You may rise, Chiron," Artemis said, with a slight incline of her head. "It's good to see you again. You're doing alright, I suppose."
"Indeed my lady. Very well." Chiron replied, bowing a little. Artemis nodded, satisfied with his answer.
"My hunters and I have traveled a long distance and will retire the cabin, before Capture The Flag. We will talk more, at dinner." Artemis started to which Chiron replied with a respectful yes. Artemis then began sauntering towards the Artemis Cabin, while her hunters trailed behind her, shooting glares at any Male who was within ten feet of them.
"Alright then, everyone. You may head off now, to prepare for tonight's game" Chiron dismissed. With that, we demigods began trudging back to our respective cabins, to get ready for the game tonight, which was going to be one of a kind.
I had made it back to my cabin and had just entered when the twins pounded on me.
"How was it?" Holly eagerly asked me, at the same time Laurel asked me the same thing, in a different manner. They scrawled at each other, annoyed that they had spoken together, once again. To prevent me from losing my sanity, I intervened (again).
"It was...intimidating," I said, exhaling. I took a couple of seconds to find a word that would catch their attention. I was, successful when I saw that the twins' heads had rapidly turned to face me. I prodded on.
"I mean, you did give me a fair forwarding, but I still not prepared for the do-not-mess-with-me-or-my
-hunters vibe. And I'm not going to lie they scared the hell out of me." I said, whispering the last part for effect.
They chuckled at my response, to which I shot them an incredulous look for laughing at me. They sobered up, a little after that.
"So, it's us versus the hunters. At first, I thought it was unfair for the hunters, but after careful consideration, I think it is quite the opposite."
"Yup," Laurel said, nodding her head.
"Well, I am going to have to go to the armory to select a bow and arrow, as I'm still working on my sword-fighting skills."
"Okay then. You do know how to get there, right?" Holly asked.
"Yes, I do"
"Fine. Meet us back here before we head for the game."
"Will do" I called out, and I walked out the door.
When I reached the armory, I had an array of weapons awaiting me. But I only reached out for a bow and a quiver of arrows. I wasn't an expert on the best type of bow to choose, so I went with my gut feeling.
I returned back, a while later, to find Holly and Laurel fully stocked on swords, and daggers. Laurel was tucking a dagger into her thigh sheath when I entered. Holly was playing around with a dagger, throwing it in the air, and catching it with one hand.
"Ready?" Holly asked me.
"Ready" I replied, smiling nervously. Laurel looked up and saw me with my bow and arrow with me. She picked up her sword that was placed on the ground and tucked it safely.
"Let's get going then" Laurel cheerfully said, pushing me and Holly out of the cabin. Once the door was shut behind us, she locked arms with each one of us, as we walked towards the entrance of the forest.
My nervousness only increased with every step I took. Laurel noticed, which I expected her to, and spoke up
"Sterling, Sterling. Don't fret baby sister. It will be alright. I'm sure the hunters will go light on you."
"No, it won't. And don't call me that, I'm older than you."
"Only by a year, Ster" Laurel grinned.
"How are you so relaxed about this. The hunters are going to pulverize me. I'm the newest demigod here, and the only thing I'm close to good at is archery. How am I supposed to defend myself when I have to."
"For starters, Sterling, you don't defend yourself," Holly said. When she saw the confused look on my face, she explained further.
"What I mean is, you must hide. Try your best to steer clear of any hunter. Not as easy as it sounds, I know. But you have got one advantage- you're fast. While the hunters aren't slowpokes, there's a chance you may be able to outrun them because of your natural ability. So, if the time comes, you run for your life. As fast as you can, no breaks until you find a safe place." Holly advised. "Oh, and. I suggest you don't hide in trees. I'm sure the hunters will find you quite quickly."
"Where else do you expect me to hide, then?" I asked her. She shrugged in response, as I sighed.
A few minutes later we had arrived, where I saw that all the other demigods were already present, as well as all the hunters. Which meant that we were the last ones to arrive. Perfect. I suppose the strategy had already been planned out because all participants were chattering amongst themselves, in small groups.
I didn't know how to approach, regarding our plan, so I decided to head over to Annabeth, as she was usually the main strategist. I quickly told the twins that I was going to Annabeth, and had barely begun approaching her when the sound of a horn was heard. Specifically, the horn that sounded the start of Capture The Flag.
I looked around in surprise before it hit me that I was standing there, as still as a statue. So I immediately began running into the dense forest, after the other demigods, as Annabeth had now disappeared from my sight, Laurel and Holly close behind me.
"Holly, what are we supposed to do?" I frantically asked Holly, as we ran deeper and deeper.
"I'm not really sure" She replied, in a quiet voice. "I think we should split up, find other demigods so that at least one of us knows the plan."
"I don't think that's a very good idea, Holly," I whispered, realizing that making too much noise would grab an enemy's attention. But Holly had already disappeared, by the time the words made it out of my mouth. "Oh great" I mumbled to myself.
"Don't worry, I won't leave you," Laurel assured me. "Can't have you being pummeled by the hunters."
"Yes, I'm sure my aunt would greatly appreciate it if I returned home, in one piece," I said, thinking about the fuss my aunt would make if she saw the smallest sign of an injury on me. After that, we were quiet for a while. Around us, once in a while, we heard the distant sound of a battle cry or the clinking of swords. I winced every time I heard the hurt cries of someone, and I prayed that it wasn't one of the demigods.
Suddenly, I heard the rustling of leaves nearby. Laurel stopped in her tracks, and put a finger to her lips, signaling for me to crouch down, with her other hand. She silently pulled her sword out, holding it low, but ready to attack if needed. We kept moving, step by step until we heard the noise once again. This time. it came from directly above us. Before Laurel could give me a warning, a figure jumped out of a tree and landed in between us. I stumbled, and fell back, as the hunter, turned to face Laurel. It appeared she had not noticed me, yet.
I had always assumed that hunters preferred to use a bow and arrow, instead of a sword, as they could attack from a distance, but this hunter was different. She had a sword in her hand, and Laurel barely had any time to defend herself, before the hunter started slashing at her. By this time, I had already gotten up and was watching the duo fight, not knowing how to help Laurel, because I didn't want to get in her way.
"Run Sterling!" Laurel shouted to me, after a while of me standing there, all confused. A second later, Laurel was knocked off her feet, as her sword flew out of her hand. The hunter, who was now free, swiveled to find that there was another opponent behind her. I was already sprinting for my life by now, but when I turned my head back to see if the hunter was following me, I saw a dagger in her hand, and before I knew it, she swung it at me, with full force. I didn't expect her to miss her shot, but Laurel had come behind the hunter, and jumped on her back, causing her to fall down. However, her attempt to stop me was partly successful because it still hit my shoulder. I cried out in pain but didn't stop, instead of reducing my pace to a slow run.
But soon, I was almost walking, with the stabbing pain in my left shoulder, making it hard for me to focus on anything but that. I knew I was in no condition to fight now, as the dagger had hit my left shoulder, which was my dominant side. I could still try using a sword with my right hand, but it would be of no use. So, my only option was to hide. I knew very well that Holly advised me not to hide in a tree, and I wanted to climb a tree, but with one arm immobile, it would be extremely hard. Thus, I ended up settling for a spot right below one of the trees, which had a few surrounding bushes that would give me enough coverage.
I set my bow down, as I laid against the hard trunk of the tree, tired from the running. I may be a fast runner, but I lacked stamina. Besides, I was running for at least three hundred yards, at the fastest speed, I could run at. I really did need to improve my stamina and strength. Now that I was out of immediate danger, it struck me that I had left Laurel all alone. I knew she was a fierce fighter when challenged, but the hunters were much stronger. I only prayed that she made it out safely. Now, my only plan was to stay out of trouble, until the end of the game. Which, I hope was soon.
After what felt like hours of sitting out the real game, I'd had enough. I was way too bored sitting down and doing absolutely nothing and felt like a fool for not helping out at all. I'm sure others were injured, but that wasn't an excuse for them to sit down. With that in mind, I got up, grabbing my bow, and quiver of arrows, as I began walking. A while later, I heard sounds in the distance that I decided to investigate because, why not.
It was coming from the upper left corner, so I began walking in that direction. I nocked an arrow, deciding that I had to be prepared under any circumstances, to defend or attack if I had to. It was painful, as my left hand was holding the bow, but I tried my best to ignore the pain. When I approached close enough, I paused, mentally preparing myself. Once I was done, I quickly pushed the leaves that there were hiding me to the side, only to find Holly. My shoulders sagged with relief, and I sighed. But almost immediately after, I winced again.
"Thank god it's you, Holly!" I said when Holly's eyes landed on me.
"Sterling" She started, surprised to see me. "It's wonderful to see you too. Where's Laurel?" She asked, frowning.
"A hunter found us, and she was fighting, while I escaped. Unfortunately, the price I paid was a dagger that is now embedded in my left shoulder" I turned to show Holly the wound, before turning back. "By chance, do you have any Ambrosia or nectar on you?"
"Oh yes, yes I do," Holly said, before pulling a wrapped cube out of her pocket, which I assumed was Ambrosia, as she handed it to me. I was about to pop the cube in my mouth, but Holly stopped me.
"We have to remove the dagger first so that when the wound heals, it does not embed itself in there. But quickly, or else you'll lose too much blood. Here, I'll pull it out for you, and as soon as you sense that it's out, immediately consume the Ambrosia. Got it? " I quickly nodded.
After a countdown from three, she pulled the blade that was wedged in my shoulder, as I let out a sharp cry in pain. But, I quickly put the cube in my mouth and began chewing on it, relishing its sweet taste. Soon, I began to feel the pain gradually reduce, until it became a dull pain in my shoulder, which was simply annoying but didn't hurt in any way.
"Thanks," I said, smiling.
"Of course, sissy," Holly grinned, before slinging an arm around my shoulder. I grinned back. "Alright, let's keep moving, shall we? Don't want a hunter to zero in on us" With that, once again, we began walking.
"So, did you find out anything?" I asked her.
"Nothing too important. I met a Demeter camper, who told me that someone from the Ares cabin had hidden the flag and that Annabeth's basic strategy was to conquer in groups because the hunters were lesser in number."
"So where did the Demeter camper go?" I asked.
"He was in a hurry, apparently. Only stopped by to fill me in on what was happening." She said, shrugging.
"Ah, okay. So...what do we do now?"
"We keep walking, always alert. Until we find a group or someone to team up with." I shot her a thumbs up, to show I understood. Holly, unlike Laurel, wasn't much of a talker. And it was especially dangerous to talk now, with people that could hear us anytime.
We were strolling leisurely through the forest when it came out of nowhere. Two arrows flew right at as. Holly ducked out of the way, and pulled me down with her, as the arrows whizzed past us, nearly missing my ear. That was a close call. A hunter then jumped down, from a tree, her arrows nocked and aimed right at us.
A/N:- Hello! It's been a long time, and I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I will be updating a lot more often, now that I aim to complete the story by Christmas. But, I promise that it won't be all rushed up. I have the ending already planned out and have a general idea of how I'm going to gradually lead the storyline to the ending, so I'll try my best not to disappoint you guys! Also, I follow the metric system, so I'm sorry if I messed up the estimation. I meant to say about 400 metres, but I'm probably way off. Anyway, I'll see you guys later! Bye
