(This is where I'll answer any comments left on the previous chapter, so if you don't care, feel free to skip to the chapter! There's a lot of it haha)

Theronis: Ah thank you so much for the comment! I'm glad you enjoyed :) Also thank you for letting me know about the typo in the first chapter! It should be fixed now.

The boy was obviously not prepared to hear that the 13-year old girl in front of him was a goddess, because he gave quite possibly the least intelligent answer she could have imagined

"Um… okay."

The satyr let out a loud gasp, his eyes wide. Kneeling in the snow, he began to ramble on. "...Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so...you're so… wow!"

"Get up, goat boy!" The girl with cropped hair snapped as he struggled to his feet. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

A girl who was standing behind the others pushed her way to the front, her olive skin gleaming in the moonlight.

"Whoa," the girl made a canceling motion with her hands, her eyes wildly flashing. "Hold up. Time out."

Illia stared at the girl in confusion. Does she not know who the hunters are?

She began to point to everyone in the clearing, and Illia could see the cogs in her head moving. "Who… who are you people?"

Honestly, I have the same question.

She watched as Artemis' steely expression softened as she approached the girl. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you! Who are your parents?"

The girl glanced nervously at what she assumed to be her brother, who was still staring slack-jawed at the goddess.

"Our parents are dead," she began. "We're orphans. I mean there's a bank trust that pays for our school, but…" the girl trailed off, wringing her hands nervously.

Illia's eyebrows raised, not in shock, but in pity. She doesn't know who her godly parent is either.

"What?" the girl glanced around defensively. "I'm telling the truth."

"You are a half-blood," Zoë stated, her voice devoid of emotion. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

The girl blinked at the Huntress. "An Olympian… like an athlete?"

"No, one of the gods."

"Cool!" Her brother piped up from the back, grinning.

"No!" His sister cried, voice wavering as she ran her hands through her dark hair. "This is not cool!"

The boy continued on, unaffected by his sister's distress. "Does Zeus really have lighting bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for-"

Zoë and Illia shared a look of is this kid for real?

"Nico, shut up!" His sister scolded, holding her head in her hands. "This isn't your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"

The angry light in the other girl's eyes subsided slightly as she attempted to put her hand on the anguished girl's shoulder. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… our lives are dangerous."

The girl, Bianca shrugged her off, turning towards the cliff. "Dangerous." She paused, a distant look in her eyes. "Like the girl who fell."

The older girl turned away, and a heavy silence fell over the clearing.

"Do not despair for Annabeth," Artemis announced, a sad expression on her face. She turned to the other boy- Percy. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

"Then why won't you let us go look for her?" He pleaded, and Illia thought he was going to attempt to dash over the cliff again.

"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."

She gasped. "Son of Poseidon?" She hissed quietly to Zoë. "Isn't that illegal-"

The other girl cut her off with a sharp glare.

"Oo!" Bianca's brother broke in. "What about Dr. Thorn?" He turned to the hunters, excitement in his eyes. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"

"He was a manticore," Artemis replied, a dark look in her eyes. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."

"Or they'll hunt us," The older girl stated, kicking snow over a discarded arrow with a sullen expression.

Bianca shivered, glancing at her brother. "That explains… Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in DC?"

Nico nodded, making the connections in his head.

"And that bus driver, the one with the ram's horns. I told you that was real."

"That's why Grover has been watching you," Percy replied. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."

"Grover?" the girl stared at him in disbelief. "You're a demigod?"

"Well," another boy let out an awkward laugh, whom Illia assumed to be Grover. He kicked off his shoes, revealing two goat hooves gleaming in the moonlight. "A satyr, actually."

Bianca looked like she had seen a ghost, her expression pale.

The older girl, taking notice of this nudged him. "Grover, put your shoes back on," she hissed. "You're freaking her out."

"Hey," he protested, wrestling a shoe back onto his hoof. "My hooves are clean!"

Percy turned to Bianca, her gaze still fixated on the satyr. "Bianca, we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

"Camp?" Bianca managed to stammer out.

"Camp Half-Blood," Percy began. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year round if you like."

Illia swallowed, trying to control her shaking hands. Of course, she had heard about the camp, everyone who had even some ties to the gods had. She would be lying if the idea of a place where half-bloods could learn who they were while also learning how to defend themselves didn't intrigue her.

Maybe that was why she had never truly become part of the hunters.

"Sweet, let's go!" Nico's enthusiasm cut through her thoughts.

"Wait," Bianca began, shaking her head. "I don't-"

"Well," Zoë interjected, glancing at the girl. "There is another option."

"Nononono." The older girl cut her off, glaring at her. "There isn't."

The two girls glared at each other, the tension in the air palpable. Illia bit her cheek. Something tells me this isn't going to end well.

"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis cut in, shooting a glance in Zoë's direction. "Zoë, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."

Zoë swallowed, glancing one last time at the other girl. "Yes, my lady."

"And Bianca," Artemis added, giving a calm look at the distraught girl. "Come with me. I would like to speak with you."

"What about me?" Nico butted in, dancing on the balls of his feet.

Artemis surveyed the boy, her stare looking him up and down. "Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm sure he would be happy to entertain you for a while… as a favor to me?"

The goat boy's face lit up, stumbling to his feet. "You bet! Come on, Nico!"

The two walked off into the woods, and Illia could overhear Nico explaining hit points and other miscellaneous things to the satyr. Artemis gently led Bianca along the cliff, the girl still stammering over her words. Illia felt a surge of pity for the girl.

I can't imagine what it must be like, finding out about all of this at once.

Zoë shot an angry look at the other girl one last time, before walking towards the rest of the girls.

"Zoë!" Illia called, running to catch up with her. "Is everything okay?"

Her friend shot her a sour look, tossing her one of the rolled-up tent packs without saying a word.

"Alright, fine." She muttered underneath her breath, glancing around the area.

The tents were fairly easy to put up, and Illia and the rest of the hunters were pretty used to Artemis' nomadic ways.

She pondered attempting to communicate with Zoë again, but decided it would be best if she let her have her space.

"Hey!" A girl yelled, tossing her a heavy blue backpack.

"Yes?"

The ginger-haired huntress pointed to a discouraged looking Percy sitting by the newly built fire. "Give it to him."

Illia winced as she lifted the pack, briefly forgetting her scarred palms. "Why can't you do it? He's right there."

Phoebe sneered, casting a glance in his direction. "You should know why he's a man."

She rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean you shouldn't be a decent human being." She muttered, turning towards the boy who no doubt overheard the entire exchange.

"Hey, uh." She began awkwardly. "Here's your stuff." Illia shuffled. "I'm sorry about her, she's…" She trailed off. "Well, Phoebe."

She didn't particularly know the girl that well, despite being with her for 14 years. The only thing that she knew is that she had been with the hunters longer than Zoë had, which was, well, quite a long time.

Percy looked up at her, sea green eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry about your friend." She responded, instantly regretting how insensitive it probably sounded.

"Thanks," he repeated, setting his bag beside him. "Me too." His gaze wandered to the older girl who was pacing by the cliffside.

"Do you know what's up with them?"

"Huh? Oh with those two?" Her mind wandered back to the two girls' obvious tension. She shook her head. "Not really, no. I haven't been with the hunters that long, compared to some of the others at least."

Percy nodded, a little disappointed. "Right, I shouldn't have asked."

She glanced around the now set up camp, making sure that she wasn't needed elsewhere before Percy asked her another question.

"What's it like? Being with the hunters?"

Illia shrugged with a laugh, fiddling with her bandages on her palms. "It's alright, I guess. I mean it's all I've ever really known." She cast a glance at Percy, who was now sitting upright with a curious expression.

"I mean they're like my family, and we protect each other." She hesitated, not knowing how much she should disclose to the stranger.

"So she would be safe here." He gestured to where Artemis was chatting with Bianca, who seemed to look a little bit better. "If she chooses to stay, I mean."

She could tell he didn't seem thrilled with the idea.

"You really want her to come back to that camp with you, don't you?"

Percy sighed. "Yeah," he paused, giving her a sideways glance. "We've been losing a lot of campers recently." he fiddled with a keychain on his bag. "Chiron sent us to find them, and bring them back."

"Chiron?"
"Yeah," he looked at her in surprise. "You don't know him?"
"No uh," she stammered, embarrassment flooding over her. "I do, I just didn't know he ran a camp."

He blinked. "You've never been to Camp Half-Blood?

Illia opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the entrance of Nico and the satyr, who was carrying supplies to fix his arm.

"Oh, uh, I should go-" she began, making room for the other two.

"Wait!" Percy called, causing her to turn around. "I mean you don't have to."
She blinked in confusion. "Oh, I don't want to intrude-"

Grover shook his head with a smile. "You're supposed to help treat the wounded, right?" He glanced towards the wrap of gauze beside him. "Plus I'm sure Nico would love to ramble- er, I mean explain his game to someone else."

The kid grinned, pulling out some of his figures and laying them in the snow.

"Alright." She sat down tentatively, still feeling mildly awkward. Grover began cleaning Percy's wound, with the occasional wince of pain from the demigod.

"Big collection." He nodded to Nico, who was eagerly pulling more and more figurines out of his bag.

He grinned. "I have almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."

Illia squinted her eyes, taking in all of the miniature figures, and he was right. The kid had dozens of figurines, from Zeus to Ares.

"Have you been playing for a long time?" She asked, smiling at Apollo's mini sun chariot. "You seem to know your stuff."

Nico smiled, obviously happy someone had noticed his extensive knowledge of the game. "Just this year. Before that…" He frowned.

"What?" Percy asked with a concerned expression.

"I forget. That's weird."

Nico shook his head as if to clear his confusion. "Hey," he began, forgetting about his lapse of memory. "Can I see that sword you were using?"

Percy nodded, as he fished out a golden fountain pen from his pocket. To Illia's surprise, the boy uncapped the pen, revealing a three-foot-long broadsword.

"Woah." She commented despite herself.

I guess if hunters can summon bows out of nowhere, pens can become swords, I guess.

"Cool!" Nico exclaimed, clambering over a startled Grover to get a better look. "Does it ever run out of ink?"

"Um," Percy laughed awkwardly. "I don't actually write with it."

"Are you really the son of Poseidon?"

She bit her lip. Nico really stole the words right out of my mouth.

Percy bit into a square of ambrosia, his body relaxing.
"Well, I mean, yeah."

Nico's eyes lit up. "Can you surf really well then?"

He choked slightly on the ambrosia, fighting back a laugh.

"Jeez, Nico, I've never really tried."

The younger boy continued to barrage him with questions, even asking her some.

"So," he turned to her. "What's it like being friends with the Artemis?"

She blinked. Illia had never really considered Artemis as a friend. "Well," she began. "She's made a point of us treating her like anyone else, I guess. With respect and honesty."

Nico nodded, obviously not satisfied with the answer.

"So do you get any cool powers with being part of the hunters?"
Her eyes widened, not knowing how to tell them that she wasn't one.

"I-"

"Percy Jackson."

Illia breathed a sigh of relief as Zoë cut her off.

"I apologize for interrupting, Illia." She glared at Percy with distaste in her eyes.

"No problem." She responded, sitting up hastily, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"Come with me," she gestured to the two of them. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

Zoë led the two to the farthest tent, the interior filled with various animal pelts. In the center, Artemis sat with Bianca next to a brazier, her live deer resting on the goddesses' lap.

"Join us, Percy Jackson."

Artemis smiled at Illia, patting the ground next to her.

She sat down next to Zoë, taking in the assorted colors of the flames before her as Percy took a seat across from them.

"Are you surprised by my age?" Artemis questioned him, silvery eyes staring intently at him.

"Uh… a little."

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."

Percy titled his head to the side. "Go astray?"

"Grow up," the goddess sighed. "Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

He shifted uncomfortably while Zoë glared at him.

"Oh."

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis replied, shooting Zoë a glance. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…" The goddess trailed off in thought. "Which one was it?"

"The boy from Colorado," Illia added in, not sure if Artemis was asking for an answer. "You turned him into a jackalope, right?"

She vividly remembered the teenage boy who had cat-called one of the huntresses, earning him a lifetime of being a jackalope.

"Ah, yes," Artemis responded with a smile. "I enjoy making jackalopes." She turned her attention back to Percy. "At any rate, I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the…" she searched for the right word. "...disturbing things the monster said. But she may have not understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."

Shivers ran down Illia's spine as she listened to what happened with the manticore, about some mysterious employer.

Artemis sighed, resting her hand on her bow. "I feared this was the answer."

Zoë's eyes widened. "The scent, my lady?"

She gulped, remembering various discussions that Artemis and Zoë had confided in her about long-dormant monsters coming back to life.

"What scent?" Percy interjected, confused.

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," She murmured to herself, eyes dark. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten." She stared at him intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

Percy shuffled uncomfortably. "Um, 'I hate middle school dances'."

The goddess rolled her eyes slightly. "No, no. After that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."

She felt Zoë stiffen beside her, her face pale. She attempted to speak to Artemis beside her, but she raised her hand to silence her.

"Go on, Percy."

"Well," he began, his weary gaze resting on Zoë. "Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot-"

"Stirring," Bianca corrected him.

"Yeah," he glanced at her. "That. And he said something like 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all- the one that shall bring the downfall of Olympus."

Illia felt all of the color drain out of her face.

I don't know what that means, but it doesn't sound good.

"Maybe he was lying," Percy backtracked, attempting to fix the dark atmosphere in the room.

Artemis shook her head, expression troubled. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs." A determined expression crossed her features. "I must hunt this monster."

Zoë nodded, sharing a glance with Illia. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No," she glanced at the two girls to her right. "I must do this alone."

"But Artemis-" Illia found herself interjecting, balling her fists in shock, Zoë looking like she would do the same.

"This task is too dangerous, even for the Hunters." She turned her attention to Zoë. "You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."

Zoë sighed, her mind going through some level of acceptance. "As...as you wish, my lady."

"I will find this creature," Artemis continued. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by the winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods how much danger we are in."

"You know what the monster is?" Percy asked.

Artemis sighed, her expression dark. "Let us pray I am wrong."

"Can goddesses pray?" Percy tilted his head to the side.

Artemis smiled slightly. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you."

The light from his previous joke drained from his face. "Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"

Illia snorted quietly.

"Sadly no," the goddess turned to the boy. "I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" Zoë blurted out in disbelief, her gaze wildly flickering between the two. "But Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there-"

But Illia, unlike Zoë, was ecstatic. The last time the campers had visited she had been too young to attend, instead staying back with Artemis.

Finally, I get to see the place I've heard so much about.

"Yes I know," Artemis replied, shooting the girl a look. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little…" She held back a laugh. "...misunderstanding. It is your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

Zoë mumbled something unintelligible before staring glumly at the ground.

"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca, who had been silent the entire conversation. "Have you made up your mind, my girl?"

Bianca looked down at her hands in hesitation. "I'm still thinking about it."

Illia shuffled uncomfortably, feeling a bit of empathy for the girl.

I know what it's like to be pressured into becoming part of the Hunt.

"Wait," Percy said, glancing at the darker haired girl. "You might-"

"They… they've invited me to join the Hunt."

She bit her lip. He knew this was coming.

"What?" He stammered. "But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you!"

Illia could tell he knew what she was going to choose but continued to try and dissuade her.

"But… camp is cool! Its got a pegasus stable, a-and a sword fighting arena…" he trailed off. "I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters that you wouldn't get there?"

Illia cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well, I mean… there's the whole immortality thing."

Percy paused, shifting his attention to her. "You're kidding." he blinked at the guilty looking girl. "You didn't tell me that!" he hissed in a quieter tone.

"...Sorry, must have forgotten to mention it." Her voice faded.

Artemis shot her a glance, before turning to Percy. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal...unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely, Or break their oath."

"Oath?" Percy muttered in disbelief. "What oath?"

"To forswear romantic love forever, To never grow up, never get married, and to be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?"

The goddess nodded.

He blinked, not being able to wrap his mind around the idea. "So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods-"

"Not just half-bloods," Zoë interjected. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join."

"Which are you, then?"

Zoë's eyes flashed in anger. "That is not thy concern, boy." She gritted her teeth. "The point is that Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy," Percy began, his eyes flickering between the four girls in front of him. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."

"Certainly not," the goddess agreed. "He will have to go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey-" Percy protested before Artemis cut him off again.

"You can see him from time to time," she assured the now worried looking Bianca. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

"A new family," the girl repeated, a smile growing on her face. "Free of responsibility."

"Bianca, you can't do this," Percy pleaded. "It's nuts."

The girl looked to Zoë, then Illia. "Is it worth it?"

Zoë nodded, while the other girl ducked her head.

How could I know?

Bianca gulped, turning to Zoë. "So what do I have to do?"

"Repeat after me," Zoë told her. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

For some reason, Illia felt her stomach sink.

If a complete stranger can do this, why can't I?

"I...I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."

Bianca repeated the lines, glancing around the tent wearily. "That's it?"

Zoë nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

"I accept it," Artemis replied with a smile.

Illia watched as the brazier brightened, illuminating the room in a silver glow. She had watched this ceremony dozens of times when she was younger, anticipating when it would be her turn.

But it hadn't happened yet, and she didn't know if it ever would.

"Welcome, sister," Zoë rested her hand on her shoulder, Illia only gave her a small nod, not knowing what to say.

By the looks of it, Percy looks almost as comfortable as I do.

He sat hunched in his seat, his sad gaze focused on the ground.

"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis assured. "You will still get to show the di Angelo's your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."

"Great," Percy replied, not sounding too enthused. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Artemis glanced out the door of the tent, watching the rising sun pierce through the night sky. "Dawn is approaching. Zoë, break camp, take Percy with you. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."

Zoë didn't look too pleased at the mention of Apollo, but nodded, summoning Bianca and Percy to follow her. On her way out, the girl mumbled something to Percy, before the two left.

Illia sat up to head out as well before she was stopped by the goddess.

"My child, I didn't ask you to leave."

She blinked, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Right, sorry, Lady Artemis."

The goddesses gaze followed her as she awkwardly sat where Percy previously sat.

"There is something I need to discuss with you before you leave."

Wowowowow that was a super long chapter omg.

Sorry about that, I never expected this chapter to be twice the length of the other one, most chapters hopefully won't be this long.

I also thought I would just briefly mention that I do take a lot of the dialogue and events from the books, which will hopefully lessen as the story goes on, and I don't own anything but my own character :)

I would also like to thank everyone who favorited and followed the story! I appreciate you all so much!

Anyway, I'll see y'all next time!

-snoot