Chapter 5: Leaving Westover Hall

[David's Pov]

A inside view of Artemis's tent was something never explained even in the myths, so I was more than impressed when Zoë led me in there.

Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the corner, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. A huge silver bow carved to resemble gazelle horns was displayed at a polished oak stand.

The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't recognize. I figured an animal rights activist would've had a heart attack looking at all those rare skins, and it also puzzled me a bit.

I thought Artemis was also the protector of wild life…but then I guess she was a god, so she might as well just replenish the rare animals she hunted.

The feature of the supposed goddess was more surprising to me: at the center of the room a silver throne was present. Some wild animals like deer and owls and wolves were gathered around it, and a girl no older than 14 was sitting on the throne itself.

She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful to the point I think it actually shined a bit, and I let out a very intelligent sound like: "Um…uh, guh-hi...?"

"The boy, m'lady."

"Thank you, Zoë. You may sit."

The circlet girl─Zoë bowed her head, shot me a devilish glare before going over to the side of the tent and brought out two sets of silver chairs. One she set up for herself, and the other she dropped at my feet.

Great service.

"Sit, young demigod. I see your health is still not perfectly cured."

"It's fine."

It wasn't, really. And I sat down nonetheless. Somehow the chair was much more comfortable than I'd thought a chair made of silver would be.

Artemis waved her hand and the animals scattered away from her, huddling near the tent. They were looking at me, and I had a funny feeling that they didn't like my presence much more than Zoë.

"You know of the Greek Myths, and their reality, yes?"

"Yes."

She nodded with a smile. It shaped into a perfect crest moon, especially with her white teeth just barely showing.

"Are you surprised at my age?"

"I would, but you're a goddess so…I'd assume you can take any form you like?"

"And you'd assume correctly."

She tilted her head slightly; I'm starting to feel like a creep for acknowledging her every little movement, but it really was hard to take my eyes away from someone that beautiful.

Though I had a frightening reminder of what happened to Actaeon when he saw the goddess naked, and also had a feeling that I'd meet a similar fate if I don't be careful. Also Zoë was steadily getting scarier with her glares, her hands twirling a hunting knife as if waiting for a chance to gut me open at any time.

I locked my eyes on one of the animals near the fire; a rabbit with a horn on its head.

"So, I heard you wanted to interrogate me…for something?"

"Ah, yes." I could hear Artemis shuffle in her seat, and I focused all my might on the horn of the rabbit. "I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the Manticore. We have arrived a bit late, and he has a very…troublesome company, it seems. I'd like to hear if he had said anything before we intervened."

It already felt like ages ago, but I racked my brains as best as I can to remember what Dr. Thorn had said. But then, most of his speeches were how he was/would become the strongest monster ever.

"He mentioned someone called 'General' a several times. Said we'd meet the greatest one in all history."

Zoë's face paled, and she turned to Artemis, but she raised her hand.

"And?"

"And, that Jackson…Percy would slay a beast for him? That'll serve the general, somehow."

I had no idea what any of this meant, but it must've meant something─something very serious at that to both Artemis and Zoë, because their face was very grim. Especially Zoë, who was glaring at me as if I was somehow at fault to whatever was going on.

Artemis tapped her finger against the armrest of her throne, in a deep consideration of something, until lying back with a huge sigh.

"I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster. Though how good it might do, I do not know. Prophecies tend to be self-contained. Unavoidable.

Yet, I cannot stay put and do nothing. It will at least warn my relatives of the seriousness of the situation at hand."

Artemis muttered the last part with a tinge of gripe. I think a distant thunder rumbled from far away, and she sighed again.

On the other hand. Zoë looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid. The rabbit with a horn had jumped up to her lap, and she was hugging it like a stuffed animal.

"I think you'll suffocate it."

"What─"

She then realized what she was doing, quickly let the rabbit down and glowered at me more ferociously than Dr. Thorn ever did. Artemis stood up from her throne.

"I'll leave right away."

"We will get ready, m'lady."

"No, Zoë. I must do this alone."

"But─"

"No."

Artemis firmly cut off Zoë. Zoë almost looked like she wanted to protest, but then gave up. Artemis smiled slightly and carefully stroked her braided hair.

Even though Zoë was the mature looking of the two, there was a weird sister-y dynamic between them where Artemis was the biggest big sister of them all.

Also it was very uncomfortable to watch. It felt like, this was only a tad bit better than walking in to Artemis bathing, and well inside her anger zone. So I kept quiet and stayed still as I could, so I don't interrupt them become a rabbit for my entire life as a punishment.

"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice."

"Yes, m'lady."

"The hunters, meanwhile will go back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

Gladly, that jarred Zoë enough to break the mood. She looked up at the goddess in shock.

"But, m'lady, we hate that place! The last time we stayed there—"

"Yes, I know." Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin 8 whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned it down."

Zoë muttered something about idiotic campers.

Artemis then turned to me, and I flinched in my seat.

"Please don't turn me into a fawn?"

"An interesting offer; but no, young demigod. You will not become a forest critter tonight. I owe you two of my hunter's lives, Zoë here being one of them."

Zoë gave a noise somewhere between a protest and a snarl, shooting arrows out of her eyes to me. Artemis ignored the noise and looked straight at me with a smiling, yet a stern face herself.

"I'd encourage you, however, to not associate yourself with any of my hunters when they arrive at camp."

"Why would I─"

"It's a precautionary measure; men tend to be greedy. They'll get the smallest victory get to their heads, and will claim rewards out of it to an extent."

"─Right."

I held my tongue not to point out that was a very bold claim to make.

Artemis nodded and waved off her hand.

"Now leave us. I still have a word or two left with my lieutenant."

And I was back outside at the cold winter air.

I just met one of the Olympian gods.

If I were to be honest, it wasn't as thrilling of an experience as I'd thought.

[Line Break]

The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. They seemed to be not bothered by the cold, which was a very much desirable power to have.

While we waited at the outskirts of the camp, I got filled in by Percy and Grover about 'Camp Half-blood' or CHB for short.

It mostly sounded familiar to a Boy Scout camp, but if it was actually interesting. I wanted to hear more about the armory, which was for some reason under Athena's cabin's control.

"I thought weaponry would be more inclined to Ares, no?"

"If we gave them full accessory to the entire armory, we won't have a camp in a week."

Looking back on it, that was a clear red flag from Percy about what my cabin mates would be like, but I didn't pick it up at the moment. I was too preoccupied at the idea of a camp, where Greek heroes (Grover said we half-bloods all technically counted as one.) of this generation are all gathered and train…

Then, an uneasy thought slipped into my mind.

"Ma."

"What?"

Percy looked at me, confused.

I was embarrassed for a second; I didn't like it when people noted I called my mother 'Ma'.

"I meant, my mom; how would she know if I go to Camp Half-Blood?"

"Oh."

Percy looked at my sympathetically again, then fished around his pockets, cursed in what sounded like ancient Greek, then turned to Grover and asked for a…'dra-cu-ma', whatever that was.

It turned out to be a gold coin. A very old fashioned one at that, looking like it belonged more in a museum than anywhere else.

Percy frowned at the small, cold water pond nearby and a small mist rose up. I was about to ask how on earth did he do that, but then he handed me the 'dra-cu-ma'.

"Say: "O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering." Then throw it in the mist."

"And that would…?"

"Connect you with someone you want to talk to. It's called Iris message. You can tell your mother, well, you'll go see her at the summer, I guess."

Summer. That'll be another half an year or so.

I fidgeted with the gold coin, then turned to Grover.

"You said it was dangerous for a demi-god to live outside in the normal world?"

"Uh, yes."

"So, if I stay with my ma─mother, she'll be in danger too."

"David," Percy stepped in again, and then it hit me. Percy's father was Poseidon, which meant he must have a 'mortal' mother as well. He must've went through a similar worry before, or it might have even been worse.

He wasn't sympathetic; he was emphasizing with me.

That made me ease a little. I turned to the mist.

"O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering. Show me: My mother, Maria Lee, at San Francisco."

Alright, up to this point I was trying to come to terms that I'll have to inform my mother, who waited 6 whole years since I was 9 to get out of Juvenile Hall/Westover Hall that she'd have to wait until summer, so that real living monsters won't tear her apart.

So I would've preferred a more convenient moment, and most certainly not, like for an example, in a middle of what looked like a date.

My mom was short, even for an Asian woman. Her curly black hair was neatly trimmed with an old fashioned hairband, and she had a light makeup. She only wore those when she was going somewhere public.

The─erm, other side was a man wearing an leather jacket and sun glass. His hair was cut short like a high-ranking general from the military or something. I heard Percy gasp behind me.

They were both laughing about something someone had apparently said in a café, but then my mother must've seen my face, which made her jump in her seat with a shirk.

"D-David! How, what is this?"

"Hi, ma."

My voice came out more resentful that I wanted them, but she was now looking at the Iris message carefully.

"Why do you have bandages on? Are you hurt?"

"What─oh."

I quickly readjusted my shirt so the bandage was properly hidden, but ma looked worried sick.

"It's just, uh, nothing. Late Halloween stuff."

"David, I can tell when you are lying."

"I'm fine, ma. Today actually turned out to be my best day yet. I made new friends."

That grabbed her attention. I moved slightly out of the way, and Percy and Grover waved with an awkward smile, as ma went on thanking them, how they must be the kindest souls on earth, how good they looked and so on.

I took the chance to take a look at her date. He, for some reason was frowning at Percy; did they know each other? He also didn't seem at all surprised by the Iris message. Maybe he was a monster in disguise.

"Percy, who is that guy?"

"Uhm…"

But Percy just gave me a wary look and didn't answer. Grover was also looking troubled and kept his eyes fixed at his hooves, digging them into the snow. Though that might've been because of ma.

When she was finally finished complementing them, she turned back to me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, ma. I─"

I struggled for a second, trying to figure out a way to logically explain why I had to disappear from the world for a good half a year without telling her everything. But before I did the sunglass dude spoke up.

"I suppose he has to go do one of those volunteer works for a community service; a long one, probably taking till summer, right kiddo?"

I stared at him. How did he know all that?

But the fact that he called me kiddo, as if he was already close to me, touched a nerve.

"You seem to know about it a lot. Maybe from experience?"

Percy made a weird sneeze that was half laugh, half groan. Grover, on the other hand, let a small yelp and grabbed my arm.

"David, he is─"

"Save it, boy."

The sunglass dude snarled and Grover backed away without protest.

Ma looked between me and the dude. She seemed almost apologetic, which made me feel bad for lashing out at her date, but the last time she had a boyfriend...

"Ma. Be safe, please."

"I will, honey. Don't you worry. I'll see you when…you're done with your work."

"Yeah. Pinky Promise."

I held out my little finger, and ma smiled. The edge of her lips crinkled slightly, and she held out her finger too. As our finger tips touched, the Iris messaged distorted and ma faded away into the mist.

I looked at the pond. The moon was shimmering against it. For a second, the terrible dream I had flashed back in my head; my body crushed, and my eyes getting popped out like a set of balloon.

{"…His fate we may not know, but rest assured, his will be the worst upon worst…"}

I shook my head. That was just a dream. I shouldn't let things like that get to me, when I have plenty on my plates already.

Just then Annabeth came out from the campsite, looking grim and slightly confused. She glanced backed at the nearly taken down camp of the hunters before walking back to us.

"Artemis said we'll get a ride to Camp Half-Blood by her brother. We should wait here."

"By brother, does she mean─"

Annabeth nodded even before I finished my question.

"Her brother Apollo; god of archery, music, and also the sun."

#Bestmomsquad: Percy, David

#Ihatemystepmomsquad: Annabeth, David