Hey guys, I hope your holidays have been well so far. I meant to get this chapter out sooner, but with all the things I've had going on this holiday season it has been a little difficult to write. I enjoy Christmas time, but good lord it gets really busy. I want to thank you guys for everything this past year. For reading this story and the encouraging reviews you have written. It means a lot that you all like it this much.

To Cowpuff12, I'm glad I could provide you with an escape from difficult times, even if its just for a short time. I'm so sorry to hear what you have been going through and hope that things look up and get better. I've been through similar situations and used books and even some fanfictions to find an escape myself. I will be praying for you and your family, thank you so much for reading.

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter of the Venator. Thanks for reading.

The cold wind tore at Arthur as he ran through the wilderness. Even a normal demigod would be freezing in these temperature, but Arthur used the magics from his spellbooks to control the temperature of his body and the immediate air around him. His eyes burned with fury as his father's curse filled his body with energy from his betrayal. He could not believe the Senate's decision. After everything he had done for New Rome, his home, they would believe that he would betray them in this way. Could they not see he was framed? Why would Silas believe that he would betray Rome as well?

These were the questions that plagued his mind as Arthur ran through the wilderness towards the Hunter's Refuge. He was glad that his mother had enchanted the Refuge so that it was hidden from all of the gods except her. He knew this was to keep male gods from spying on her hunters, but it was going to be helpful for him as well. He just wished he did not have to be alone again.

He had spent years feeling alone, even when his sisters Zoe and Phoebe were alive and he traveled with the Hunt. He was the only male in the Hunt, there was no one for him to bond with or to pal around with. He loved all of his sisters, but he wished he had had more friends. He thought that would change when he was sent to live in New Rome. He could not have been more wrong. He had made a few friends, but was treated terribly by most of the others in the Legion. His mother eventually removed him from the Legion to live on his own, fixing up the Refuge. He was sad to leave at that point since he had first met Reyna.

Reyna was different than anyone else Arthur had ever met. She was strong and confident, and did not judge people based on what others said. She tested a person's mettle on her own before deciding what she thought about someone. Arthur had instantly felt drawn to her when he met her, that's why he vouched for her when she joined the Legion. He also could not help but fall for her. Her piercing eyes bored into him whenever she looked at him, he could get lost in them forever. He loved how she would knock him back in line if he needed it, but she also knew when to give him a little space when he needed it. She was everything he would have ever looked for in a woman, and he had his mother's okay to date her even. Artemis, the goddess of maidens and his adoptive mother, actually consented to letting him become romantically involved with a maiden. He could not believe how lucky he was.

When he had returned from his isolation, and after a lot of anger between him and Reyna that seemed to be pent up frustration about how to deal with their feelings for each other, things finally started to go well for him. Arthur had a home in New Rome, and had many friends that made up his new family outside of the Hunt. He had worked hard to help Percy and Annabeth with their nightmares, and, with their help, Arthur had become close with several in the Greek camp as well as the Roman camp. That's what made this betrayal all the more devastating.

Arthur thought he had finally been accepted, finally found a place where he belonged. He enjoyed living with the Hunt, but that was a place for girls who wanted to get away from male influences and live their lives with Artemis. He really did not need to be there. Now, as he looked at the hunting lodge he had set up for the Hunt, Arthur hung his head. Alone again, and for who knows how long this time. The anger built up within him to a point that he had to let it out.

"AAARRRRGGGHHH!"

Arthur's scream echoed through the woods around the Refuge as he drew and threw one of his Bowie knives. The energy from the Curse of Mithras seemed to fill the knife as it sailed through the air, embedding itself into a tree up to its hilt. The tree split down the middle, but only around the area of the knife. It looked as if someone took superheated metal and stabbed it into the middle of the tree, going straight through it.

Feeling good, as the hatred energy flowed through him, Arthur decided that he should gather some firewood. Afterall, it could be a long, cold winter.

"So, anyone know what this prophecy means?" Percy asked.

Annabeth sighed, "Seaweed Brain. We know who the Hunter's son is. That has to be Arthur, the only male that has any connection to Lady Artemis, the Hunter, outside of her family."

Percy rubbed the back of his head, "Oh yea, I knew that."

Reyna groaned, "Percy, can you be less you for once please?"

Everyone chuckled as Percy glared at Reyna. It was a half-hearted glare as the other quest members saw the somber look on Reyna's face. The quest had been traveling for two days so far along the Appalachian Trail, looking for any sign of Arthur or the shelter Piper saw. Snow was falling onto an already heavily blanketed landscape, causing the team to huddle closer to their fire. Luckily no monsters had attacked them yet, the demigods figured that it was too cold for most of them.

"Reyna, relax. We are going to find him," Thalia said.

Reyna just stared into the flames thinking about the prophecy that had been told to her. She was worried about what would cause Rome to burn. Her city had turned on her because of her relation with Arthur, but she still cared for it. She had spent her life protecting Rome and its way of life, she did not want to see it fall to pieces.

Sarah, the youngest of them all spoke up, "What is a foolish task?"

Annabeth smiled at the young girl, "It's a job that makes no sense. Whether it will not work, it is doing the same thing over and over, or even something that is just stupid usually."

Sarah shrugged, "Oh, well what could that be then?"

"There are many tasks that are seen as foolish in Greek mythology. At least when we look at them now," Jason told her.

"Yea, some could say my little bro's task of building shrines to minor gods is foolish," Thalia said with a twinkle in her eye.

Jason responded by sticking his tongue out at her. Piper shook her head at her boyfriend and his sister's antics. She was worried about Arthur and Reyna. Being the daughter of Aphrodite Piper felt the heartbreak Arthur felt along with him. When he found out he was betrayed it was as if his world had shattered, and when he had to leave everyone he had been devastated. If anything, Reyna was the physical manifestation of how Arthur had felt in that moment. Piper wanted to help Reyna out as much as possible. The two had become decent friends since the end of the Giant War, and Piper thought she deserved to be happy.

"So Thalia," Piper said, "Where are some of these places that Arthur would camp out at?"

Thalia shrugged, "That's the thing, it should be somewhere right around here. He gave me a map that listed his hide-aways, but things most have changed since he drew it."

"Why doesn't Jason use his wind powers to blow some of the snow away from here in sections. That way we can see if it was maybe buried by all the snow flurries," Percy suggested.

Everyone stared at Percy, slightly shocked that he had a good idea, except for Sarah. The youngest demigod was confused at why everyone was surprised, to her, it sounded like a good idea.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Why is it that the kelp brained buffoon knows how to use my powers better than me?" Jason asked the group.

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed.

Annabeth interrupted Percy before he could start, "I think a better question Air Head, is why haven't you done that already?"

The party started to fight amongst each other, with the exception of Sarah and Reyna. It seemed that the dropping temperatures were affecting everyone's moods. The demigods were ready to fight each other over nothing, and it was angering Reyna.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted.

Everyone turned their attention to her in surprise. They realized what they were doing and could not meet each other's gaze.

"Jason, do as Percy suggested and clear the area, look for Arthur's shelter," Reyna commanded.

Jason nodded and set about his task with help from Piper. She tried to remember the view in her dagger she saw to better help Jason where to look.

Reyna stood up in front of the quest team, "The rest of you listen, and listen well. We need to find Arthur or the world may come to an end once again. I know, it's the third time in a short period and we are all tired of it. However, what we do not need is being at each other's throats. That will slow us down and the enemy will win. Get it?"

The demigods all nodded. Reyna was scaring when she was angry, but she had a point. They could not understand why they had been so angry with one another, and Annabeth voiced her concern over this. The most unlikely person answered her question.

"Maybe it's the purple mist around you guys," Sarah said.

Everyone looked around themselves and saw nothing.

Sarah shook her head, "You have to concentrate really hard on it to see it. Otherwise it looks like snow flurries on the wind. The only people it's not around seem to be me and big brother's girlfriend."

When Sarah pointed this out, Reyna gasped. She could see the purple mist swirling around each of the quest members. Indeed, she and Sarah were the only ones it was not around. She quickly noticed this mist was similar to the dark magics that had attacked New Rome before. The mist that was currently being blamed on Arthur.

"Guys! It's like the magics Arthur casts from the Necronomicon!" Reyna exclaimed.

The others freaked out until Reyna demonstrated a motion to dispel the magics. It was similar to the three fingered gesture that Chiron and Grover had used in front of Percy to ward off evil. As each demigod performed the gesture, they instantly felt better.

"It would seem as though some kind of enchantment is hindering our process. You don't think it could be Arthur do you?" Annabeth questioned.

Reyna shook her head, "Why would he try to stop us from finding him?"

"Well he thinks we all hate him," Thalia said.

Percy shrugged, "Yes and no. He should know that those of us right here are some of his biggest supporters."

Before the conversation could continue, Jason called out, "Guys! Over here!"

The demigods all stood and made their way towards Jason's voice. In front of him there stood a cabin that had been built into the mountain they were on. Reyna smiled, she could tell this was Arthur's handy work. She walked forward and pushed the doorway open. Inside, she saw mats and cushions to sit on. It was obviously built with only minimal comfort in mind.

"Woah, it's like a secret fort," Percy said.

"I know right. This is awesome," Jason added.

Annabeth and Piper looked at each other and groaned. Thalia laughed at the both of them.

"Hey girls, it's your fault that you picked to little boys to date. Both of you were offered a place in the Hunt."

Jason and Percy glared at Thalia, but it only lasted for a short moment before everyone started to investigate their new found shelter. Sarah walked over to Reyna to see how she was doing.

"Are you really worried about Arthur?" she asked.

Reyna looked down at Sarah and smiled, but it did not reach her eyes, "Yes, I am. But not for his safety. I'm worried that he thinks we will abandon him."

Sarah hugged Reyna's leg, "Don't worry Reyna. He loves you. He would never think you would abandon him. Plus he has me, and I am probably the greatest Hunter there ever was."

Reyna gave Sarah a dumbfounded look. She could not believe that the little demigod had just said that. She sounded just like Arthur when he was acting like Apollo. Reyna tried, but failed to keep her laughter in. When she finally started laughing, she actually fell onto a cushion on the floor and had to hold onto her side. Sarah had joined her in laughing, glad to see Reyna smile again.

"You….You have definitely been spending too much time with your brother," Reyna finally managed to say.

Sarah just smiled, "I'm glad to see you smile. You make Arthur happy, so I want you to be happy too. We will find him big sis."

Reyna watched as Sarah stood and went towards what Reyna guessed was the kitchen. Reyna's eyes began to mist at what Sarah had said. She quickly wiped away the tear before it could fall and made her way towards the rooms of the shelter. The first room she walked into had a small bed, covered in furs and had a single sheet of paper sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. She walked over to look at it and recognized Arthur's handwriting. This must be his room, she thought.

Reyna sat on Arthur's bed and read the letter, which surprisingly enough was addressed to her. Had he known they were following? She hoped this letter would explain where he went and what his plan was now. Knowing him though it would probably be some sort of vague letter that explains nothing.

Reyna,

I'm sorry that I ran off like I did. I wish I knew why it seems as though the Fates are against me. It seemed best if I hide out somewhere for the time being, let things cool down with the other demigods. It should also give time for my innocence to be proven, at least I hope it will. If you found this letter, then I am right and you are a part of a quest to find me. I think it may be best if I am not in the public eye for a while. I love you and hope this goes by swiftly so I can be with you again.

Arthur

Reyna felt tears in her eyes and quickly wiped them away. That idiot was always selfless, why could he not see that she cared more for him than for Rome.

Reyna felt herself stiffen at that thought. Rome had been the most important thing in her life for the longest time. It was her duty to make sure Rome stayed in its prime and did not fall from its glory. Even when she thought of how much she cared for Arthur, she balanced it with what was best for Rome. Now, she realized that she cared more for him than anything else. In that moment, the idea of retiring from her praetorship and carrying on with her life, maybe going to school and spending her days with Arthur seemed like a better idea than continuing as praetor.

"Reyna, you okay?" Piper asked as she walked into the room.

Reyna looked up at her, quickly making sure there were no tear streaks on her face, "Yea Piper, I'm fine. What's up?"

Piper smirked at her, "You know you cannot hide your feelings from me. Daughter of the Love goddess, remember."

Reyna chuckled, "Yea well honestly, I am fine. I've never felt better."

Piper raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I've started making a huge decision in regards to my future. One I never thought I'd make before now," Reyna told her.

Piper smiled, "Well that sounds like a good thing. C'mon, we found some food left that Thalia says is edible and has not gone bad. Apparently, your boyfriend knows how to store meat for a long period of time."

"He's a really good cook too," Reyna told her as the two hurried back to the kitchen.

As the demigods ate a delicious dinner, courtesy of Arthur, Reyna placed the letter she found in her pocket. She really did not want to explain anything to the others yet. She was sure Piper assumed what her revelation had been about, but that was more people knowing than she cared for. After dinner the questers found a place to sleep for the night and rested in relative peace.

Reyna watched as Jason and Piper as well as Annabeth and Percy cuddled up with each other to sleep. Even Sarah and Thalia cuddled up to share warmth. Reyna smiled at her friends and made her way to Arthur's room. She crawled underneath all of the furs on the bed and found that Arthur's scent was on the blankets and pillows. She snuggled in tightly on the bed, hoping that they would not have to search long to find her boyfriend. When they did find him, she was going to smack him so hard and then hold him and never let go. For now she would have to make due with the blankets around her, they were the only thing she had to remind her of him as sleep swiftly took her.

The next morning, the demigods woke up and made a quick breakfast. They replenished their supplies from what they could out of Arthur's gear. None of them were eager to set back out into the cold without some sense of direction, so they decided to have a team meeting.

"Where do we head next?" Jason asked.

Piper glared at her dagger, "I'm not sure. The daggers starts to show me images of his location, but then it gets all fuzzy."

Annabeth looked puzzled, "Maybe there's some magic preventing us from seeing him."

Thalia nodded, "It's probably him hiding his presence so he cannot be found."

"That would make sense," Reyna thought out loud, "But I think he knows we are following him. He would leave some sign for us wouldn't he?"

The others nodded, and they started to look around the shelter for any clues they might be able to find. The shelter was not that large and so only took about thirty minutes to search all over. The quest members gathered together to show what they found when they finished.

"Did anyone find anything?" Reyna asked.

They all shook their heads, except Sarah who had not joined the group yet. She was in Arthur's room still searching for some sign of where her brother went.

"Well what do we do now?" Percy questioned.

Thalia frowned, "We could make a list of everywhere Arthur would go."

"That sounds like a good idea," Annabeth agreed with her friend.

As they started to think about where the missing hunter could have gone, a scream of delight came from his bedroom. The demigods rushed to his room to see Sarah holding onto a knife that was sheathed in some sort of decorated leather. Thalia gasped in surprise as the others stared in confusion.

"That's a Hunter's knife," Thalia said.

"We can see that Pinecone Face," Percy commented, "What's so special about it?"

Sarah turned to face the others, "Arthur made it for me. He was working on it while he was at the Hunter's Refuge and told me it would be done by Christmas. He had to finish the sheath and engrave something on the blade."

Reyna moved forward and asked to see the blade. Sarah handed it to her hesitantly, and Reyna inspected the workmanship. She saw that there was a wolf on the leather sheath, made with inlaid silver. It did not look like a full grown wolf, more like a pup who was frolicking under the stars. Reyna drew the knife from its sheathe, to reveal one of the most beautiful silver knives she had ever seen. Written along the back of the blade were the words, Never Lose Sight of the Stars.

Thalia smiled, "That's a reference to Zoe."

Percy and Annabeth's eyebrows shot up, while Sarah asked, "Who is Zoe?"

Reyna smiled, "Your brother told me about her. Zoe was his favorite sister, before he met you. She helped raise him into the man he is today."

Thalia put her hand on the young hunter, "In a way, he is passing her legacy on to you little one."

Sarah beamed as Reyna handed her knife back to her. Sarah had heard stories in the Hunt about Zoe and how great of a huntress she was. She could not believe her brother gave her such an amazing gift. Piper and Jason however, were growing impatient.

"How does that lead us to Arthur?" Jason questioned.

Sarah smiled, "Because the only place he could have started to work on this is the Hunter's Refuge. I bet he left this as a clue to where he was going. It's something only I would be able to recognize."

Jason gulped, "Is it okay for males to go to the Hunter's Refuge?"

"I was there not too long ago," Percy said, "But then, I'm also one of the only males Lady Artemis can tolerate beside her own son."

Piper giggled, "Don't worry Jason, I'm sure you'll make a cute jackalope."

Reyna laughed with the rest as Jason's eyes filled with fear. They had a course now, and Reyna would not be deterred. Even if it meant that one of her friends would be turned into a small woodland creature of some kind.

Hope you all enjoyed it. You guys are awesome. Have a Merry Christmas.