-Shattered-

Heyya! Back to enthusiastic!Josh, lol xxD

I don't even know how the previous chapter was received, but inspiration struck (by means of a certain beta), and I ended up finishing this chapter before I even posted the previous one.

I'mma keep this note shorter and get on to the (slightly longer than usual) chapter xD

P.S: Sorry this ended up coming out later than expected, but we had an unexpected trip and I ended up not having access to Internet for a few days so I wasn't able to upload. Now that I'm back and can read the response to the chapter, I must say that I'm absolutely astounded by the response the chapter. I'mma stop talking now.

Bai!


Bianca was eating her lunch with the rest of the hunters when Phoebe pulled her off to the side.

"Bianca, you must come with me," Phoebe whispered to her, ushering her away from the other hunters. "Lady Artemis wants to see you immediately."

Bianca set her fork down and looked beside her, to Thalia who had a worried expression on her features, probably for Bianca's sake but gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

"Yes, uh, okay," Bianca said, stumbling off the bench and grabbing her tray. She hoped she wasn't in trouble.

"That won't be necessary. The meeting will be quick. It's just… personal advice she wants to give you. New paths, she had called it."

Bianca bit her lip, but set her plate back down, and followed Phoebe to Artemis' tent. Many of the fellow hunters gave her curious glances as they watch Phoebe lead Bianca away. The pale skinned girl's eye met with Thalia's who looked on with a sense of apprehension.

What was happening?

Phoebe held open the door, letting a scampering daughter of Hades in.

Artemis was lying on her hammock, gazing into at a cloud of mist, which Bianca recognized was an Iris Message. Before she had the correct angle to peer in however, the Goddess of the Hunt slashed away the mirage.

"Bianca Di-Angelo. Excellent. We have much to discuss about your future."

"Uhh, we do? I mean, yes milady! Of course," Bianca said quickly nodding.

Artemis gave a melancholic wisp of a smile before turning to Phoebe with a stern expression. "I'd like this meeting to be private, Phoebe. Please make sure we aren't disturbed."

Phoebe quickly nodded, before filing out.

There was a moment of silence, as the daughter of Hades stood in the scrutiny of the goddess of the Hunt.

After a pregnant pause, the silence was broken with: "So, you like that Thalia Grace, don't you?"

Bianca gasped; sweat began to bead down her forehead.

"Uhh, umm." She stammered, staring at her shoes. She couldn't match the goddess' gaze. For a second, she thought to possible lie to the goddess but that seemed like a terribly bad idea. Finally, she said "Yes. Did Rachel tell you?

Artemis shook her head, her auburn curls bouncing as they followed her bobbing head. "Do you trust Rachel so little, girl. It was not she who told me, I have simply observed. While I try my best at being grounded to this plane of existence, you must not forget that I am also a goddess. I can read minds Bianca, and yours is like a book."

Artemis gazed over her with a piercing gaze that tore into her soul.

"I want to let you know, while the Hunt does not tolerate any form of romantic relationship whether it be with a man, or otherwise-,"

Bianca looked down shivering at the cold words. She had not expecting this, but then again, she wasn't sure what to expect once Artemis found out.

"I'll try to -"

Artemis looked at her, frowning sadly. ""You did not let me finish, my dear. While that is usually the case, there have been certain key exceptions by my decree. You have fallen too hard into Aphrodite's hold for me to be able to convince your mind. It wouldn't be all right if I force you to suppress your emotions."

"Milady, I -"

Artemis regarded Bianca with interest. "I must confess, I've been playing Aphrodite's game too, lately. More than any virgin goddess should ever. Considering Percy and Zoe's -"

"Wait, Percy and Zoe are together?"

"Of course not.I never said such a thing. Back on topic, following the laws I've set and followed for the past few millennia I could exile you. Of course, as Olympus decrees, I must accept you and train you as the prophecy closes upon us. You might not be a hunter any longer, but your growth still falls upon me as your mentor and guardian."

Bianca was at a loss for words, she wasn't entirely sure what she could say that wouldn't end up with her turned into an animal.

"You mock me, Bianca. I'm not going to turn you into an animal. Well, not since that whole squirrel incident," The goddess allowed a chuckle to escape her lips, "Return to your meal, daughter of Hades. I simply wanted to hear the truth from your own lips. Expect another summons before the end of the day. We will discuss this more then, Olympus calls me."

The girl rapidly nodded, "Yes milady, thank you milady."

"Know this Bianca, I am not being forced to train you, I have chosen to take you with me, because you showed promise as a hunter. Romantics aside, you still very much do. Perhaps once the prophecy has passed, you will return to me to become a fully fledged hunter."

"But Thalia-"

Artemis shook her head, hushing her words, "Not now. Await your summons later today."

Bianca did not need any convincing. She scampered away from the goddess' tent, eager to return to her meal and try to forget about the entire ordeal. She stalked her way back to the table, most of the other hunters had completed their meal and had left the table, but there was one huntress left, which immediately caught sight of her once the dining area came into view.

Thalia had waited for her, her own plate left untouched since she had left.

"Hey, thought I should wait for you. Come on, you must be hungry."

Bianca smiled at the object of her affection, if nothing else; she would cherish the daughter of Zeus as being one of her closest friends.


It was probably late evening by then and Bianca was in her tent, relaxing in her hammock, a laptop in her hands. While the hunters lived and survived in the wild, Artemis wasn't one to steal away a basic teenager's right to use the internet. She was looking over a certain article on falcons which she had discovered and found mildly interesting through a certain innovation named Google. (Shout out to MasterTrident who asked me if hunters use Google xD)

"Bianca, Lady Artemis is calling for you."The voice of Thalia Grace startled the younger girl off her hammock and onto the deerskin flooring. "Hey, you okay in there?'

Bianca groaned how she could become so clumsy when she was near Thalia, she had no idea.

She was a hunter for crying out loud!

"I'm fine, I'm coming."

Getting off the floor and dusting off her silver gown, she collected her fallen laptop and placed it beside her bed, where she usually stores it. Unzipping her tent, she stepped out into the cool Canadian air and met with the daughter of Zeus. Thalia, being the eternal rebel she is, instead of wearing her silver nightgown, she was clad in a pitch black tank top and pyjama shorts. Her breath hitched, the way the tight cloth clung to her silken skin was incredibly alluring to Bianca.

"You sure you're okay, Bi?"The girl mutely nodded, still completely lost within Thalia's electric blue eyes.

Finally, snapping herself out of her Thalia-induced trance, she made her way towards Artemis' tent, bidding farewell to the daughter of Zeus.

"My Lady?"Bianca heard some scuffling come from within the tent..

"Come in Bianca."

The daughter of Hades unzipped the entrance of Artemis' tent and entered her large bare feet sunk into the soft, velvety flooring. Artemis was once again on her hammock, but beside her was what appeared to be a golden, female deer- no a hind. It was enormous compared to a regular deer, with golden antlers like a stag and hooves of bronze, and Bianca knew exactly what it was, Nico's mythomagic cards were certainly useful in certain situations. It was the Ceryneian Hind, one of Lady Artemis' sacred animals.

When the animal noticed Bianca, it ran away into the shadows, fading away from the tent.

"Excellent, you have arrived."

Artemis got off her sleeping arrangement and brushed her silver gown that was not dissimilar to the one Bianca was currently wearing.

"Let's get down to business, shall we? I'll be sending you off to meet a couple of my former hunters."

"Former?" Bianca postulated.

"Artemis nodded. "Yes, Hemithea and Josephine. They are ex-hunters of mine, who had fallen in love with one another. The situation they had faced nearly fifty some years ago is not entirely different from yours."

Bianca grew nervous at the mention of ex-hunters, was Artemis going to tell her what kind of brutal punishment she had given those two girls in the past to dissuade Bianca from following her heart?

Artemis scoffed, "Do not fret dear, please allow me to complete my explanation."

Bianca nodded, although her nerves weren't entirely pacified.

"Oh, where do I start? Hemithea was born in the ancient times, as a princess of Naxos under the name Molpadia, along with her two sisters - Parthenos and Rhoeo, the latter of whom was one of my idiot brother's lovers. Their father, king Staphylus was a demigod son of Dionysus, and was said to inherit all of his divine parent's worst traits; he frequently abused his power over his family, throwing outbursts of rage over the smallest of details."

Bianca nodded, not entirely sure where Artemis was going with the tale.

"One day, one of Staphylus's finest wine amphorae was found drunken king, enraged ordered Molpadia and Parthenos executed. Terrified, the sisters ran towards the cliff-side, and threw themselves into the sea, begging to me for mercy and rescue. Instead, it was Apollo who saved them, his egotistical brain mishearing that the sisters asking for his help, instead of mine. He sacrificed a portion of his own divine essence to turn Molpadia and Parthenos into minor goddesses. Sometime later both sisters followed their dream and joined the Hunters of Artemis. During her service there, Hemithea met and fell in love with her fellow Huntress, Josephine."

Bianca gasped.

"Both decided to part their ways with me on good terms twenty years ago, and live their regained mortal life together in the Waystation, a refuge for demigods, monsters and Hunters of Artemis where they could take shelter if needed. It is located above the Union Station in Indianapolis."

Bianca frowned. "Is that, like another camp?"

Artemis shook her head. "Simply a refuge, an outpost if you will. A secret one, mind you, I have kept it hidden from both the Camp Half-Blood, and the rest of the Olympians. If father finds it, and see I had spared those huntress, while I am not entirely sure what he would do, it is better for me to stay safe, rather than sorry for endangering the lives of all who go there."

Bianca nodded, figuring out what Artemis was trying to say.

"You want me to meet with them?"

Artemis nodded, "You shall leave alone at daybreak, and my hind will take you there and back before sundown."

Bianca nodded, grateful that Artemis hadn't decided to punish her for falling in love with Thalia.

"I trust that you have much to glean from those two. They are wise beyond their years. Say hello to their daughter, Georgie for me, I haven't spoken to her in months and I'm sure she'll love a word from me. You are dismissed. Rest up; you have a long day ahead of dreams, Bianca."

Bianca smiled, "Goodnight milady."

The daughter of Hades retired to her tent, her thoughts encompassed by one thing, and one thing only, Thalia Grace.

At least… that was before the dreams happened…


B/N

Bahahaha! Cliffie! :D

(A/N: Well you're quite mum this time, aren't you? I bet you have something grand planned…hmmm…)

~VCRx