As the days turned to weeks, I found that I was beginning to fit in really well with the other campers. We played capture the flag and, each time, I either lead a group in an advance or scouting party, took off into the woods to harass the opposing teams or teamed with the Apollo kids. I practiced my archery every day, just to be sure I wouldn't lose a step. Most of my training, I focused on spear and sword fighting, especially with a shield. They were my greatest weakness. It was hard though, and not just physically. None of the swords felt right. Percy Jackson explained it. "When I first got here, it was hard to find a sword that was the correct fit. It took Chiron giving this sword, Anaklusmos, to me to finally find the right fit. Come on, let's check out the armory again."

I had looked through it a few times but none of the swords seemed to fit. I would go through one after another, swinging experimentally but then putting the weapon back. "You know what?" said Percy, snapping his fingers. "Come with me - I have an idea."

We went to the big house and the attic. "The Oracle used to dwell here but then Rachel became the Oracle and Apollo gave her the luxury suite in her cave. Heroes still leave tons of old stuff up here. Just maybe we can find a weapon for you."

There were pickled monster heads, broken armor and weapons, odd garments and other miscellaneous items. Some of the weapons were whole. Greek Spatha's, Spears and shields were here and there. Finally, when Percy was getting discouraged again, I pulled a sword from a crate of old battle gear. Like all swords at the camp, it was made of celestial bronze. But it was different than Percy's sword. For one thing, it wasn't a Spatha. It was longer and curved. The cutting edge was on the inside of the blade's curve. I sung it experimentally as I had all the others. Grinning, I said, "This feels great! What is it?"

Percy grinned and said, "That is called a Kopis. It's usually a cavalry weapon or a weapon for a charioteer but if it feels good then lets take it for a spin, back to the arena!"

From that point on, I learned far more quickly. The weapon felt fantastic in my hands. Even so, I doubted I would ever be as good as Jason or Percy or even Hazel or Annabeth. Even Piper McLean was able to disarm me, albeit less easily. Each time she did, I got jeers and taunts from the Ares cabin but it never bothered me. As I had told them before, I couldn't be good at everything. I had my skills, just like everyone else. Percy could wield a sword expertly but couldn't shoot a bow to save his life. I could shoot a bow as well as, if not better than, the best Apollo camper but I was no swordsman.

Even so, I continued to train hard and May turned into June. One night, just a few nights before the full moon, I decided that I was going to break the rules. I grabbed my hunter tent, a sleeping bag, a cot and some food from a fridge I had gotten some of the Hermes kids to acquire for me. Those kids were amazing and would get someone anything for the correct price. They were also responsible for getting me the food that stocked my fridge. Anyhow, I grabbed everything and, as soon as it was dark, I ran to Halfblood Hill, set up my tent and through some magic camo netting over it. That done, I set up my cot inside, made a tiny outside, with the tent between myself and the rest of the camp, cooked some food and began to enjoy. Technically, I still had about an hour and a half until curfew. Suddenly, someone whispered in my ear, "What are you doin'?"

I jumped just slightly and looked around. No one was there! Then, I heard a chuckle and Percy pulled something off his head - a New York Yankees baseball cap or something. Annabeth Chase came around the corner and rolled her eyes, "You are such a child."

She took her hat back and repeated Percy's question. "So... what are you doing?"

I sighed and said, "Well, I was planning on camping out here tonight but I guess the game is up now, right?"

Percy shook his head. "That sounds awesome!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes again, "Percy, the Harpies?"

I chuckled, "You just walked around my tent. I'd be fine in there. The camo netting makes it invisible."

Percy and Annabeth looked impressed. "Hunter equipment, I take it?" said Annabeth. I nodded and they looked at each other. Before Annabeth could say anything, Percy said, "Make you a deal - if we can join you, we won't tell a soul?"

To my surprise, I liked the idea. It was kind of lonely to sleep in my cabin alone every night when everyone else had cabin mates and such. That was probably a little weird since most teenage kids wanted their own space but I had been raised sharing quarters with someone and now, it was still foreign to me to be alone at nights. I felt a little exposed. With a grin, I said, "Yeah sure, but hurry and don't get caught. I'll have some food ready by the time you get back."

"GREAT!" said Percy and they hurried off. Just before they were out of earshot, I heard Annabeth laughing, "Seaweed brain, you just ate a couple hours ago! How can you still be hungry?"

I chuckled as I stirred the pot of stew. When it was all ready, I put the fire out, carried the stew inside, a set out some fruit, bread and other stuff on the table. There was also some soda and water bottles and I plopped down on my cot with a sigh. This could be fun but I really hoped it wouldn't be awkward, roughing it with Camp Halfblood's power couple - well, one of them anyway.

It was only about thirty minutes before Percy and Annabeth returned. They had changed into sweatpants and shirts and carried sleeping bags. Percy looked sheepish. "Okay so I'm sorry about this but Jason and Piper caught us and Piper threatened to charm speak us if we didn't tell her what we were up to. I told them you probably wouldn't mind letting them join along."

I didn't. "The more the merrier; honestly, if a few others joined us, I wouldn't mind but we can only fit about a dozen so don't invite the whole camp."

Percy grinned and Annabeth looked at me sympathetically. "You realize that he will fill this tent to max capacity right?"

I laughed. Sure enough, I was in the tent with Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Leo, Calypso, Nico and Will. I watched as they all chatted and got comfortable, coupled up and discussing past events. I felt like the eleventh wheel at a reunion event but that was okay. I just listened to them all retell stories. These were my heroes after all. Suddenly, Piper called over, "So Arthur, tell us about your hunts with Artemis."

I blushed as ten sets of eyes turned to me. "Oh... well... I mean..."

I stammered and Jason asked, "Where were you during the Titan and Giant Wars? How could you have been with the hunters during that time?"

That was easier to answer. "Well I was still really young. Apparently, my mom and sisters - that is, the hunters, thought that hunting hellhounds and lesser giants and rogue Cyclopes and the like weren't so bad but, oh no, there was no way I was fighting Titans and their armies. I was either with my Grandmother Leto or mom sent me off on hunts for lesser monsters with a hunter or two."

"Leto?" asked Leo, "Who is Leto?"

"Leto is the mother of Artemis and Apollo. She usually lives on the Island of Delos but a lot of times, when I needed a baby sitter, Artemis would have her come and pick me up. That's honestly when I got to experience life outside of being a hunter. She would take a mortal form and take me around - to movies, malls, parks and so on. A few times, Mom sent me with Aunt Britomartis."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Isn't she the goddess of nets and traps and stuff like that?"

I smiled as I thought of the memories. Britomartis had taught me how to fish, how to make nets and traps and how to disarm them as well. Will suddenly chuckled and said, "My dad told me that if I ever met Britomartis to never sit down - or walk or breathe if possible."

I frowned. "Why's that?"

"She's a trickster, he says. She likes playing jokes on him. Of all the hunters, she is the only one that flirts as mercilessly with him as he does with the rest of them."

I chuckled at that. Whenever we met other gods, she flirted a lot and did like playing pranks. "That does sound like her. I dunno, it still seems a little weird talking about her like that. It's funny, every now and again, she'd catch me in a trap and make me escape it just for practice."

There was a little stunned silence and Leo Valdez chuckled, "Sounds like good times."

"Eh, they were pretty fun. If I couldn't get out, she would walk me through it. Anyway, my sister Zoe was always willing to take me when the hunters and my mom had to go on particularly dangerous hunts. The last time..." I felt my heart sink a little. Zoe had died fighting Atlas during the recent Titan War. I had cried for hours when I heard that. "... the last time, my mom really needed Zoe with her. When Artemis returned, she told me that Zoe had died and showed me the constellation."

Everyone went silent and Percy and Annabeth looked at me with sympathetic looks. After some silence, Jason gave an exaggerated yawn and lay back. "Well this is nice. Considering that we have camped a time or two on quests, I never thought that I would enjoy it."

"It helps;" said Percy as he pulled Annabeth even closer to him, "when there aren't monsters, titans and giants trying to kill you."

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the others and I just shrugged. "Normally when I'm camping, I'm chasing the monsters."

They all chuckled at me. It took me a moment to realize how conceited I must have sounded and I blushed. Leo chuckled and said, "Man, the life of a hunter of Artemis must be something. What's it like to live with a bunch of hot chicks?"

I straightened slightly, "Um... what?"

"Come on, man;" laughed Leo, ignoring the half a dozen other demigods trying to wave him off. Calypso had already elbowed him twice but none of it made a difference. "You grew up with forty or fifty hot women?"

I didn't know whether to be offended on the behalf of the Hunters', amused, annoyed or what. After several moments, I smiled. I hoped that it wasn't too tight or anything as I answered, "Imagine growing up with about forty or fifty attractive sisters and someone asked you that. Anyone here have a sister who can back me up here?"

Percy, Jason, Nico, Will and pretty much anyone who had more than one person with them in their respective cabins understood. Leo looked slightly embarrassed. "Never thought about it like that;" he muttered. Calypso elbowed him again and said, "Next time, when I elbow you, that means 'be quiet.'"

"But you're always elbowing me;" protested Leo. Calypso laughed and hugged him fondly as she said, "Yup, I sure am."

Slowly, one couple at a time, we drifted off to sleep. The following morning, we found ourselves in a little bit of trouble. You see, sneaking out to the tent was a breeze. Sneaking back to the cabins was not easy. We tried setting alarms and sneaking back before dawn and it help most of us. However, Annabeth, Leo and those with quite a few siblings who hadn't missed the fact that they were out of their cabins the previous night were suspect. Rumors began to spread and before lunch time, Chiron and Mister D approached me. I wasn't nervous or mad, more resigned than anything.

Chiron looked sternly at me and Mister D just sipped on a diet coke and considered me. "This is a fairly serious problem, Arthur. There are rules for a reason and if we start constantly having a group of our kids sneaking and staying out after curfew, some of them may get into trouble or eaten by the Harpies. Do you understand?"

"I do, Chiron and I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to be hosting a party last night. I just needed to be more wild and free. I'm a son of Artemis and I can't stay penned up in a cabin. Imagine if you told Percy Jackson he couldn't swim or the Aphrodite kids that they can't flirt."

Chiron looked at Mister D, who simply shrugged and said, "Imagine telling the wine god he can't drink wine."

That stopped me up short for a second before I shrugged and said, "Of course, Mister D, but that was the ruling of the King of the gods."

"And I am ruling that this will not happen again;" said Dionysus sternly. "Understand, Archy Parker?"

I sighed and nodded. "Of course Mister D, I understand."

The camp director proceeded to ignore me and Chiron motioned me out of the big house. "Look, my boy, I know how you feel. It took me quite some time to get used to a more domestic life but here, we need you to abide by the camp's rules."

I nodded and he said, "Thank you, Arthur; now go on and get back to your activities."

I was about to when Jason and Piper ran up. "Chiron, we just received an Iris message from Reyna at Camp Jupiter. They wanted to invite us for a celebration of our victory or Gaia - us seven demigods and representatives from each cabin!"

Chiron smiled and said, "I'll ask Mister D. With enough cajoling, I'm sure I can convince him that it is a worthwhile trip."

Piper squealed happily and Jason was grinning. I was excited too. We chatted excitedly while we waited for Chiron to come out with the verdict. Suddenly, I remembered Thalia's request. When Chiron came out, he was smiling. "Mister D, after some convincing, has decided to allow you to go. We'll gather the campers tonight and make the announcement."

Jason and Piper laughed and whooped. I was grinning ear to ear as they ran off. "Chiron, I need to talk to you about something."

Even despite my excitement about the trip, my mood was dampened. I told him everything and Chiron sighed. "I see. This is disturbing. Let me grab my bow and we can go."

Minutes later, I was riding him as he galloped through the forests, his bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. I was surprised where we stopped. It was a place I could have sworn I had seen before. Chiron grabbed what appeared to be empty air and yanked. One of the hunter's tents appeared. It was bigger than the normal one and nestled right up against a very thick, impassable part of the woods. "Go inside, lad. It was meant for hunters only and, being the only child of Artemis, I doubt anyone would object."

I went inside. There was, as Thalia had said, a ton of supplies. I actually grabbed several bundles of arrows, some moonwater, ambrosia and nectar and searched around for this weapon that she had talked to me about. There were, of course, bows and spears and swords and knives but nothing looked out of the ordinary - until I saw a small hunters horn sitting on the top of a crate. I picked it up and examined it. Frowning, I wondered what kind of weapon this could be. Suddenly, if became a shimmering silver sword. I nearly dropped it in surprise. Thinking, I imagine it as a spear and it changed. I imagined it as a bow, then an ax, then a hunting rifle and it turned into each one. As a hunting rifle, which my father had made me quite familiar with, I checked the internal magazine. It was filled with strange, silvery bullets. And that is when I understood why Thalia needed it. This horn could turn into whatever weapon she would need. I hung it from my quiver, grabbed a few other needed things and then exited. As soon as I did, the net readjusted magically, covering the tent back up and hiding it from sight. Chiron looked grim. "They must be in some serious trouble or expect serious trouble to need that."

I nodded but didn't speak. The temptation was there to keep the weapon for myself but I knew that it wouldn't be right. They would need it far more than I would. We rode back to the camp in silence but the rest of the day seemed subdued and uninteresting or unimportant.

That night at the camp fire, Chiron made the announcement. The seven demigods were as excited as you'd expect. The argument was who would go representing each of the other cabins. Chiron lifted his hands and said, "Please, everyone calm down. Now, the head councilors from each cabin will go. That way, a younger camper will get the opportunity to take on a leadership role. Does anyone have any concerns?"

Clarisse lifted a hand. "Sherman can go and I'll let the next oldest kid take charge of Ares Cabin. I want to be sure that our guard contingent continues their duties properly."

Chiron looked miffed but cleared his throat and said, "Very well. Anything else?"

No one had anything else and Chiron spread his hands with a smile. "Very well, campers. I suggest those leaving pack and get ready. You will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning - right after breakfast."

The campers whooped and dispersed. I myself ran to my cabin and began packing my large duffel bag. It didn't take long. I had lived out of the thing for quite awhile after all. That done, something came to mind and I ran to the Ares cabin. I don't know why I thought Frank would be the best person to talk to instead of Jason or Hazel or even Percy but somehow he seemed best at the moment. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. To my chagrin, Sarah Bertelly answered the door. As soon as she opened the door, she scowled, "What do you want, Pretty Boy?"

I scowled right back and said, "Not you, clearly; I'm looking for Frank Zhang. Is he around?"

"Maybe;" she said but then Clarisse called from the back. "Sarah, let the pretty boy in. Price, Zhang is in the bathroom sending an Iris message to his boss in the other camp."

Sarah let me in and I called over, "Thanks, La Rue; you aren't so bad, no matter what the other campers say about you."

The big Ares girl stepped out from her area, blocked off with blankets and paracord. She was scowling but I could see some humor in her eyes. "I'm the baddest we have here, you got that, Pretty Boy?"

"Yes, ma'am;" I said, hiding a smile. "Good boy; now go and see Zhang. He should be done soon here."

The inside of the cabin was weird. Other than the fact that it looked like an armory, with weapons on every wall surface and some even hanging from the rafters, each area had blankets hanging up to give the campers some privacy. As I walked through, I saw heads poking out from between the hanging blankets curiously. As I walked towards the back of the cabin, I heard murmurs among some the female cabin members. "Sarah was right; he sure is pretty."

"Yeah he is; not a half bad fighter either."

"Hey Price, want to step inside my AO for a sec?" called one. I stopped and looked at her. AO? "What does AO mean?"

"My personal area; each of these blanketed off areas are called AO's - they mean 'Area of Operation.'"

That just confused me more. "I don't get it. What exactly can you operate in a six foot by eight foot area?"

She grinned wickedly and said, "Step inside and I'll show you."

"The pretty boy has business here other than messing around with you girls;" barked Clarrise. "Price, Zhang's in the bathroom. Go."

I headed that way and saw that the door was open. Inside, I heard Frank say, "Thanks, Reyna; Leo will appreciate it."

"Of course, Frank. It's no trouble. I'll be glad to have you back. Leading the legion isn't easy alone."

"Hey Zhang, I got Arthur Price out here for you;" yelled Sarah. There was a pause and Frank said, "He can come in."

I stepped inside and saw him talking to a pretty girl in roman battle armor with a purple cape. "This is the guy I was telling you about, Reyna. He's the one who's going to need to stay until Jupiter comes and gives him the details of his quest."

Reyna studied me for a moment, her face expressionless. "I'm Reyna, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion; it's a pleasure to meet you."

I offered a smile that I hope was friendly, yet respectful. "I'm Arthur Price, son of Artemis. The pleasure's all..." but I stammered to a stop. I couldn't believe that I had just told her that. "A son of Artemis, you say?" said Reyna, her voice still dispassionate. "That must be an interesting story, especially considering your reaction to letting it slip."

Frank lifted a finger and said, "Wait a second now, Reyna; the goddess Athena had kids and stilled maintained her maidenhood. Artemis did the same, though I'm still not sure how. The point is, this guy is a good fighter and the best hunter and archer I've ever met."

Reyna nodded, still considering me. "There are going to be some who look down on you, Arthur Price. Romans take voice of maidenhood very, VERY seriously. Prepare yourself for that."

I felt a smile cross my face and I went cold inside. "Perhaps they should listen to what I have to say before they draw conclusions."

Reyna actually smiled slightly. "In an ideal world, they would, but you know how people are. When you get to New Rome, I would like to have a private discussion with you where you can tell me more about yourself. Will that be acceptable?"

I nodded. "That will be just fine, Praetor."

"Excellent. Now I must go. Take care, Gentlemen;" and the connection was cut. I stood there, apparently glaring into nothing because Frank said, "Don't worry about it, buddy. Reyna isn't going to judge you for your mother and she isn't prone to jumping to conclusions."

I started and said, "Oh, yeah. Thanks, by the way. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, too. I know that the Romans worship Dianna but I was wondering what to expect and how to handle it. I guess I have my answer now."

"Don't worry about it, Arthur. At the end of the day, Romans respect merit and recommendation. With Jason, Hazel, Percy and me backing you up, you definitely have the recommendations covered and I seriously doubt you have to worry about the merit either."

That made me feel at least a little better. "Thanks, Frank. Now I should go. We aren't far from curfew. We can't have another lecture from Chiron or else he may not let me go."

Frank chuckled as we walked back through, ignoring the comments of the Ares campers as we passed. "Get some sleep, Arthur; it's gonna be a couple days of driving to get to Frisco and that much driving is exhausting."

I nodded. Just as I opened the door to leave, I heard someone, a girl, from the back yell, "Hey, Pretty Boy, come back and visit sometime."

As the door closed behind me and I was blushing like mad, I started jogging back to my cabin.