A/N: Hello everyone! Just as promised, here is chapter 11 on the 27th. I'm still getting used to uploading on a schedule, so I hope it's worth the wait. Just like always, let me start off by saying thank you all so much for your reviews and support! I read every one of them and each one fills me with happiness. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any affiliated works. All credit goes to Rick Riordan. Please support the official books.
Chapter 11: Familiar Faces
PERCY
Percy knew that in moments of panic, staying calm and thinking things through logically was the absolute best course of action.
Unfortunately, logic did not mix well with Percy.
"Sorry you, uh, have the wrong guy. Bye bye." His lie was as smooth as sandpaper, and even an 8-year-old child could have seen through it, much less a centuries old Titan. He tried to walk away but her hand found its way on his shoulder before he could even move, yanking on it and forcing him to face her.
"Don't even think about trying to fool me, Percy. I could recognize your aura from a mile away," she huffed, her eyes burning into him despite the wolf pelt covering his face. "Even after all this time you're still the same idiot that crashed into my island…"
She looked down, and the mood suddenly became incredibly awkward. Percy knew he would be fighting a losing battle if he tried to deny any of her claims, so he stopped resisting her grip and stood silently in front of her.
He wasn't sure what to say at all. His heart was beating loudly and sporadically from inside his chest as panic rapidly flooded his body. He got caught. He got caught. The fear of old wounds in his heart reopening dominated his thoughts as he imagined his friend screaming at him for a terrible act he never committed.
However, all of that came to a halt when he noticed tears falling from her eyes, confusing him. Why wasn't she angry? Wasn't he a cheating scumbag in her eyes?
"Fine, fine, it's me. You got me so please stop cry –"
"You freaking IDIOT!" Her shout cut him off, making him wince from the sudden volume and wildly shake his arms about.
"Shh! Are you trying to wake the dead or something?" Percy exclaimed at a lower decibel level. Calypso readjusted the strength of her voice, but not her energy.
"Do you have any idea how worried we all were about you! We hadn't heard from you for years! Gods forbid we…we thought you died Percy! I need to tell Leo right now –"
She moved to rush past him, but he thrust out his arm to interrupt her.
"No," he interjected firmly, causing her to stagger back slightly. "I'm sorry, but you can't tell anyone I'm here."
"But why? We're your friends Percy, we'd all love to know that you're doing okay. Don't they deserve to know?" She looked up at him, worry in her eyes. He shook his head in response.
"I just can't. I'm not ready for that yet. I need you to promise me right here and now that you won't say anything about this." He didn't really want to do this, but he was resolute on his decision to keep his identity hidden for the time being, so he used a little bit of intimidation that Lupa taught him to try and scare her into agreeing.
She took a deep breath before speaking. "Enough with that silly intimidate thing you're doing. I'm a goddess, it's not going to work on me."
Percy halted it and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as she continued. "I have no idea why you're so adamant about keeping this secret…but fine. My lips are sealed, but only if you answer my questions."
She wiped away her tears with a quick motion and glared at him expectantly, her earlier grief and worry replaced by anger and curiosity. Percy sighed, knowing this was inevitable.
"I can already tell what you're going to ask, but go ahead anyway."
"What in Hades happened all those years ago? You changed so violently…and now you're a hunter of Artemis? Spill the beans."
Percy told her a shortened version of his story, since he didn't want to spend any more time out in the open than necessary, even if most campers wouldn't be up for a few hours.
"…so, in order to avoid being found out, I became the Wolf again for my visit here, which ended up not working at all since here we are," he finished to a bewildered Calypso. "I'm sure this does nothing but raise even more questions, but I'd really like to head back to my cabin so can I just fill you in on the other details later?"
Calypso just stood there, mouth agape, understandably speechless as Percy bounced up and down on the ball of his feet akin to an impatient child. Far too much time than he would have liked had passed before she spoke again.
"It was all a lie…the way we treated you…oh my gods…" she sunk to her knees and brought her hand up to her mouth as the full realization of everything hit her.
"This was exactly what I was afraid of," Percy thought as he knelt to comfort her.
"Please Calypso, don't think that. I don't hate you or anyone else in camp. It's not your fault, or mine. The only people to blame are the ones behind this whole thing in the first place."
She looked up at him and gave a weak laugh. "That's…surprisingly mature, coming from you."
Percy offered a bitter smile. "Well, I've had a lot of time to think about it."
He got up, dusted himself off and reached out his hand, which she gingerly took, allowing him to pull her up to face him once again. He could tell from her face that she was still a bit overwhelmed by all the information he'd given her, but he knew that she was strong. If anyone could handle this, it was her.
"After the Capture-the-Flag game, we'll find some time to meet up and I'll answer anything you want. Sound good?"
"Yeah," she replied, her energy slowly returning to her. "It's just… a lot to take in."
"Well, just don't find out my secret identity next time," he said with a chuckle.
Calypso scoffed at him. "You sound like the lamest superhero ever."
"Even a lame superhero is still a superhero. At least, some of the kids call me that when I help them out. Speaking of helping out, you may be able to do something for me now that I think about it," he said while rubbing his chin in thought.
Calypso raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"
He waved his hand in dismissal. "I'll tell you when I see you again tonight. It's just that maybe you finding out about me isn't such a bad thing after all."
The Titaness rolled her eyes. "Glad to see you think so highly of me."
Percy gave a light laugh before he switched his tone to deadly serious. "Just to make sure, will you promise not to say a word about this to anyone? Even Leo?"
"Yes, I promise," she sighed. "I understand that you want more proof before confronting all of us again but just please keep in mind that no matter what happens, we're still your friends Percy. Every one of us. If there is one thing I can say for certain hasn't changed in the past three years, it's that."
Percy felt beyond elated to hear those words coming directly from the mouth of someone at camp. It filled him with hope for the future as he felt ridiculous for imagining all those horrible outcomes earlier. For now, though, he needed to focus on the problems at hand.
"I'll try to keep that in mind. Keep quiet, and I'll see you later."
With that, they swiftly parted ways and Percy rushed back to the Poseidon cabin, his eyes darting back and forth as he tried to search for anyone who could see him. Luckily, the peak of the sun had just barely crested the horizon, meaning that he still had time before campers started rousing for their day.
Usually, the keen senses he gained while training under Lupa would have kicked into gear and senses Calypso before she had the chance to confront him. However, his inner thoughts were in utter turmoil thanks to his meeting with Grover, so it came as no surprise to him that he couldn't pick up on her approach.
After ducking back into the Poseidon cabin, he did the first thing any sane young man would do after getting caught – he cursed. He cursed himself for his carelessness over the past two days.
"First my necklace with Kenna, now my whole freaking identity with Calypso…I guess coming back to camp fried my brain cells more than I thought, which is bad cause I don't have a lot of those left."
He tried to get some sleep with the small amount of time left in the morning, but it was no use with the countless thoughts about this morning's events whizzing around in his skull. It was hard to believe that it all transpired before Apollo rode his chariot across the sky.
If he had known his first morning back at camp would be this chaotic, he would have called in sick.
He tried in vain to think of any demigods he knew that matched the appearance of the pair from his vision. Try as he might, he couldn't recall anyone he had encountered during his quests that had been missing a leg or wearing clothes that made themselves light up like a human glowstick.
Just who on Earth could hate him so much to cause him that much pain and suffering? Getting him kicked out of camp was one thing, but they messed with his mom. They erased the memories of her own son. It sounded like a punishment straight from the Underworld, but someone made it a reality, and Percy swore that they would pay for that.
All of the demigod enemies he had made over his years as a camper have sadly taken a ride on Charon's ferry. Luke and Ethan had sacrificed themselves for the greater good, and Octavian became a human firework. His only leads were a strange dream and a shaky connection to Hecate. Not much to go from, which was why he was more grateful than ever to be in service of the greatest group of hunters in Greek mythology.
He was convinced that there was a god of coincidences out there somewhere, because as soon as he thought of the hunters, a knocking on his door rang out. He briefly glanced out the window and estimated from the position of the sun that it was around 7:00 AM. The hours flew by without him noticing and without getting a wink of sleep, which he would surely pay for later in the form of fatigue.
The uninvited guest knocked again, louder and faster this time, and Percy had a guess at who was behind it.
"Give it a break, Thalia, I'm already dressed –" he stopped short when he opened the door and saw that it was definitely not the daughter of Zeus that he expected who was standing before him. It was the only other one in the hunt, in fact.
"You're already dressed?" questioned Artemis. "How are you ready so early?"
"How come you're not Thalia?" Percy shot back, wondering why the moon goddess herself decided to try and wake him up.
"Thalia's even less of a morning person than you are. She's still happily snoring in her bunk. So, I decided to take the liberty of rousing you before the other campers awoke to see the Wolf leaving the Poseidon cabin. Why? Are you unhappy to see me?" she teased with a smirk on her lips.
"I could think of so many wonderful responses that would probably earn me an arrow to my back, but there is something I need to tell you first. Urgently." Percy lowered his voice to a near whisper, emphasizing the serious nature of the conversation.
Artemis picked up on it immediately, and nodded, wordlessly turning around beckoning him to follow. They hastily walked over to the Artemis cabin, heading to the back to converse in the shadow cast by the barely risen sun. The silver glow of the cabin walls contrasted heavily with the orange-purple rays being cast across the campgrounds.
Once they were safely behind the building, Artemis crossed her arms and looked up at Percy. "Alright, explain yourself. What happened?"
Percy scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to begin. "Well, it started with a dream I had last night…"
He recounted the morning's events from his vision to his meeting with Grover. The entire team, she remained expressionless.
"…so I have a good feeling that these two are behind the whole thing. I don't know who they are yet, but I won't stop searching until I get more answers."
She still hadn't made a sound. Right when Percy was about to ask if her ears were working correctly, when he saw her eyes flare with anger.
"Those arrogant fools." Her voice was filled with repressed rage, and it sounded like she was on the verge of screaming. Percy had never seen her whipped up in such a frenzy like this.
"When I find them, I promise to turn them both into jackalopes. Better yet, I'll turn one into a jackalope and the other into a flea, so they can torment each other until the end of their days."
"Woah, Artemis, calm down. Why are you so angry about this?" He said worriedly.
"How are you not?" She retorted.
"Oh, uh, I let all mine out earlier. According to Grover, I actually made the earth shake a little," he answered, slightly embarrassed.
"Huh, so that's what woke me up. Even so, I swear that I will lend you whatever aid that I can muster in order to hunt them down."
Percy blinked, wondering if he heard her correctly. "Wait, you…want to help me? I thought you would leave me to my own devices. Why do you feel so strongly about this?"
Artemis looked at him as if he had a screw loose. "Do you really believe I think so little of you? I understand I did not treat you the best when you first arrived, but I'm not heartless."
"No, I never thought that," he said, slightly flustered. Since when did she like to tease him this much? She was getting close to Thalia's level. "I just never thought an Olympian would get so involved in a matter regarding demigods."
"You have a point there. Normally, I would never dare trifle in standard half-blood affairs." She crossed her arms and looked away. "But you're no standard half-blood. Not anymore, at least."
"That's an insult, isn't it?" he joked, giving her a half-smile. She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, shut up. I'm trying to say that you're one of mine now. Those two ruined your life and caused this whole situation in the first place. Any problems my hunters have is a problem that I have, so it's only natural that I feel this way."
Percy's heart soared at her words. To think that Artemis herself would take his side, it was something he would have never believed in a millennium if someone had told him 3 years ago. Through many trials and tribulations, he had somehow earned her respect and favor, and he felt more thankful than ever for it.
"I…don't know what to say. Thank you. How can I repay you?"
"Don't even think about it," she snapped. "You've proven yourself many times over up till now and…well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give back once and a while. I hope you're not expecting any free favors, however."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, still unsure if what she was saying was real. "I'll still find some way to make it up to you, though."
She sighed. "I can tell I won't be able to change your mind, so do whatever you want. I've come to understand that your stubbornness rivals even my brothers."
"Okay you did not just compare me to Apollo." Percy was extremely offended by this.
"Only in that one regard. You, I can stand to be around for more than five minutes. Definitely can't say the same about him," she said with a small laugh, but it sounded a bit pained. Percy made the wise decision to not pry into her family matters and continue their talk.
"I also have strong reason to believe that at least one of them is connected to Hecate somehow, more than just being her child," Percy explained. "One of the figures was glowing a slight green color, and when we captured Lamia, she mentioned something about a professor and a glowing green boy. Thinking back on what Nico told me, Hecate once saved the soul of someone who looked like a mortal professor. I don't have any concrete proof, but I think that Hecate knows the identity of at least one of the perpetrators."
Artemis pursed her lips in thought. "Interesting theory. But if she knows who they are, why hasn't she told you yet?"
"Well, just because she knows who they are doesn't mean she knows that they're connected to this incident. I'm sure the professor stuff and whatever ties they have with Lamia happened before all of this, since Nico said Hecate's interference happened before Hera sent me to Camp Jupiter."
Artemis stared at Percy blankly for a few seconds. "Huh. That…actually makes sense. Maybe there is a brain hidden up there in that skull of yours."
"I'm offended, but also agree with you," he said with a defeated tone.
"I'm guessing you wanted to ask me to somehow get you in touch with the magic goddess?" Artemis asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Yes. Would that be possible?" he tried not to sound too hopeful.
Artemis sadly shook her head. "I'm afraid that it would not be wise for me to call out to her. She would have no reason to answer. My relationship with my fellow gods and goddesses, both major and minor is…let's just say it's less than ideal."
"Meaning…?" Percy pressed, a little lost.
"Meaning that gods are creatures of pride, Percy. Myself included. I have refused to complete favors or hear out the struggles of many other deities, earning no quarter up on Olympus. Not a single one of them took me or my Hunt seriously, so I had no reason to comply with what they had to say. Naturally, they were insulted by this, and I simply don't have the right to ask for any favors in return. Nor have I ever wanted to."
"That makes zero sense!" Percy exclaimed, exasperated. "If they're disrespectful to you, you shouldn't have to treat them the same way. And how could they not take you all seriously? You guys rock."
Artemis flashed him a hint of a smile. "I appreciate that, truly. But the gods do not see us that way and have never tried too. You can thank my father for that…"
That last bit was spoken as a quiet mumble as she looked down, her expression turning complex. Percy had just barely heard her say it but was curious as to what she meant.
"Your father? You mean Zeus? What did he do?"
The goddess quickly shook her head. "Forget it, you must have misheard me."
Her earlier expression had vanished, and she had returned to her natural stoic one. Percy elected to ignore her skillful question dodging, leaving the matter for another time.
"So, is there really nothing you can do?"
"Me personally, yes, there is nothing. However, I'm not the only god in your life, am I? You could always try your father."
It was Percy's turn to shake his head. "Getting in touch with dad has never been easy. I'm sure after everything that's happened, he would be more willing to help, but it would be too risky to do it at camp. I don't want anyone catching me in the act and realizing my parentage."
"Hmm, your reasoning is valid. Your hands are tied while you're here, but the sooner you find answers the better. Perhaps I can send Thalia over to the Hecate children and ask them for advice?"
Percy nodded. "That seems to be the best option. Who knows? Maybe there's some sort of ritual I can perform to summon her. As long as there's no goat sacrifice, I'm all for it."
Artemis shuddered. "Don't even joke about that. A true hunter never let's the corpse of an animal go to waste, and never kills senselessly. Slaughtering a beast for the chance of magical power…mortal occult practices make me sick."
"Sorry, sorry. But for the record, I fully agree with you."
"Of course. All my hunters share that value. Mortals would kill, steal, and burn to reach the supernatural with a complete disregard for nature. It's barbaric."
"Burn…" One of her words stood out to Percy, and he realized he had left out a crucial detail.
"That's right, I nearly forgot! Artemis, in my dream, remember when I said that everything around me was on fire?"
"Yes. What of it?" She inquired, lightly tilting her head.
"It was Rome. New Rome, in Camp Jupiter. It was burning, and I think that means something." Percy couldn't keep the worry out of his words.
"Camp Jupiter was burning? Was that all?"
"I wish. I saw members of the legion, lined up within the fire with a crazy look in their eyes. They were leading the charge on their own town…it was terrifying." Percy grimaced, recalling the memory. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant one.
Artemis frowned. "I've heard that there were troubles brewing over on the West Coast thanks to the death of their augur, but last I heard it was still manageable. Nothing on the scale of what you describe."
Percy remembered Hylla telling him the same thing. "I was told that too. Reyna and Frank still have things under control there, but I just can't help but worry."
"Where are you going with this?" she asked.
"I know I've already asked you for a huge favor already, but I can't ignore this feeling in my gut that something's up. Would we be able to visit Camp Jupiter in the near future? To make sure everything is alright." Percy lowered his head respectfully as he waited for her answer. To ask this much of a goddess, especially Artemis, and especially as a male, he wanted to make sure he was at least being polite to avoid being turned into a stag.
To his shock, he felt a hand being gently placed on his shoulder. "Stand up tall, Perseus. I understand you're still getting used to acting a little more casual around me, but we're attempting to do the same in turn. I promise I'm not going to get angry about a matter as serious as this."
He did as he was told, looking her in the eyes as she continued. "In fact, I agree with you. I think this is something that would be worthwhile to investigate. If I've learned anything from my insufferable twin, it's that prophetic dreams tend to unfold exactly as foreseen. It's certain when it will happen, but Rome will come under attack in the future."
Percy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you again, Artemis. I owe you twice now."
"No, you don't," she said resolutely. "I have to say, though, I find your request most intriguing."
"Why's that?"
"Given your past, and all the things you've gone through, I would have thought that given how hard it was to come back to Camp Half-Blood that you would want to avoid this kind of confrontation in the future. Yet, here you are, ready to do it all over again. How are you so willing to take another huge risk like that?" Her eyes held genuine confusion.
"Because they're my friends," Percy answered as naturally as breathing, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Since for him, it was. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for them. If I had to choose between risking being discovered or ignoring them when they need help, I'd choose the former no matter what."
Artemis stared at him for several moments, taken aback by what he had just said. "Even after all this time, your resolve refuses to waver. I cannot help but admire that about you, Percy. I find myself quite curious about you and what drives your decisions."
"Uhh, thanks? I guess?" Percy wasn't sure how to respond to that. She was curious about him? He hoped that didn't mean she wanted to rip him open to see what was inside.
Artemis cleared her throat and changed the subject. "Anyway, my answer is yes. We will try to visit the Romans soon. Morning is nearly here, is there anything else I need to know before we begin the day?"
Percy hesitated to tell her this, but knew it was best not to leave anything out. "I also may have…gotten caught."
"You what?" Artemis looked at him like he was speaking another language.
"You know Calypso, right? The Titan? She recognized my aura or something, and well…" He went on to explain their confrontation, including how he needed to talk with her after the game. When he was finished, Artemis heaved a heavy sigh.
"Of course, right after I decide to praise you you go and mess up like this. Seriously, what am I going to do with you?" She looked at him like he was a child who broke an expensive vase, and he was not having it.
"Can you cut me a little slack? How was I supposed to know my magic energy could be read? It's not like I can hide that." He threw his hands up, equally frustrated. "I don't like that I got caught either, but at the very least, she won't tell anyone. She's not that kind of person."
"Oho, I wasn't aware that you had such an intimate relationship with her," her voice had gone cold. "You haven't done anything to her that I should be worried about, right? I can't have a playboy in my hunt."
She cracked her knuckles and Percy gulped. He was a fool for forgetting how intimidating Artemis could be when she wanted to.
"No, no, nothing like that, I swear. I will tell you everything later since morning is dawning. Promise."
"I'll hold you to that," she replied, backing off. "Alright, you should get back to guarding our door. Foolish boys have tried to sneak in in the past, and I'm trusting you to take care of them if the need arises."
"Sounds good to me. Could you relay the info to Thalia too? She should hear all of this."
"You're partially right: she should hear all of this, just as well as everyone else." Percy gave her a look of confusion, so she explained. "Like I said, you're one of us now, and we're all going to help you out. When one of us has a problem, everyone has a problem. Did you think that after hearing your past that some of the girls wouldn't want to try and aid you?"
"Kind of, yeah," he said truthfully. "Some of them still don't fully trust me, right?"
"True, but not trusting you doesn't mean they want to see you suffer, Percy. I will repeat myself again and say that it is only natural to want to give back to you, especially after you saved one of their sisters on the hunt for Lamia."
Percy needed to stop thinking of the hunters as heartless creatures who spewed nothing but hate towards him. He was tired of getting so surprised whenever they showed him a bit of kindness. They were humans too. Except for the goddess in front of him, that is.
"Okay, tell them all too. The more help I can get, the better. And tell them all that I say, 'thank you,' as well."
Artemis smiled for the first time since they began talking. "I will. And I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Now get back to work, guard dog."
They began walking back towards the front of the cabin. Percy sighed, but had a grin on his face. "And we're back to normal. I am far more used to getting teased by you than praised."
"You shouldn't say that, because I'll take that as a go-ahead to make it even worse."
"Bring it on, Arrow Head."
Artemis stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around slowly, her voice calm but her eyes on fire. "What did you just say?"
Percy suddenly regretted all his life decisions. "Surely you must have heard from Thalia how gifted I am with nicknames right? I made one for you too so…"
Her cheek twitched. "I dare you to call me that again. Go on, say it."
In the face of absolute power, Percy decided to be bold. "Trust me, I will. When you're least expecting it."
It's amazing how often courage and recklessness overlap. Percy saw her irises radiate with rage and stepped back in fear.
"This is it; I've crossed the line. I wish I kept a few drachmas handy to give to Charon."
"Address me like that again, and I will interpret it as a declaration of war. My pranks on you have been held back thus far. Restrained. You don't want to find out how terrifying nature can truly be."
Percy was terrified at first, but it was soon replaced by interest. This was the most emotion out of Artemis he had ever seen. Despite the consequences, he sort of wanted to keep pushing her buttons. It was fun.
"Really now? Are you going to command more pigeons to poop on me?" he grinned, knowing he was dancing with a silver-eyed devil but not caring in the least.
Artemis opened her mouth, no doubt to continue a barrage of threats that likely involved Percy meeting the business end of an arrow, but they both saw from the corner of their eyes that a few cabin doors had opened up and children started to pour out. They both turned their heads towards the sky, seeing that the sun had escaped from the horizon and was fully visible. The morning at Camp Half-Blood had begun at last.
The moon goddess took a deep breath and composed herself, knowing better than to cause any more of a scene with witnesses. Percy exhaled with relief, thinking that he was safe from her grasp, but his hope soon crumbled shortly after.
"We will be finishing this conversation later," she promised through gritted teeth. With that, she promptly turned around and marched back into her cabin, slamming the door behind her. Percy chuckled at her behavior.
"Despite being an all-powerful goddess, she has that kind of side too. I'm so exploiting that nickname."
Eager to take a break from all the hectic events that had been consuming his morning, he did as Artemis commanded and dutifully stood by the door to Cabin #9, guarding it from campers who were stupid enough to try and take a peek.
And there were. And Percy got to have a little bit of fun for the first time since coming back to camp making them leave.
KENNA
Kenna was extremely mad at herself.
She had been so excited for the Capture-the-Flag game that she had barely gotten any sleep, and now she was worried she was going to be too exhausted to enjoy it.
It was like that feeling you got when you were too excited as a field trip as a kid and ended up falling asleep in their clothes because they just couldn't wait. Which she did. Which Connor and Travis were more than happy to make fun of her throughout the entire day.
"Travis, did you hear? We're going to the aquarium tomorrow!" Connor loudly told his brother.
"Really? No way! Man, I'm so pumped, I'm not gonna get any sleep tonight!" Travis exclaimed, laughing alongside his twin as they dodged a spoonful of curry that Kenna had flung at them.
"Careful now, sis. You don't want to start a food fight with us. We are the undisputed champions of the Tantalus Throwdown," Connor warned.
"Wasn't that the guy who couldn't eat or drink anything? That name is just cruel irony." Kenna pointed out.
"Well, he was a jerk, so it's whatevs." Travis helped himself to a second serving of pie.
"Remember how he tried to bring back chariot racing? That was the one thing I respected him for." Connor pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.
"I heard about that. Wasn't it super dangerous and people got really hurt?" Kenna asked.
"Yep. Total mayhem. You'd love it," Travis grinned.
Kenna sighed wistfully. "I would. But right now, I love Capture-the-Flag. I want to find out how good these Hunters are after hearing so much about them."
"Oh, you'll do more than see it. You'll smell it," Connor snickered.
Kenna glanced over at the Artemis table, which usually stood empty, that was now bustling with tons of young girls dressed in their usual hunter garbs. The only one that stood out like a sore thumb was the Wolf, who sat at the edge of the table with Artemis herself.
The Wolf's magical goblet filled up with a strange blue liquid before Artemis hit him and the shoulder and he changed it to water. Kenna didn't know what to make of it, so her eyes wandered to the others as she saw how much fun they were having. Two girls were arguing over a piece of chicken while another was sharpening an arrow, and a fourth was trying to hit the third with a piece of broccoli.
"Are these really the fierce Hunters of Artemis of myth?" she thought to herself.
Chiron raised up his goblet from the head table and clinked it with a dagger a couple times, causing a ringing sound to reverberate throughout the pavilion, implying that everyone should quiet down. Once silence took over, he began to address the camp.
"Campers, please finish up your meals within the next five minutes and throw anything you don't finish into the fire pit. Capture-the-Flag will begin right after dinner, so once you're done, assemble in the woods and the team leaders will take over from there. The game will be supervised by myself, Mr. D, and Nico Di Angelo, who will shadow travel anyone into the medical tent if the need arises. As usual, all magical items are allowed, and killing is highly frowned upon. Good luck!"
The Hunters all got up from their table at once, dumping their remains in the blaze and heading off into the woods. No doubt to make some dastardly preparations.
After those five minutes were up (exactly five minutes – Connor counted), the entire camp did the same, and Clarisse La Rue took the lead, standing on a tree stump, illuminated by torchlight.
"Alright you riffraff, it's showtime. I know a lot of you newbies out there are thinking that this'll be easy since there's only like 20 of them and tons of us, but it will be far from it. We may have to do something we haven't done in a long time: Strategize."
Everyone let out a large groan except for the Athena cabin, which whooped and hollered. "Malcolm, this is more your area, so get up here with me."
She stepped down from the stump and current head of the Athena cabin took her place. He launched into some complicated and boring stratagem that he'd been working on since last night, but Kenna didn't bother listening to the whole thing. She tuned back in once she heard her cabin, and that was all she needed.
"Connor and Travis, I'll need your fastest runners to join the flag retrieval team. Let's put those legs to good use, rather than to run away from the harpies after TP-ing a cabin." A handful of campers laughed at that.
"You just moved up on the list for that one!" Travis yelled out. The Athena kids didn't look so happy anymore.
Kenna leaned over to Connor. "If you don't pick me, you can kiss your candy stash goodbye."
"Don't get your armor in a twist, miss Warrior Princess. We're picking you, Travis, and myself. You do the physical stuff, and we'll do the stealing. Deal?"
"Deal," she agreed, beaming. It was time to get an up-close and personal look at her opponents.
After the meeting, Clarisse ordered everyone to suit up and grab their weapons. Kenna needed something light, so she went with a leather and chainmail breastplate and arm bracers, leaving her head and legs exposed. Around her waist she wore a belt that held the sheathe for her dagger, and she put her dirty blond hair up into a ponytail.
"Try not to pass out from excitement while you're distracting them, 'kay?" Travis said while pretending to do warm-up stretches.
"Another word out of you and I'm using you as a human shield," she threatened.
With only a few more minutes until the start of the game, she joined the rest of the camp at their main base of operations. The Hecate kids had enchanted a large branch with a leaf tied to it to look like their red flag, while the real thing was hidden up in a tree a few ways behind it, guarded by children of Ares and Apollo.
"I'm surprised that those two cabins can even stand being in the same tree together," Kenna remarked, looking up at them.
Connor snorted. "'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' you know? Even they understand that they'll need to put aside their petty squabbles if they want the chance to beat the Hunt."
"Spoken from the king of petty squabbles himself…" she muttered under her breath.
FWOOOOOOOM!
Chiron had blown the horn that signaled the start of the match, and Kenna took off into the night with her siblings. The infiltration team had been separated into two groups, one approaching the left flank with the other the right. She, Conner, and Travis were on the right.
As they left the light of their base, the woods were engulfed in darkness, bathed in nothing but faint moonlight. The trees towered overhead as they zig-zagged through the foliage, ducking behind trees and diving into bushes whenever they could to avoid detection.
"I thought you guys said this was gonna be hard," she whispered.
"It usually is. By now, we'd be caught in some trap like idio -" Travis never got to finish his sentence, because a net that was hidden on the ground sprang up and hoisted him in the air, several meters above them.
"We're boned," Connor said, gulping. "Run!"
His brilliant strategy lasted for all of thirty seconds when he triggered a tripwire that tied itself around his legs, making him fall to the ground immobilized. Kenna heard laughter in the treetops.
She spun on her heels, looking up, trying in vain to make out any hidden figures. When she couldn't see anything in the darkness, she shifted her focus from her eyes to her ears. Just in time, too, since as soon as she did, she heard a whistling sound cutting through the air.
THUNK!
She jumped to the side as the arrow embedded the ground by her feet.
"Ha! You missed…me…" A look of horror blossomed on her face as the true identity of that arrow dawned on her. Without a second thought, she sprinted away.
"No, no please! Kenna! Don't leave me!" Connor's pleas fell on deaf ears as the fart arrow detonated, leaving him in a stinky situation.
"I would have loved to see the look on his face, but I need to keep going!" This was her only thought as she barreled through the trees, glad that she was more physically adept than the average Hermes demigod.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
The thud of arrows continued behind her, some of them exploding into nets and other's making loud noises to disorient her, but she managed to avoid them without much issue. She understood why everyone at camp was terrified of these girls; she felt like she was in a horror movie.
After narrowly dodging another net trap on the ground, she hurled herself in a large clump of bushes to catch her breath.
"Hah…hah…hah…" her lungs refilled with fresh oxygen after finally getting the chance to sit still for a bit. She needed to think carefully about her next move. The hunters had made this their territory, and it was a miracle she had even made it this far. She shuddered as she thought about what might be going on with the rest of the campers back at base.
She peeked her head ever so slightly out of her hiding spot to look for any kind of indicator of where she was going. She had lost her bearings while she was being hunted and had no idea where the enemy flag could be located.
She was lucky she did, because she managed to catch two figures soaring through the air, their outlines crossing over the moon for the briefest moment. They leapt from branch to branch as if it were as easy as walking. It took Kenna's breath away for a minute before shaking her head to snap back into reality.
"No admiring the enemy! Bad Kenna!" she reprimanded herself.
With no other leads to follow, she stealthily headed in the same direction she saw them moving towards, hoping that they had gone back to their base to regroup.
It took too much time, since she was carefully eyeing the ground for traps (there were a lot), but she eventually reached their main base. There were four torches in a square pattern, with the blue flag standing tall in the middle ripe for the taking.
If it weren't for the Wolf standing right in front of it. He was talking to two of the hunters, and Kenna leaned in to get a clearer listen.
"…an illusion?" she heard him say.
"Yep. They're looking for the real flag now. Have to admit, it was pretty clever of them. We've never gone up against the Hecate kids, so we're learning as we go," Girl A reported.
"They are definitely a tricky bunch," he agreed. How about their retrieval team? Did anyone make it past the traps?"
"I wish I could brag about it, but yes, actually. One girl. She's got keen senses and a strong pair of legs. Not sure where she went after avoiding our onslaught," Girl B answered.
Kenna felt incredibly flustered after hearing them compliment her, but her mind latched on to something else instead.
"I'm…the only one who made it? The left flank got destroyed?" She was all by herself. No backup, no help. It was up to her to win this game.
"Well, if she's able to somehow find her way here, I won't let her even touch this flag," the Wolf declared. "Because I know what will happen to me if I do."
The girls giggled. "True. You don't want another arrow to your butt."
"Who told you about that!?" he exclaimed while they roared with laughter. "Mark my words, Thalia is gonna pay for that later."
"Sure, sure. We're off to join the attack force, good luck, guard dog." With another giggle and an exasperated sigh from the Wolf, they turned around running and vaulted themselves back up into the trees. It was truly a sight to behold.
Kenna hardened her resolve and had just started to sneak around the perimeter when a voice called out.
"I know you're there, by the way. I hope you weren't planning on something stupid like a sneak attack?" the Wolf called out with a grin below his pelt.
Kenna sighed as she stepped into the light, the dirt and leaves crunching beneath her feet. "Can't blame me for trying."
"Point taken, but I hope you at least prepared for the possibility of my catching you." He crouched down and slapped his bracelet, and a spear materialized in his arms in the next second.
"I entertained it, but it was worse-case." Kenna assumed stance as well, pulling out her knife from its covering. They stood there in silence, waiting for the other to make a move, but since the Wolf was on defense, she knew it wouldn't be him. All he had to do was buy time for the hunters to steal the camp flag.
Not on her watch.
She rushed towards him, slashing her dagger towards his torso. Unsurprisingly, he blocked it with his spear. As she bounced off, she used the momentum to swing around and attack from the other side without a second to spare. This time, however, he expertly ducked under the blade, and tried to use his spear to sweep her off her feet.
He caught the edge of her foot as she jumped backwards to avoid it, causing her to stumble a little. He flashed her a smirk from under the mask.
"I see someone hasn't neglected training, despite the peaceful times. Your movements are good but need improvement."
"Trying to lecture me on my movement? Meanwhile, you haven't taken a single step away from that spot. What are you, chicken?" She knew it was dangerous to provoke him, but anything to get him away from that flag would be worth it.
He merely chuckled. "I haven't moved because I don't need to. Come at me."
Kenna shook her head in disbelief. "Gods, you sound like someone straight out of a movie. It's time for the plucky young protagonist to take down the grumpy evil villain."
She ran at him again, trying her hardest to push him back with a flurry of slashes. The sides, the neck, the knees, she aimed for nearly every spot she could as fast as she was able, but his spear always rose to intersect it. She would have found it insanely annoying if she weren't growing so exhausted.
"What's with this guy…does he have any openings at all?" She marveled at his defense. This was clearly the result of years of arduous training, perhaps even more so than she had undergone.
"While I can say that this is one of the tougher demigod fights I've had in recent years, you still have so much potential to grow," he commented between blows. "For instance, watch your footing. You're making a lot of unnecessary motions."
"Why…are you…helping me?" She managed to string together the question amidst gasps of air.
He shrugged. "It's in my nature, I suppose."
It seemed like he had had enough of their chat, so the next time she thrust the knife towards his just, he decided not to block. Rather, he sidestepped, grabbed hold of her arm, and pushed her back, creating distance between them once more.
She panted like a dog on a sunny day, wondering how in the world she was going to reach the flag. It was like an indoor mountain climber going up against Mt. Everest! The experience and skill gap was much too –
"You're not giving up, right? That's not the Kenna I know."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You know me?"
"Uh," he cleared his throat. "Never mind, forget I said that. Anyway, are you really gonna let things end here?"
She was seriously considering it. Compared to him, it was as if she had no strength at all. In a flash, her mom's words came flooding back.
"Never underestimate yourself, Kenna," she told her daughter lovingly. "The instant you do, the people around you will too."
She felt like a fool for doubting herself.
"That's right…if he has no openings, I just have to make one!"
It was incredibly risky, but it was the only thing she had left. She charged towards him yet again, and when he took his defensive pose…she threw her dagger up in the air, just like she had done with Calypso.
Naturally, his head followed the knife's trajectory, and she rapidly closed in on him. By the time he realized that she had gotten so close, it was too late.
CLAP!
She slammed her palms together in front of his face, catching him off guard for only half a second – but that was all she needed. She tackled him to the ground, hoping to pin him down for good.
Unfortunately for her, it didn't look like this was his first time being tackled; in an instant, he grabbed ahold of her and flipped them around mid-fall, so he ended up landing on top of her rather than vice versa.
His spear on the ground next to them, he reached up and tugged on his leather necklace, his hand coming back down with a blue dagger held within it. Her own dagger landed on the ground uselessly a few paces away.
Kenna should have been surprised at the sudden reversal of power, but she was much too distracted by his face. When she first tackled him, his wolf's pelt had been knocked from his head, revealing the panicked expression of a 20-something year-old boy, with messy, raven black hair, and a few straggling chin hairs.
"…Percy?" she asked incredulously.
FWOOOOOOOM!
Chiron's horn sounded throughout the forest, signaling the end of the game. In a single breath, he had already removed himself off her and put his mask back on, obscuring his features once more.
"Wait, wait!" she cried out as she picked herself up off the ground, but he had already disappeared from view.
"Great, that's loss number fifty-seven," Travis complained as Kenna lowered him down from his net. "How come you're not more upset about this? I thought you wanted to beat them most of all."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess." Kenna was far too lost in thought to care what Thing #2 had to say at the moment.
"I think she's broken," Connor said loudly, since he was a fair distance away from them. Despite being incredibly disoriented, Kenna was not having that stink monster anywhere near her.
"Can it, both of you. I'm thinking."
"You are? Didn't know you had that ability," Travis teased. Kenna did not feel bad at all when she let go of the rope and let him drop all the way down to the forest floor.
"Ow! My beautiful rump!" Travis complained. He stopped when he saw the look in Kenna's eyes, however. "Oh, this actually seems a bit serious."
"It is, and I was hoping to get your advice on it," she admitted. Travis sat down cross-legged, and Connor leaned on a nearby tree, respectfully waiting. She had no idea that was even possible.
"I…think I want to join the Hunters of Artemis," she confessed. "I've always felt deep down that I never really belonged at this camp. And while I sincerely appreciate your attempts to make me feel welcome, I still couldn't help it. After hearing about them, and seeing them firsthand, they seem like the perfect fit for me. But I can't help but be scared so…"
Somehow, she had managed to make the kings of prankage go silent. She was about to ask if they had wax stuck in their ears when Connor spoke up. "Well, that's all there is to it."
"What do you mean?" Kenna asked, confused.
Travis answered for his brother. "We had a feeling you were gonna do this, actually. He owes me a Snickers. But in all seriousness, what are you getting scared for? If there's one thing you should take away from these past few years, it's that you take what you want and you don't let go. No matter what. That's the Hermes way, right?"
Kenna gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it is. I think I'm gonna miss you guys."
"We'll miss you too, you lil' Soldier. C'mere! Group hug!" Conner exclaimed, arms outstretched and running towards them.
"Back! Back you filthy beast!" She and Travis ran back towards camp, laughing the entire time.
When they arrived, they joined up with the rest of the cabins (with the victims of fart arrows excluded, of course), and Chiron announced the Hunter's victory. Apparently, Thalia Grace had called down a lightning storm, and once the Ares and Apollo kids fell out of the tree, they had their target.
He wished them all a good night, and to say farewell to the hunters since they would be leaving within the hour. She didn't have much time.
When she arrived back at the cabin, she packed all her things as quickly as she could, not bothering to fold a single pair of clothes.
"Kenna? What are you doing?" Emmy approached and asked her.
"I'm leaving, Emmy. To join the Hunt." Kenna said it with much more confidence this time, owing it to her talk with the Stolls.
"Wait what!? Why?" Emmy looked shell-shocked. In her defense, Kenna did drop a bomb on her out of nowhere.
"Because I think it's where I belong. Don't worry, I'll try to IM you often and I'll visit every once and a while to kick your butt in Capture-the-Flag. I wonder what it's like on the winning side."
"But are you sure? What if you hate it? What if you want to come back? What if you suck with a bow? What if -?" Kenna put her hand over her friend's mouth before her rambling could continue. It really was a bad habit.
"I won't hate it. I love adventuring, and that's all they do. I don't care about romance, and neither do they. I'm much more physically active than all of you…and they'll accept that. I know it." Kenna placed her hand on Emmy's shoulder reassuringly. "But I will definitely miss you. I know that too."
They threw their arms around each other in a final farewell. Once Kenna's bags were packed, she ran off to the entrance of camp, hoping she had been quick enough to catch them.
Luckily, she caught them as they were walking out. "Wait!" She shouted, catching their attention. They all looked back at her, including the goddess Artemis and the Wolf, who looked visibly nervous at the sight of her.
"I remember you. From when we first arrived. You were the only one to respectfully ask me a question," Artemis recalled. She then noticed the bags by her side. "Ah…I think I see what this is."
"I think you do too, Lady Artemis," Kenna confirmed. "I'd like to join the Hunt."
Whispers rippled across the group of girls standing behind them. Suddenly, one called out, "Hang on, I remember her too! She was the only one who made it past our traps!"
"Oh really?" Artemis raised her eyebrows, curiosity written on her face. "Can anyone else vouch for her skills?"
"I can," the Wolf said, stepping forward and surprising Kenna immensely. "We had a brief scuffle over the flag. She has what it takes."
Kenna felt truly grateful hearing this. "Thank you…Percy."
The entire Hunt gasped, including Artemis, who spoke up next. "So, you know. Yet you still wish to join us nevertheless?"
Kenna nodded. "I do. During our fight, I knocked his mask off, and I had no idea what to think at first. I was confused, then angry, then sad, then a little bit of everything."
"I seem to have that effect on people nowadays, huh…" Percy mumbled. Artemis elbowed him.
"I wanted to march right up and sock you in the jaw for lying to all of us and hiding away. But then I thought about what happened while we fought. You tried to help me. You acted the same way that you always have. I know it sounds a bit pretentious since I haven't even known you that long, but I could still tell that you were you."
Artemis grinned. "She's got some excellent senses."
"After how you acted during our spar, I knew something weird had to have happened three years ago. There were no traces of the angry, bitter jerk we all saw back then. So, I knew it would be okay to trust you. Which is why I absolutely want to go through with joining you all."
She lowered her head in respect, not daring to say a word. This was it. This was a definitive moment in her life that would change everything. Even after coming this far, the fear of being turned away still gnawed at her heart.
"I don't think I could ask for a better recruit."
Kenna looked up, startled. "R-Really?"
"Of course," Artemis continued. "You've already proven your physical prowess to several of my hunters, and you've proven your judgement and critical thinking to me just now. I'm not one to turn away a young girl in need, especially not one with as much potential as you. I'd be a fool to reject you."
Kenna smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't wait!"
"No, you certainly can't." Artemis laughed at her enthusiasm. "Kneel before me and repeat my words exactly."
Kenna did as she was told, noticing her feet were enveloped in a silver aura. Her voice came out in threes, overlapping each other.
"I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis."
"I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis."
"I turn my back on the company of men,"
"I turn my back on the company of men,"
"accept eternal maidenhood,"
"accept eternal maidenhood,"
"and join the Hunt."
"and join the Hunt."
She felt a hand on her head, and a surge of warmth flow through her. It felt so…right. She knew in that instant that she had made the correct decision.
"Arise, as a huntress," Artemis commanded. Kenna followed her orders once again, knowing that she would have to for a very long time.
There were some cheers of welcomes and congratulations from the back, and Kenna waved shyly at her brand-new sisters, glad that they were supportive of her from the get-go.
"Lucky. That is not the reaction I got when I first arrived," Percy grumbled. One of the girls stuck their tongue out at him.
"Can you blame them? You look like a failed cosplay." The cheers turned to 'Ooooooo's' in a flash.
Percy just smiled. "Glad to see your sense of humor hasn't gone anywhere. If you like insulting me, you've come to the right place."
Kenna crossed her arms. "Good. Now I've got all eternity to pay you back for that fight. You are going down."
"In your dreams," he said, lower himself until he was at eye level with her. His next words came out softly, barely above a whisper. "I also really appreciate what you said. You saw good in me without even hearing my side of the story…it's a nice change of pace."
"Don't mention it. I'm not sure I'll be of any help, but if there were any shenanigans afoot all those years ago, I'll get to the bottom of it."
Percy's smile grew even sider. "That's what I like to hear. I'm sure your fighting spirit will rival even the eldest hunters."
"Oh gods…I'm gonna have to learn so many names," she realized, suddenly feeling woozy at the thought.
"You'll get used to it," Percy promised. "Welcome to the Hunt, Kenna."
A/N: Thank you for reading! And woohoo! Kenna's in the hunt! Let's see what lies in store for her in the future.
Upon reviewing this chapter, I understand that it's incredibly dialogue heavy, so I hope that I added enough action and moved the plot forward sufficiently enough in order to keep you all engaged. I will do my best to try and make people not lose interest.
Also! We can see hints of Pertemis finally developing! I have so many plans for them in the future, but the journey of getting there is what makes it fun!
Lastly, before anyone says that I forgot to include that little thing with Percy and Calypso where he asked her for a favor – I did not. It will be touched on in the next chapter, promise.
Anyway, thanks again for making it this far! Please, please leave a review on what you think! All comments, questions, and criticisms are highly encouraged and welcome! And don't be afraid to PM me! I hope you enjoyed!