This morning, I woke up to the noise of my alarm clock, which was certainly more pleasant than the twins waking me up, with their uniquemethods. Breakfast was uneventful, and today I chose different activities than yesterday. Speaking of activities, I realized that I missed our monster defense class yesterday, and so did the twins. Chiron was not going to be happy about this. I only hoped that he had forgotten, due to the more important things he had to remember. Sword fighting was automatically on my list, and so was monster defense class. I was still sore from Pegasi riding, so I would skip it for today, and take-up archery instead. As for my free choice, this time I would attempt 'Arts Crafts', which was basically crafting weapons. It seemed interesting, and maybe I could fashion a new dagger. Satisfied that I had my day all planned out, I headed out for the first activity with my siblings.
Swordfighting wasn't particularly great, as usual, but I felt like I improved a tiny bit. Archery was good, but I still had to keep self-correcting myself every time. This time, it was one of the Apollo campers, who was teaching us. Not that I wanted the hunters to teach us. I'll be honest, they're quite intimidating. As for 'Arts Crafts', I, unfortunately, couldn't make a dagger. But, I almost succeeded in hammering my fingers, because I got distracted. Pity I failed at both. Monster Defense class was very helpful, as usual, and today we just discussed some general tactics and strategies, and ways to defend yourself, or escape if you don't have help or a weapon on hand. So far, I hadn't encountered any monsters, but I knew that at some point, I would come face to face with them. If I joined the hunters, I would literally be hunting them down. So I had to be as prepared as I could be.
Speaking of the hunters, the whole reason why I almost crushed four fingers of my right hand, was because my mind was occupied with what Thalia said yesterday. Was it stupid of me to try making a weapon, for the first time in my life, when I knew I wasn't fully focused? Yes, it was. I just wish I realized earlier before I got a severe scolding from a Hephestaus camper, and almost broke my poor fingers.
Now that I have free time, I'm going to wisely use this time to think about joining the Hunters. I sat down on a compy armchair in the sitting room, and folded my legs, as I began to ponder.
Okay, so pros and cons. The first advantage would be that I would be immortal, unless I die in battle, and that I would be under the protection of Artemis, a goddess. The next advantage would be having a forever family, who would always support me and be by my side. I know it sounds cheesy. and untrue, but deep down, I had a feeling that all the hunters were very close to each other. I would also get instant expertise in archery, as well as enhanced physical strength, and agility, as I was told by Annabeth when I had a talk with her. She was a wise person to talk to. Anyways, other than that, I would get to spend more time with Lady Artemis herself, which was an honor not everybody got. And, as Annabeth said, I would also get to mildly insult Apollo, which was quite fun, I have heard. Talking to animals, was also something all hunters could do, which I find super cool.
Livia probably wouldn't be happy to hear me say this, but it would also mean that I didn't have to attend college. Which, I wasn't too keen on. I don't even know what I'm going to do yet! I don't have great scores, to get into top colleges, so I'll have to settle with some local university or something. However, there's also another benefit.
The last, and according to me, the most beneficial advantage, was that I would never have to deal with boy drama. No crushes, no boyfriends, no breakups, no annoying children to deal with, no silly emotions. I might still crush on a boy, but it would disappear very soon. with the fear of Artemis punishing me, as well as the guilt that would haunt me. And trust me, not having to deal with boys, and all this drama that comes with being romantically involved with someone, is the biggest advantage, according to me.
But, I could also look at it another way. No falling in love meant that I could get lonely. Obviously, I would have the hunters, but still, I'm sure that that feeling of 'romantic love' couldn't be replicated. While some people could live without it, others can't, and it's technically not their fault. However, it would be their fault if they were well aware that they couldn't not date and be in a relationship with someone, and still joined the hunters. Now I'm just getting sidetracked.
Another con would be that I wouldn't be able to see my friends and family. If I did get to see them, it would be once in a blue moon, because I would spend the rest of my life with the Hunters of Artemis. I'm not going to lie, I would miss them terribly. Especially Livia. I would feel very guilty to just leave her like that, alone, and runoff.
Then there was also the fact that monster hunting, was no easy feat. I would be risking my life every day, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was seriously injured, or if I even passed away during a fight. Okay, I would be surprised if I died, but hopefully, I would end up at Elysium unless I died because of my mistake. I'm not sure if Hunters got their monthly cycles, but I think they still do. Which, is a menace. So, as of now, I still count it as a disadvantage. Maybe I could ask Thalia. Nah, that would be way too awkward. I could ask if one of the twins knew, perhaps.
I was still in deep thought, about the disadvantages of being a hunter when I felt someone gently tap me on my cheek. You could call it a gentle slap, I suppose. Except it didn't really hurt.
I look up, to see Laurel retracting a hand from my cheek, with a confused expression.
"Hey, guys, what's wrong?" I ask.
"What's wrong," Holly asked, shocked. "You zoning out for ten minutes straight is what's wrong"
"Oh, my bad," I said, turning a little pink. "I was just mentally assessing the pros and cons of joining the hunters, remember?" They nod their heads, understanding.
"So" Laurel starts excited, "What did you decide?" They look at me with eager expressions, waiting for my answer. I open my mouth and spoke.
A/N:- Two updates in a day, because I'm still going to finish this story by Jan 1st. You must think I'm crazy, which I am. Tomorrow, I'll be spending at least three hours writing more chapters. Only two to three more chapters to go, so I think I can do it.
