AN: Family cookout! Yes! Bring on the greasy-bread!
I loved being a hunter. The thrill of the chase, the peace of being surrounded by my sisters, the gratification of helping heal a broken heart.
When the war came, I pleaded with Artemis to let me help the campers. It was our responsibility as hunters to protect the innocent people. Or to protect the girls, at least. And I would do that, even if it meant I wouldn't be a hunter.
But the hunters went, though they weren't too happy about being told how to fight by a boy. And we won.
And then it got worse. Artemis would send us on missions, and she would go on separate ones. She would still communicate with us, but it wasn't the same carefree, happy hunting environment that was there before. And I wasn't the only one to notice it. And then there came Jason.
When I learned that Jason was alive… I didn't know what to feel. I felt bad, that when I finally had a chance to be his big sister, I was already a hunter. I was amazed that he survived. I was ecstatic that he was there. But, though I would never tell him, I was disappointed. Not in him, in myself. He was alive, all this time, and I didn't know. I didn't try to find him. And that crushed me inside. I couldn't do what I was supposed to do. I was a failure.
But I was happy for him. He was one of the seven of the prophecy, and he helped save everything. I couldn't tell you the details of seven fighting Gaia, the battle was a blur even then.
It seemed like almost nothing had changed, though everything did. My days were a blur of motion, always changing, never repeating. My nights were spent with my sisters, whether calming the younger ones down, or telling stories, or actually sleeping. After so many years with the hunters now, I couldn't ever recall what was said at the campfires, or why the girls were frightened. There is only one memory that I can truly remember. And really, it wasn't a memory at all. Because somewhere in the joyously chaotic days and the calmness of the nights, I grew to realize something.
I was happy.
My memories are a blur of faces. Half of the hunters in any group ended up breaking their vows, though it wasn't too unusual for any time.
Though I was surrounded by sisters, what I really, truly needed was a friend. My sisters and I could whisper secrets at night, or we could comfort one another around the campfire. But in the day, I wore the lieutenant's circlet, and, in the absence of Artemis, my word was law. No one could contradict me, no one could lie to me and, though I wish it weren't true, put simply, no one could trust me.
And in my mind, he was always a friend.