If Thalia was being honest with herself, her day was going absolutely terrible. It all started with the terrible nightmares. For the past few days, she had been remembering the day she had almost died protecting Annabeth and Luke. Each dream felt like she was back in that moment in time, and every night, she woke with a beating heart.
Now, Thalia was busy throwing up her guts. She took a shaky breath and slowly leaned against the nearest tree. She had eaten at a diner with the other Hunters of Artemis the night before. One of them had joked that they had gotten food poisoning from the diner a few years before. Now, it didn't seem like that much of a joke.
Thalia wiped her mouth and took a sip of water from her canteen. She spat it out and wiped her mouth once again. Thalia let out a deep sigh and slowly walked back towards the clearing that she had left the other Hunters of Artemis in. Thalia heard the crunching of snow under her boots, and she tugged at the neckline of her parka.
Everything felt like it was on fire. Thalia was sure that it was just her jacket though, and it was probably some of the food poisoning too. She just needed to strip of her layers and lay in a nice, cool tent. As Thalia made it into the clearing, she realized that she wasn't going to get her wish.
Her lady, Artemis, was sitting at the camp fire and tending to it. Most of the other Hunters of Artemis were asleep in their tents, and their wolves paced around the outside. A few Hunters were sitting around the fire and roasting marshmallows. Another lady was standing behind Artemis and examining a marshmallow that was on fire, but the flames didn't seem to effect her.
"You just eat these?" the woman asked. Artemis glanced behind her, and it almost seemed like a small smile had appeared on her face. The woman next to her finally placed her whole hand and the burning marshmallow back into the fire. After a few moments, she removed her hand and popped the marshmallow into her mouth.
"I mean technically you do eat them," a Hunter answered. The Hunter, Mia, glanced at Thalia and shook her head. Thalia blinked a few times. Was she just hallucinating from being sick? Who was the strange woman who didn't know how marshmallows worked?
"Lady Artemis, I was not expecting you back so early," Thalia greeted. She slowly sat by the fire and let out a tired sigh. Artemis studied her and lost the small smile she had. Thalia closed her eyes and just wanted to curl up. If she pressed her face to the snow, she might be able to fall asleep.
"Matters always seem to be resolved quicker, if a demigod helps. Bellona was kind enough to loan us one of her children, and it expedited the process," the woman said. She looked at Mia. "Can I have another one of those meshfellows?"
Mia opened her mouth, as if to correct the woman. Instead, she let out a small chuckle and placed a few marshmallows on a stick. She handed the stick to the woman and glanced at Thalia. It took a moment for Thalia to look at Artemis.
"I am just glad all of that nasty business is behind us. I hate having to drag a demigod back into their past like that," the woman said. After glancing at Mia, she placed the marshmallows above the fire. "Praxidike has been getting out of control lately, and I cannot believe she would target Blackbeard of all people."
"Woah. Like Blackbeard the pirate? Is that the Blackbeard we're talking about?" Kim, another Hunter, asked. Her mouth was full of marshmallows, and it caused Artemis to shoot her a sharp look. Kim blushed and swallowed painfully. "Why were you trying to hunt down the pirate, and who exactly is Praxidike?"
"Lady Themis and I were contacted by Ares. He requested that we find Praxidike and get her under control. Praxidike is a goddess of justice, but she is under Lady Themis' command," Artemis explained.
"Many visitors come to my temple and ask for justice. I have a few goddesses that help represent my view of justice, and they also help keep the balance exactly how it must be," Themis explained. She looked at Thalia. "Praxidike is akin to you: a lieutenant, but she has been overreaching lately. Some of the justice that she has delivered has been overly harsh. She acts as if she is Nemesis."
"One of the visitors to my temple asked for revenge for the death of their sister. If I had allowed Praxidike to fulfill the request, it would have started a minor war in the Olympians. The poor girl just wanted to see vengeance enacted, but she wanted to target Blackbeard. He was given a pardon, if he can keep demigod pirates at bay," Themis continued.
"Demigod pirates?" Mia asked. She stared at Themis and then slowly looked at Artemis. Mia didn't even seem to notice that her marshmallows were burning to a crisp. "There are demigod pirates?"
"Yes. Blackbeard can keep them at bay, as they fear his name," Artemis said. Her eyes glanced at Thalia, as if she knew that something was wrong with Thalia. "The praetor knew the girl and was able to talk her down from her request. I was simply there in case things went wrong."
"Many demigods come to my temple to find revenge. They act as if a prayer and sacrifice can solve all of their problems. I can only help those who truly deserve it. The rest I give to those under my command, to handle fairly and carefully. I recently had a visitor from Camp Jupiter who lost a half brother, and I couldn't help them. I hate not being able to help," Themis said. She looked down and sighed. Her eyes looked back up
"I apologize, Artemis. You have been a tremendous host, and I have been taking and taking without giving. I hate to ask another favor, but are you still willing to lend your Hunters to help me track down the spirit?" Themis asked. Artemis nodded once. Themis sighed and studied the marshmallows she had on the stick. "It's another one of Praxidike's messes. Hopefully, the spirit hasn't found a body."
"Found a body?" Kim asked. Her mouth was once again full of marshmallows, and some of it was starting to fall out, since her mouth was open in shock. Kim glanced at the girl next to her and nudged her. "Chelsea, did you hear that, or are you sleeping again?"
"No one can sleep with you munching on those burnt marshmallows," Chelsea answered. She glanced up at Artemis. "Why would the spirit need a body?"
"You are aware that gods and goddesses can fade away, but not all of them go easily into what is beyond. If they fight and try to stay, they will slowly lose their power and then their physical form," Artemis explained. "They linger as a spirit, but they can take on many forms."
"Some of the spirits will look for a host. If they find a host, they have access to all of their old powers and their host's powers, but the relationship must be approved by both sides," Artemis continued. "There is a flip side to this. If the host is killed, the spirit will be condemned to Tartarus. Some still attempt escapes, even fewer are successful. Some spirits can force their way into the weak willed."
"I watched a few of the exorcist movies. I got this," Kim said. Chelsea rolled her eyes and looked at Thalia. It took a moment for Thalia to shake her head. She really wasn't feeling that good and just sitting there wasn't helping any. Thalia took a large sip from her canteen.
"Most spirits can also latch onto an item," Artemis continued. "Sometimes, they will latch onto an item and a person. Unless the item is destroyed and the host is killed, the spirit will be able to survive. A few spirits can influence what you see and hear, if you possess the item they are attached to. We are hunting a spirit that possess bodies and is very violent. I am going to take a few of you and get a head start on finding this spirit. I do not want a repeat of the town from last month."
"Can we fight it?" Chelsea asked. Artemis nodded. Kim opened her mouth, but Chelsea nudged her and motioned for her to be quiet. Kim nudged her best friend back.
"We fought a spirit before. It was only a few months ago, before you joined," Kim said. She gave Chelsea a look. "It wasn't too bad, other than the fact that it was one of those children of Demeter that uses plants to fight. We managed to subdue him, and Lady Artemis took care of him."
"It wasn't pretty," Thalia added. Her throat instantly regretted talking. She took another long sip from her canteen and coughed miserably. Her throat felt like it was on fire. Well, her entire body felt like it was still on fire too. If there wasn't other people around, she would have just laid face first on the ground.
"Are you feeling okay?" Artemis asked. It took Thalia a moment to realize she was being talked to. After a moment, Thalia nodded. She couldn't let Artemis see how she was doing. All Thalia really needed was a nap, and everything would be fine.
"I'm okay. I just need some rest," Thalia said. She slowly stood and started to walk towards her tent. It was on her fifth step that the world spun, and she collapsed. Someone caught her and started speaking to her. Thalia groaned softly and blinked a few times. A bright light on her left caught her attention.
"Oh, she looks bad," Apollo commented. He entered Thalia's vision and stared down at her. "She looks really bad. Have you been overworking your Hunters again?"
"What is wrong with her?" Artemis demanded. Apollo sighed and placed a hand to Thalia's forehead. The god's hand pulled away almost immediately, and he made a face. Thalia blinked a few times and tried to speak. It came out as a groan.
"She's been poisoned," Apollo said. Thalia blinked a few more times and looked up at Apollo. The food poisoning wasn't that bad, was it? "This is some high grade stuff. I think this may have killed a few Roman emperors. Who did you gals make mad?"
"We haven't done anything," Artemis answered. She laid Thalia on the ground and gently grabbed her face. She turned and looked at the other Hunters. Thalia saw Artemis' mouth moving, but she really couldn't make out any of the words. A deep, pained breath caused her ears to pop, and she could hear normally again.
"Wait," Apollo said. He got extremely close to Thalia's face. She wanted to shove him away, but she really couldn't move her arms. "You were the one who got turned into a tree, right? That tree was poisoned years ago. Am I right?"
Thalia made a noise that was suppose to be a yes. Artemis' face appeared near Apollo's. She placed a gentle hand to Thalia's face and spoke, "Yes. The tree was poisoned by Luke Castellan, to draw Thalia out of the tree and give them another pawn in the prophecy. The poison was expelled when the Golden Fleece was placed on the tree.
"I wouldn't call it expelled," Apollo began. He looked at Thalia and gave her a bright smile. The smile was lost as soon as he looked at Artemis. "Sis, you should know that I am a poison expert, as it is a part of my job. The poison was not completely expelled. Instead, it was made dormant by the Golden Fleece and rendered useless."
"So, it shouldn't be a problem then. What is wrong with my lieutenant?" Artemis demanded. Thalia tried to speak, but she ended up coughing. She turned on her side and spat out blood. Apollo gently sat her up and looked into her eyes.
"Someone added something to the tree. The thing they added was harmless, unless another ingredient is combined with it. The poison that wasn't actually expelled is the final ingredient, and the two have combined. Now, one of the most dangerous poisons in the world is in that tree," Apollo explained.
"The Golden Fleece will slow it down then," Artemis said. Apollo frowned and seemed to think. "What is the cure for the poison?"
"I don't know," Apollo replied. Artemis shot him a sharp look. Apollo held his hands up. "It's a closely guarded Roman secret. Camp Jupiter would probably know. The real problem here, dear sister, is that your lieutenant's life is still connected to the tree that guards Camp Half-Blood. If the tree dies, Thalia will die as well."
"Get a message to Camp Half-Blood. Now," Artemis ordered. She looked to her right. Thalia heard snow crunching and heard someone run. Artemis looked down at Thalia. "We will find the cure. For now, you need to rest."