hunter?

I have been waiting for this opportunity for a couple of years and usually would have jumped at the opportunity. Instead, I sit here dumbstruck, not saying anything.

I opened my mouth to answer, not knowing what I was going to say. But, my throat got dry and I didn't say anything. All eyes were on me in the throne room and I just wanted to curl up in the corner, sheltered from everyone's stares.

Percy. If I join the Hunt I will lose Percy and he will probably hate me. Percy is my best friend, apart from Thalia. I already lost Luke, can I lose Percy too? In fact, I would lose both Thalia AND Percy. I may seem tough, but there is no way I can survive without my friends.

And then there was my mother. I didn't want to disappoint her. I have spent all of my life trying to prove myself to her. What would she want me to do?

I didn't know what to say , but I had to answer. So I began "I-I-I…"

Author's Note- I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You probably hate me right now. I know how much we all hate cliff hangers but I couldn't resist. I know it's short, but I saw the opportunity for that cliffy and couldn't resist. Please review!