Hi guys :) So just to start you off, this is the first fanfic I ever published online- and it turned out to be a collection of one-shots! I've written a few fics before, but I was feeling confident about sharing my work as I write- so here I go! :D Please read, review and ENJOY :

A is for Archery

Summary: An Apollo kid gives a fellow Hades girl archery lessons…

He watched her as she gripped the bow, seeing the determined look in her eyes. She pulled the drawstring a little, but she wasn't holding the bow properly. From the way she was aiming, the arrow would go anywhere but the target.

She did have unusual talent, he noted. Her arms had some power, so the bowstring was taunt, and her weight is unusually well balanced for a beginner.

"Diana," he said quietly so she didn't get startled and shoot the arrow into some bush.

Diana turned around and let the bowstring relax. Her eyes were piercing, but their color was indefinable. The outside was hazel, while the inside was a light green. These colors did not make her eyes look friendly though. She was a mystery, that he knew for sure.

"Hello, Kyle," she said, her eyebrows scrunching a little bit.

He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I saw you holding that bow and I thought I could give you a few pointers."

Diana's expression relaxed a little bit and she shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Thank you."

He stepped forward and pointed towards the bow. "Show me how you'd shoot it."

Diana lifted the bow up and pointed it towards the target, ready to draw the arrow. He stopped her from doing so and repositioned her grip on the bow. "See, you have to hold it higher up to get a better grip on the bow. Then you pull here… hold the string like this…"

He put his hands on her hips and gently turned them so she was facing the target correctly and pointed. "See, this target is close enough that you only have to shoot up a little bit. Give it a try." Diana had a determined look in those oddly beautiful eyes of hers.

She pull the string up to her chin, paused for a moment and let the arrow fly. He watched in amazement as the arrow sailed towards the target and stuck at the very side with a dull sound. "Wow!" he breathed. "Diana, you're a natural!"

Diana smiled a little and her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Here," he said, hurriedly thrusting a quiver filled with twenty arrows in her hand. "Put this on your back and see how quickly you can shoot all of these without rushing."

Diana looked back at the target, and after a minute or so, nineteen arrows were stuck in the target. Most were somewhere in the outside rings, but a few had come surprisingly close to the centre.

"What do you think?" she asked Kyle, who was staring at her with his mouth slightly open.

Kyle blinked. "Your godly parent is Hades, right?" he asked Diana, who nodded.

Kyle had an odd feeling in his stomach. Children of Hades were not known to be particularly skilled with a bow and arrow. Diana pulled the last arrow out of her quiver.

Kyle watched her pull the drawstring tight like a professional, she let the arrow fly— and it sailed directly towards the target and into the black centre. Bulls-eye. Kyle stared open-mouthed. "How on earth—"

At that moment, he realised she was shimmering in a silver light. "Oh my god," Kyle gasped. Diana wrinkled her brow as well until she looked at her arms and those grey-green eyes of hers widened.

"What does this mean?" she whispered. Both Diana and Kyle's eyes widened as they understood that this meant only one thing.

"Lady Artemis' blessing," Diana said breathlessly. Kyle looked worried.

Before he could stop himself he asked Diana, "Does this mean you have to join the Hunters of Artemis?"

Diana smiled the first real smile he had seen from her. Her eyes shone as she leaned over and pecked his cheek. "Not necessarily."