[REVISED: August 14, 2013]

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SUMMARY: Bella Swan was keeping more than one secret when the Cullen's left her in Forks, Washington. Nine months later and the Cullen's – along with Jacob, Leah, and Seth – have been recruited by Lady Artemis to help in the upcoming war. Bella is tasked with taking them to Camp Half-Blood, unfortunately for her.

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HUNTRESS OF THE SEA

CHAPTER FOUR

Disclaimer: I in no way own anything that is directly related to Twilight or the Percy Jackson series.

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"Bull crap."

Emmett is the first of his family to talk again. After the startling revelation from the young girl standing in from of him, he had felt like his stomach had jumped into his lungs, rendering him speechless. There was just no way that she was a goddess. She had to be eleven, or twelve years old tops. Even Bella – if she were present – could have challenged the girl and won.

The girl chuckles, her laugh sending chills down Emmett's spine. He can't explain it, but the girl makes him nervous, a phenomenon he is hardly familiar with. Normally he can get along with everybody well enough, but this girl makes him feel inferior with just a single glance.

"I see that you are surprised," the girl (because Emmett refuses to believe that she is in fact a goddess) calmly says. "You do not believe me. And that's okay; most men hardly ever believe the word of a woman. Whether you believe me or not is your own choice. But I am the Greek goddess Artemis."

A moment of silence. A cool breeze blows across the clearing, the sounds of crickets dancing around the air. An owl hoots in the surrounding woods.

"But why have –" Rosalie pauses. "Why have you told us all of this?"

"If you may recall, I am the Goddess of the Hunt, among other responsibilities. My hunters," Artemis sweeps her arm behind her, indicating the group of teenage girls poised with their bow and arrows. "- and I track down monsters and dispose of them."

"We aren't monsters!" Emmett butts in. He suddenly has a bad feeling about what why Artemis has told them the truth about mythology.

Artemis' eyes flash. She smirks. "Have you heard of Empousa?" She is looking straight at Emmett.

Emmett has to force himself not to shrink back in fear. He holds back a whimper. "No."

"They are the daughters of the goddess Hecate. They feast on the blood of seduced men. Does that sound familiar?"

Emmett, and the others, wince.

Carlisle speaks up, "We do not drink the blood of humans."

Artemis clucks her tongue. "You and I both know Carlisle that that is not always true." Her eyes flash to Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Esme. "However, the reason I have told you about the Empousa is because of their creation. They are created by combining dark magic, animal, and bronze together."

"But we are not Empousa," Carlisle says, unable to not defend his family. "If I remember correctly, they are creatures with one donkey's leg and some sort of prosthetic leg."

Rosalie gags at the description, grateful that both of her legs are normal.

"That is correct," Artemis nods. "I never said you were Empousa. I believe that you are a form of them, created by a god or goddess who couldn't stand to be upstaged."

"Like who?"

"I have the person in mind, but that is something I do not intend on sharing."

"Why have you told us?" Carlisle says.

Artemis tilts her head. "I thought it would be obvious."

Carlisle shakes his head.

"To explain to you why I will let my hunters do what they have been itching to do ever since we spotted the group of you in this clearing."

The hunters of Artemis, as if by command, raise their bows and arrows again, aiming at the group of vampires. Thalia lifts her bow as well, notching her arrow, and aiming at the vampire they called 'Edward.'

"Stop! Please," Carlisle begs. He raises his right hand in peace, his left hand being anchored down by Esme. "We haven't done anything. We won't say a word of this or the stories you have told us. Just please let us go."

Artemis starts pacing. "Having witnessed my hunt, you shall be punished."

No one dares interrupt her musing.

Artemis stops. She turns to face the vampires again, and their spirits lift with hope seeing the happiness on her face. "The last person to see this camp was…" she trails off and looks to Thalia. "Which one was it?"

"The two boys in New Mexico," Thalia says, supplying the answer. She grins. "You turned one into a jackalope and the other into a rabbit."

The vampires hope plummets to the ground.

Artemis nods, "Ah, yes. I quite enjoyed that," she recalls the memory of the time quite fondly. Her eyes flash and she focuses on the Cullen's with a steely gaze. "Either you let my hunters do their job, or you allow me the privilege of turning you into animals. I'll even be gracious enough to let you choose which animal."

One of the wolves lets out a low whine. The Cullen's stand there in shock by their current predicament. Be killed or be turned into animals? How can they choose between two such horrid options?

Artemis sighs. "If you do not decide in the next ten seconds, I will decide for you."

Carlisle glances wildly around his family. He cannot possibly make such a decision for the ones he loves. Esme is by his side, her grip so tight that she would have broken his hand by now, if he were human. Her eyes display her grief, but also show him that whatever he chooses, she will also choose. Jasper and Edward are merely staring at the ground in misery. No matter how much Carlisle calls to Edward in his mind, Edward seems to be too lost in his own despair. Rosalie and Emmett are holding hands, standing tall and proud. A flash of pride shoots through Carlisle. They are not showing their fear despite their predicament.

"Time is up," Artemis says. "I have picked –"

"Lady Artemis," a voice says from a clump of bushes.

With a quick rustle of leaves, Alice flashes out of the surrounding forest and zooms over to Jasper.

"Alice," Jasper sighs, pulling his wife into a hug. He ignores the grumble of discontent from the Archers. Jasper pulls back, intent on interrogating Alice about where she went, when he notices the distress on her face.

"Jazz –" she gasps, gulping in air. Her eyes are frantically zooming around her family members, unable to stop on just one person until they land on Edward. "I found… she… here… -"

Jasper doesn't have to worry about what Alice couldn't say for long.

Another rustle of leaves and out walks Bella Swan.

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"Bella?!" each of the vampires gasp.

Bella winces, and then grumbles to herself. Of course they are all there. With a sigh of resignation, she makes her way towards Lady Artemis. Luckily for her, the Cullen's are too busy being awe struck by her appearance that they don't bother rushing to embrace her. Which is lucky for them, because she would have done them harm.

"Lieutenant?" Lady Artemis asks once Bella has made her way to Thalia's side.

"Does she mean you, Bella?" Carlisle says.

Bella ignores him.

"Reporting an all clear," Bella says.

Lady Artemis nods her head in understanding. "Very good, thank you." Bella beams under the praise. Thalia elbows her in the side making Bella stifle a laugh. Lady Artemis watches both in amusement.

It is at that moment when Carlisle decides to take a step forward. "Bella, what's going on? We thought you had run away."

Bella grits her teeth. She had rather hoped to avoid this little confrontation, but she knew it was inevitable. Ever since they had caught onto the scent of a 'monster' in the Forks, Washington area, she knew almost immediately who it was.

Bella casts a desperate glance at Lady Artemis. She quirks her head, but nonetheless says, "You know this child?"

Carlisle slowly nods. "She's the girl we were searching for."

Bella scoffs, unwilling to meet any of their gazes.

Thalia suddenly roars with laughter, causing Bella to jump nearly a foot in the air. "Oh… my… gods!" she manages to get out between gasps of air. Thalia is bent over, her hand on her aching side. She looks up at Bella, who is now glaring at her. Thalia cracks up laughing again. "Of course it's you!" she says, slapping Bella on the shoulder.

"What is me?" Bella growls, gritting her teeth together. She has a rather fair idea of what Thalia is talking about.

Thalia throws her arm around Bella's shoulders. Bella pushes her away, but Thalia just keeps on grinning. She spins Bella around to face the vampires and wolves. Thalia throws her arm out. "A vampire and werewolf," she says, laughter tinting her voice.

Bella glares, but doesn't say anything. Instead, she whirls around to Lady Artemis. "My Lady, we must be going. The war is nearly upon us." Instantly, Bella knows that she has said the wrong thing in front of the wrong people.

"War?!"

Bella winces and then grumbles under here breath some more.

Lady Artemis nods. "You are right, young Lieutenant."

"What war are you talking about, Bella?" Carlisle says. He moves forward to grab Bella's arm, to stop her from leaving. Before he can grasp her wrist, Bella yanks her arm out of the way.

Bella whirls around to face him. He flinches back from the anger in her eyes. "None of your business," she hisses.

"Bella, please," he begs. "We want to talk to you."

"I don't have anything to say."

"Well –"

"There's nothing I want to hear from you either," she interrupts.

There's a stony silence. A breeze blows through the clearing once more. The sounds of birds are starting to pick up. It's almost sunrise.

"We must be going," Lady Artemis says, breaking the silence. "Apollo will be coming round soon."

She glances back at the vampires. And then she looks towards Bella. An idea suddenly forms in her mind. Bella is one of the best lieutenants Artemis has ever had, but there is still much she needs to learn.

Artemis makes up her mind. "I have decided not to kill you."

Carlisle jerks back in shock, having forgotten about the earlier conversation already. "Really?" he asks, incredulous.

Artemis and her strange eyes flash again. "I do not believe I stuttered," she snaps, causing Carlisle to wince. Bella smirks at the exchange. "But that does not mean that I will let you go unscathed," Artemis continues. "I have decided that your punishment for witnessing my hunt will be to help out in the war."

"What war?" the vampires ask together, for the second time.

But Artemis merely stares at them. "Pick one; help out in the war, or be turned into animals. I have not got all day. My hunters and I must be continuing on."

Edward, Carlisle says in his thoughts. Somehow, he manages to get the attention of his son. What do the others and Jacob and his friends think? Join the war?

Immediately Carlisle knows the answer. Because why wouldn't they help in the war when they had just learned that Bella was going to be in it? Why would they even think of letting Bella out of their sights again? Carlisle watches from the corner of his eye as Edward emphatically nods his head. Carlisle prepares himself and then turns toward Artemis, "We will help out in the war."

Artemis nods her head in acceptance. "We shall be on our way. Come hunters," she says, indicating towards the girls behind her. They turn around, walking towards the forest, Bella included.

Edward reaches his hand out, words unable to form and spill out of his mouth. There is so much he would like to say to Bella, but his happiness at seeing her alive has left him speechless.

"Wait!" Alice yells, taking a step forward. She has recovered fairly well, no longer sporting wild eyes. Artemis stops, but does not turn around. "Where are we supposed to go?"

Faced away from everyone, Artemis smiles. When she turns around, her poker face is back. "There is a place in New York called 'Camp Half-Blood,' it is there that you must travel towards."

"Where –"

"I understand you do not know the way. Therefore, I shall send one of my hunters with you." Bella instantly freezes, a cold sense of dread spreading through her body.

Sure enough, Artemis says, "Isabella will accompany the group of you and insure the safety of your arrival at camp."

"But Lady Artemis –" Bella protests. She can almost hear the whine in her voice, but she doesn't care. She would do anything to have Thalia trade her places.

Lady Artemis shakes her head. "You will accompany them, Isabella," she repeats, insistent. Her gaze locks with Bella's. Bella snaps her mouth shut, and slowly nods her head. "The rest of the hunters will be joining you there soon."

"Yes, Lady Artemis," Bella sighs. Thalia shoots Bella a look of sympathy, to which Bella responds with a tight smile. She can do this. All she has to do is accompany a group of vampires and shape shifters to Camp. An easy enough quest, if there ever was one.

Lady Artemis pauses, thoughtful. "I will send reinforcements," she says, not bothering to indicate when, how, or who. But Bella merely nods.

Artemis walks towards Bella. When she is close enough, she puts her hand on Bella's shoulder. "May the gods be with you, Isabella."

Bella bows. "Thank you, Lady Artemis."

Artemis smiles reassuringly before turning around.

"See you soon, Bells," Thalia grins, slapping Bella on the shoulder. Bella shakes her arm off, but smiles at Thalia nonetheless.

"Sooner than I hope," Bella says.

"Now don't go causing a hellhound to fall in love you. We don't want a love triangle happening," Thalia laughs, pulling Bella in for a hug.

Bella glowers at her. "Thanks a lot," she grumbles, not thankful at all.

Thalia smirks. "You're welcome."

With that, Thalia turns away, following Lady Artemis and the rest of the hunters into the forest.

Bella stands there, frowning in dismay as she watches Lady Artemis, Thalia, and the hunters disappear into the forest. She knew the second they were gone because she could no longer hear the wolves that accompany the hunters.

And just like that, she is alone with the vampires and shape shifters that she so dearly had wished to avoid.

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This update is for Littlecosma001, whose review called my story "epic" and "awesome," and made me swell with happiness. And I'll admit, made my ego grow.

I am on a fairly good roll. Watch that slow to a stop…

I kind of like this. I made Artemis sterner towards the vampires. The werewolves sort of got ignored. Whoops. Honestly, it's hard juggling so many characters in a chapter. Mad Props to those that can.

Holy Hera, guys! Almost 200 follows. I am beyond flattered. I feel FF famous. Lawlz. What lies. But thank you for the follows! Much appreciation. Now, which of those 200 followers will review this chapter because they love me (or my story, I'm not picky) dearly. Haha, shameless review plug.

Anyways, thanks and hope you liked the chapter!

Reviews make October 8 come along faster.