I'm back, yes, I know I totally let 2 weeks slip by with no update right when things get juicy, but I'm here, and want to know how you guys are liking this so far. I'm not sure how many more chapters to add before I begin the end. Let me know, love you guys, enjoy!

Chapter Ten

The air was warm, the setting sun casting long shadows over everything. The trees seemed to look down upon the girls, who pulled out flashlights and hefted their bows. They hadn't run into any monster in the past few hours, and with the sun setting, they couldn't set up camp in these woods. They had to make it through.

For the past few days, Thalia and the dozen or so Hunters of Artemis she recruited had been making their way to Camp Half-Blood. They were attacked constantly; gorgons, wild Cyprian Centaurs (Bull Horned, cannibalistic centaurs) and once, a chimera. She had lost everyone except for two Hunters: Jasmine and Io. Ironically, they were the youngest and oldest of all the remaining Hunters. Jasmine was just a recruit, a sixteen-year-old girl who loved her phone, joined only days before Thalia dropped Artemis into Tartarus. Io on the other hand, was born during the times of the Ancient Greeks. She wasn't much younger than Zoë, Artemis' last lieutenant, and had none of her characteristic. She was joyful and upbeat, even as they had arrived at the forest leading to camp.

"Well, I don't suppose staring ahead will do us any good" Io said, pulling her dark red hair into a ponytail. Jasmine nodded, a determined look on her face.

"Come on, follow me" Thalia said, holding on to her mace can. She didn't like to open her spear unless she had to, since it did slow her. Her friends with bows drawn would let her know if she needed to unsheathe it.

Though the sun was only just setting, the trees seemed to block out all remaining sunlight and warmth, the woods cool and dank. Thalia's wrist twitched, her instinct telling her to open her shield, which she obliged. She aimed her flashlight ahead and took quiet, cautious steps. This was the last obstacle between them and Camp, but unfortunately, it was also one of the most dangerous treks.

Twenty minutes of silence, and the forest only seemed to become denser. Sounds of howling and rustling leaves made Thalia's heart jump each time, and her determination faltered a bit. She had been all around these woods with Luke, but why did she feel so lost?

A hiss from behind them is what made the small group stop. They all whipped around, bows readied and Thalia's spear springing to life. They all moved their flashlights around, trying to find the source, but they could only see trees. Suddenly, every hair on Thalia's body stood up, and Io took in a sharp breath "It's a trick."

Thalia whipped her spear in an arc as she spun, and she hit something solid. Two more hisses came from around them, and then Jasmine did something the Hunters hadn't see her do before.

She dropped her flashlight and bow, thrust out her fist and opened it slowly, revealing a ball of light that shone like a small sun, lighting up a ten-meter circle around them. The other girls were shocked, but they had also seen what Thalia hit.

"Empousai" Io hissed, notching an arrow at the one near a tree to their left. The one in the grass at their feet was bleeding from her temple, but definitely still alive. She remained still, her teeth bared at Thalia's spear, which was a few inches from her face. Jasmine spotted another to their right, hobbling forward on her mismatch legs. She pulled a long celestial bronze hunting knife from her thigh, and the Empousa stopped.

"What do you want?" Thalia spoke calmly and firmly. She knew what these things were capable of, and she wasn't letting her guard down.

For a few seconds, they said nothing. Then the one on the right spoke up "A child of Apollo with the power of light, now that is a rare thing, is it not sisters?" The one on the left hissed in agreement, but the one on the ground stayed quiet. Io may have been sweet and gentle, but she had no mercy when it came to monsters.

"Answer the question, daimon" She barked at the creatures. The one on the right replied "My name is Apphia, and we are here to feed" the other two hissed in unison. The one near Jasmine took another step, but Apphia snapped at her "Sappho, patience!" and she relented.

"Well, you can't feed on us, sorry" Thalia said, her eyes locked on the third Empousa. Apphia made a weird hissing, which Thalia understood as a laugh. She raised her eyes to the laughing monster and pressed the spear under the third Empousa's chin, and Apphio stopped.

"Don't try anything stupid, little girl" a grin formed on Thalia's face, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Like this?" She slammed the spear into the Empousa, who exploded into sulfur smelling powder. Sappho screeched and lunged at Jasmine, who sidestepped and pressed her glowing orb hand to Sappho's eyes. As she did this, the light in the woods died, say for the glow of the Empousa's face as she howled in agony. Jasmine pulled her hand away and light poured back into the woods. Sappho grasped at her scorched face with one hand, swinging around her claws with the other as she moaned in pain. She clawed Jasmine's arm out of pure luck, causing the Hunter to kick Sappho in the chest and send her sprawling onto the grass.

Io shot two arrows at Apphia, who seemed much more agile and capable than her two sisters. She dodged the first and the other hit her bronze leg, bouncing off. Io had spent over a millennia fighting and hunting, and she had that time to improve her bow; she used a bamboo bow coated in celestial bronze, sharpened on each end. As Apphia charged, Io raised her bow and deflected the Empousa's talons, kicking her behind the knee. Thalia was quickly tying a torn t-shirt around Jasmine's arm, which was bleeding pretty bad. She already looked a bit pale, and the orb of light was shrinking. They had a few minutes before she ran out of energy, or worse, passed out. And that's when Thalia smelled it.

She looked up, seeing a small opening in the trees, the night sky, with a plume of smoke rising. The campfire.

"We're almost there" Thalia said, helping Jasmine to stand. Sappho was stumbling around the woods, roughly fifteen feet behind them, swiping at trees, but Apphia was pressing Io too hard. Every time the Hunter tried to reach for her blades, Apphia would swipe, which made Io dodge or block, having to use her bow. Thalia raised her spear, electricity trickling up her arm into the weapon. She felt a tugging in her gut before lighting struck the tip, flying right into Apphia, who was sent flying into the dark. Io turned and they began to run.

Jasmine's light was only as strong as a lantern now, and the sounds of rustling and howling behind them kept them going. The daughter of Apollo looked ready to pass out, her curly brown hair whipping in the breeze behind her, her caramel skin looked beige and her eyes were fluttering. They were so close. Thalia ran faster, Io right next to her as she helped carry Jasmine, who's feet were simply dragging on the forest floor as the campfire light got brighter.

Leo was pacing back and forth, his hands building and unbuilding trinkets in seconds. It was almost midnight, and after he killed Khione, he apparently had passed out. He woke up in medical cabin swinging, scaring the shit out of Will. He immediately asked about Calypso, but when he did, Will pursed his lips.

"You can't talk to her right now" all Leo's hope of her still being immortal flew out the window. He swung his legs over the bed and began putting his shoes on, shaking his head "No, no I have to talk to her. Where is she?" He stood up but Will stood in front of him.

"She's fine, Leo" He said sternly. Leo was relieved, shocked and confused all at the same time. He sat back down, rubbing his head. It still ached like crazy, now that he wasn't all fueled up on adrenaline. "Then, why can't I see her?"

"She's talking to Chiron right now, and it's pretty important." He placed a cup of pink tinted water on the bedside next to Leo and gave him a small smile "For your head." Leo chugged it down, the sweet taste of raspberry in his mouth. Will continued "She's fine though. A few stitches and she's all patched up. Just wait outside the Big House, she'll be happy to see you." He patted Leo's shoulder and walked out, leaving his mind swirling with questions.

There he was, pacing next to the woods, taking deep breaths and trying not to cry. He cried so much for Piper, but Calypso is fine. It's okay.

All of a sudden, Thalia and two other girls flew out of the woods next to him. He jumped and pulled a throwing knife out of his toolbelt, rushing to help. As soon as he reached them, a burnt, sizzling talon sank its nails into the curly hair girl's leg, who screamed in pain. The Empousa pulled itself out of the forest, hissing and biting the air.

Leo lit his hand ablaze and gripped the wrist, sizzling the flesh before it yanked its arm back in pain. Thalia and Io dragged the now unconscious Jasmine about halfway to the Big House before Thalia started applying first aid. As Apphia tried to stand, Leo hefted his throwing knife as his fiery hand heated it.

"Oh, you're definitely easy target practice now" As Apphia limped towards him, something shot out from the tree line. Apphia's eyes shot open, looking down as a long, sharp tail pierced her chest, before she was yanked backwards into the darkness. She screamed for a few seconds before a loud crunch resonated, and utter silence fell upon the camp. Leo slowly backed up, his confidence shrinking back to when he was just a boy, in his mother's workshop.

Slowly, carefully, the Manticore crept his way into the moonlight, his orange red fur almost shining, his face disproportional and his mouth much too wide, was covered in that foul sulfur smelling powder. His scorpion tail waved back and forth slowly, which was the only thing that calmed Thalia's nerves. The last one she had encountered had a spikey tail, which shot projectiles. This one couldn't shoot anything, but it was poisonous. Thalia quickly began putting pressure on Jasmine's wounds, Io standing over them, bow drawn and ready, her eyes black. She looked back at the daughter of Zeus and mouthed 'Is she okay?'

Thalia had never noticed how black her eyes were. They were steady and fierce, even in the perimeter of a Manticore. So black, they even… began taking over the whites of her eyes. Thalia nodded slowly, stunned and slightly afraid of Io, but she flicked her eyes to Jasmine and Thalia refocused.

Leo had his back to the girls, just a few feet in front of them, his hands ablaze, but he was quiet. He couldn't leave them out here, and he couldn't make a sound. Just then, the beast snapped its head directly in Leo's direction. It snarled like a lion, but it's face contorted into a smile. Leo got ready to melt this thing into a puddle, but Io put her hand on his shoulder, and his hands went out. "Step aside."

She pulled her hunting knife and took a few steps forward, taking in a deep breath. At her feet, small bones erupted from the ground, crunching under her feet. Her eyes darkened more as she stuck the knife into the dirt, sinking to its hilt. The ground cracked towards the beast, before opening, slowly at first, but then faster, as the Manticore clawed at the dirt with its front paws, Io nocked an arrow and released it into the monster's paw, causing it to fall into the pit. She pulled the blade from the ground and it sealed itself shut, as quiet overtook the night once more.

Leo was stunned, his ears ringing as everyone rushed out to help, Chiron lifting Jasmine up to the medical cabin, Percy and Annabeth helping out Thalia and Io. He felt like he stood there for days, staring at the spot where the ground opened up.

"Leo" He blinked, then again, his eyes drier than he thought. He turned to see a Calypso, eyebrows furrowed, and mouth drawn into a worried look. He stared at her for a second before he pulled her into a hug, his body suddenly heavy. He forgot all about her during the charade.

"Are you okay? How?" He had so many questions, but he decided he'd save most for tomorrow. She smiled and nodded "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know how, but I am. I bled Ichor, so I guess I'm immortal still" Leo's heart deflated quite a bit, and Calypso saw it in his face. She pulled him by the shirt and kissed him.

"That doesn't mean I'm going anywhere, idiot" He smiled, relieved, but he was still in shock. Honestly, he had never been more afraid of a creature before he saw that thing, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was glad that red haired girl stepped in and gave it a one-way ticket to hell. Calypso spoke again.

"So, I talked to Thalia and the other Hunters" She began "They said they saw the campfire smoke and followed the light to get out" Leo frowned.

"Everyone was asleep, there was definitely no campfire" Calypso nodded, shaking her head slightly. "They all saw it, meaning something is going on with the woods. I've felt it too when I'm in there" Leo couldn't deny the woods had been a lot weirder lately.

"There's something else." Calypso looked away from Leo and pursed her lips. He sighed and crossed his arms "Alright, what is it this time?" They began walking towards the Big House as the first rays of sunlight peeked from the Long Island Sound.

"You know. Just more bad news."