Target has been spotted. Hunters get into position, and, ATTACK!" Thalia commanded, as we jumped out of our hiding spots, weapons drawn.

I held my sword in my hand, as I charged at the Manticore. Aiming for its underside, I drove my sword into it, as it hissed with pain. My sisters in arms attacked the manticore from other directions, as arrows whizzed past me. Thalia swiftly picked an arrow out of her quiver and began firing at the monster. I continued to slash my sword at the Manticore, as it tried to dodge all of our attacks. Suddenly, an idea popped up in my head. Cutting the manticore's tail off would make it easier for us to kill it, so that's what I was about to do. Until, the manticore's tail turned to Rania, who hadn't noticed its stinger pointed at her. Quickly, realizing I don't have time off its tail, I jump in front of her, pushing her to the ground.

The poisonous stinger embedded itself in my thigh, and my sword clattered to the ground as I fell down. I close my eyes, and pull the stinger out, throwing it away. Jaw clenched, I call out for help, as the poison begins to take over my body. I groan and try to push myself up to an upright position, on my elbows

"I need help" I shout in the midst of the fight. Rania has gotten up by now and immediately comes to my aid. She shoves some ambrosia in my palm, and I move my hand to my mouth.

"We need to get you back to the base camp, now." She said, handing me a flask, that I took a few sips from, handing it back to her. "Why did you have to put yourself in danger, Sterling." She sighs.

"We're supposed to protect each other. I did what I had to." I weakly smiled, and she smiled back.

"Alright, let's try getting you to stand up," She said, helping me to my feet. I put my arm around her shoulder, and I stand up, putting my weight on my left leg. "Why don't you sit down for a while, before joining us again"

I shake my head, "No. I can still shoot with a bow and arrow, and I can lean against a tree for support."

"Okay" She nods, and she hands me my bow and quiver that fell down as she helps me get to the nearest tree. Once she double checks that I'll be fine, she takes her place in the battle and starts again. I nock an arrow, as I look for a spot to shoot at. Aiming for its eyes, I swiftly release my arrow, nock another one, and shoot the other eye too.

Eliza shot an arrow that had a net attached to it, at the monster, successfully entrapping it. The manticore begins flapping its wings in an attempt to escape, but hunters have cornered him from all directions, so there's nowhere to escape. Thalia unsheaths a dagger, and with one strike, she plunges it into the monster's heart, as it lets out one last cry, before disintegrating.

Everyone is silent for a while, as we catch our breath. Then, cheers break out.

"We did it!" I hear Daniella I think, shout with glee. Sisters are hugging each other, and I smile at the scene. Suddenly, a feeling of dizziness overcame me, and I drop to the ground, I smile still on my face. Before my eyes close, I can see a few of my sisters rush towards me in panic, and hear someone shouting orders.

I open my eyes to see that I'm back at our base. I'm inside the Medi Cube, on one of the beds. Beside me sits Evangeline, a close sister of mine. Her eyes open as soon as she hears me shuffle about in my bed.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily and spoke. "How do you feel, Ster"

"Better" I replied, pushing myself to sit up. "Did I lose consciousness?"

"Yeah. The Manticore poison's effects were slowed down because of the ambrosia and nectar, but your body couldn't handle it any longer. It's not your fault" I nodded.

I see Lady Artemis enter the room, Karisa behind her.

"How are you doing Sterling?" She asked me, smiling.

"Much better," I told her, trying for a smile.

"Most of the poison has left your body, but there is still a little bit left in your blood, so I suggest you take it easy for a few days" Karisa advised me.

"Okay" I give her a thumbs up.

"Other than that, you're good. Just the usual scratches here and there"

"Get better soon Sterling" Artemis warmly wished me, placing her hand on my arm, before retracting it and leaving.

"So, was the other Manticore caught?" I asked Eva

"Unfortunately, nope" I sighed, "We were about to catch him, but he somehow slipped through our fingers and escaped."

"Any update on his next location then?"

"As of now, no. But, we might be moving base camp soon"

"Oh"

Just then, Thalia walks inside, grinning at me. Since Thalia and I were familiar with each other from the start, we became closer very quickly. She was different from the people I was used to hanging around, but soon we became very good friends. You could say we were almost besties.

"Hey Thals" I greet her

"Don't call me that" She glared at me for a second, before continuing, "There's an important announcement being made outside. I think you'll like it" She smirked. "Hi Eva" She called out to Eva, before she strode out, hands in her pocket.

"Hi Thalia" Eva shouted behind her, and Thalia raised her hand in acknowledgment. "Ah, that girl" She laughed to herself. "Shall we go see what's going on?"

"Of course" She helped me to my feet, and I almost lost my balance, feeling a little light-headed. I put my arm around her shoulder, and she put hers around my waist to steady me, as we slowly made our way out.

All of my sisters were already gathered outside in a circle by the time we got to the large living area, where the announcement would be made. Lady Artemis was in her usual form as a twelve-year-old. Don't tell her I said this, but I find that form of hers really cute. But I'm sure I'd be impaled by now if she found out I said that.

"Silence" Artemis called out, as all talk stopped. "Now that everyone is gathered here, there are a few things I want to talk about." She paused, looking at everyone. "First, great job on eliminating one manticore. There have been injuries, but you accomplished your task so that's fine." Us hunters who were a part of the group that killed the manticore smiled. "Yes, the other manticore was not killed but that's alright because we will keep trying until we succeed. On another note, I have some good news. We will be visiting Camp Half-Blood the day after tomorrow, because of the winter solstice, and because we have a lead that that's where the last Manticore is headed."

I almost squealed out loud in delight. If I wasn't light-headed, and slightly dizzy, I'm sure I would have been jumping up and down. It had been two years since I last visited New York. We had been traveling all over the world, and I was still in training, so the few times Artemis visited Camp, I wasn't allowed to go yet. I could only hope that this time I would get lucky. I closed my eyes, as I prayed to the gods to let me go this time.

"This time, I will be traveling with the usual group, except Sterling, Eva, and Ismene will be joining us too. If anyone would like to stay back, you may inform me now." Artemis smiled at us. "We will be leaving on Thursday night, which is tomorrow. That's all for now. Hunters dismissed." We all stood at attention, before standing at ease, as Artemis left.

Eva and I shrieked in delight, as we tightly hugged each other. All signs of any sickness disappeared from my body as we celebrated. Eva too had was a demigod at Camp. She joined about a decade ago and is a daughter of Athena. She may act silly, but she's very strategic and smart when we're in battle. Very similar to Annabeth.

"We're going back" Eva whispered to herself.

"We're going back" I nodded, a tear slipping out of my eye. In the corner, I saw Ismene happily grinning. It was happening. I was going to see all Aunt Livia and all my friends again. I smiled widely as I crushed Eva in a hug, squealing with joy.

Friday morning had arrived quickly, and before I knew it, I was doing some last-minute packing, before we were to leave in half an hour. We had woken up before the sun had even risen, so I tried my best to be quiet, as I roughly folded some clothes and stuffed them into my backpack.

Next to me, Eva too was doing some hurried last-minute stuff, which included putting in a few toiletries, essentials, and her favorite thing of all- Food. It was impossible for any demigod to eat that much food, and not feel full at all. The girl was always hungry. I clamped a hand over my mouth, stopping laughter from escaping when I saw her dump a few bars of chocolate, and five packets of chips. She froze and turned to look at me, frowning.

"What" She snapped "I'm a demigod. I need food to fight" She defended herself, as I snorted.

"What am I then, a rock? I'm a demigod too and believe me when I say I have never seen anybody eat that much in my entire life. Even Percy doesn't eat that much!" I grumbled, as I carefully put in a couple of hunting knives, moon water, my silver bow, and a quiver of arrows, that included fart arrows. They were absolutely horrid.

"I guess we'll find out soon huh" She smirked.

"Yeah, we will." I shot back. She chuckled, as she zipped up her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Soon, I followed suit.

We hauled ourselves to the living area, where the rest of my sisters were present. Some were talking to each other, while others were sitting down idle. Probably caught up with their thoughts, I suppose.

I walk over to Daniella, who was talking to Reyna (who we love to call RARA), and Thalia.

"Hey, Thalia," I said, coming to a stop in front of them, as Eva says hello to them too.

"Hey, Sterling. How are you feeling?" Thalia asked me.

"I'm all good now. Hey RA- Reyna" I correct myself, an innocent smile on my face.

"Hello, Starl- Sterling" She smirked. My new nickname was Starling because 'Ster' was close to the word 'star'. Not as bad as RARA, but I still wasn't a fan of it.

"Getting revenge are we? It was only a simple mistake" I pouted.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah"

"Has Lady arrived yet?" I asked them, and they shook their heads.

"Not yet" Thalia answered, "But she will soon because we're leaving in a while"

Just then, Lady Artemis walked in, her silky black hair in a side braid, her eyes sparkling. She was in the same outfit as us; the typical silver ski jacket, jeans, and combat boots.

"Good morning everyone! We'll be starting in ten minutes, so let's head outside if everyone's here. Thalia, have you done a headcount" Artemis said.

"Yes, my lady. All seventeen of us are here." Thalia responded, slightly bowing her head.

"Good. Let's move, then." Artemis smiled, as she began walking. We quickly picked up our bags and followed her outside, where her chariot was waiting. It had become larger in size, to accommodate us. I stared at the Moon chariot, and the golden reindeer pulling it in awe, as Artemis climbed inside. The rest of us too began ascending it, and I was in a trance as I took my seat, feeling the smooth surface of the silver chariot. Eva and I looked at each other with disbelief, and before we knew it, the chariot lurched forwards and began climbing upwards.

Several hours later, we arrived in New York City. The chariot had been moving at an extremely fast speed, so we reached quicker than I had anticipated. Of course, the high speed did make me nauseous, and due to my fear of heights looking down when we were high in the sky was a big mistake. However, since it was night when we were traveling, the view from up was actually quite pretty, with the lights from cities visible. What fascinated me most was the night sky. I have never seen stars so close, and I tried looking for the moon, before realizing that we were the moon. The Moon Chariot boasted a powerful silver aura, as it flew in the sky, thus acting as the moon for everyone on Earth.

It was dawn by the time we arrived, and I almost couldn't control my excitement. As we flew over the skies of New York City, I peered down from the chariot, looking at the hustling streets, and traffic jams on the roads. Just then, we passed the Empire State Building, also known as home to the gods. Well, Olympus is home to the gods, but Olympus is on top of the Empire State Building, so to me, it's the same thing. I wondered what the gods of the Olympian council would be doing right now. I could imagine the Big Three gods having another argument, Aphrodite admiring herself, Hestia sitting at the hearth, and Apollo singing one of his horrible haikus, which I was unfortunate enough to experience in person. All you need to know is that they're absolutely terrible. Being the god of music, I expected much more.

I cringed as a verse from one of his Haikus suddenly began to play in my mind. Eva looked at me with a questioning look, her eyebrows raised.

"One of Apollo's haikus began playing in my mind" I explained to her, and she nodded in understanding.

"That makes sense."

A while later, the chariot began its descent, as I got a glimpse of Camp Half-Blood. Campers were everywhere, taking part in activities, talking to their friends, entering and exiting their cabins, and a whole lot of other stuff.

I almost fell out of my seat, as the golden deer that were pulling the chariot, lunged downwards, and I lurched forward. I gripped the side of the chariot, trying to keep my balance, and looked at Eva, to see her doing the same. We both had a look of a craze on our faces, from the fear, and excitement. The deer began diving even faster, and soon, we were less than fifty feet away from the ground. A few campers stopped, to stare at us, in awe- or fear. I'm not sure which one.

After five minutes of me praying to the gods that I don't die, we finally landed. The landing was smoother than I expected. The deer obviously knew what they were doing. The chariot came to a stop, as Artemis began climbing out of it. The rest of us too began doing the same.

As my left foot touched the ground, a feeling of familiarity and joy surged through me. The hunters were my family, but indeed, it felt nice to visit Camp once again. I smiled, and put my other foot on the ground too. I took a deep breath in, and exhaled, as I confidently strode inside Camp Half-Blood with my other sisters, a smile on my face.

A/N:- Chapter's finally out!! Sorry I'm late, but this it the ending of the story! I would write more bonus chapters but I'm really about these days thanks to my upcoming exams with a lot of syllabus so this where I'll end it. I hope you enjoyed reading this story!Also, I have to delete this story from here due to personal reasons but you can always check it out on Wattpad!