There was a certain beauty to Camp Jupiter at night. Part of the beauty was the fact that everything was so quiet. There was no one walking around in loud, bulky armor. There was no sing alongs at a campfire that caused smoke to rise to the sky and block out the stars. Thalia probably could have spent the entire night walking around and enjoying the beauty. Instead, she needed to get back to the barracks.
The third cohort was kind enough to volunteer their quarters for the Hunters of Artemis to stay in, but rumors stated that they had lost their previous War Games the week before and apparently also lost the right to stay in their barracks. It was a decent place, not as nice as their tents but better than sleeping on the floor. Thalia wouldn't complain about it, since the Romans were so accommodating.
Thalia was on her way back from hanging out with Jason. They were celebrating the victory of the Fifth Cohort and the Hunters of Artemis in the War Games. Thalia didn't doubt that the Hunters would win, but part of her was curious. Both of the praetors simply watched the War Games and acted as judges. What would have happened if they participated?
One of the reasons that the Hunters of Artemis were so successful against Camp Half-Blood in capture the flag was because Camp Half-Blood was a group of individuals trying to work as a team. They spent at least once a week fighting against each other. Each cabin had their own leader, but Camp Half-Blood did not have a single leader.
Even against Kronos, Camp Half-Blood was divided, and some of them sat out the beginning of the war. Other than Chiron, there was never one person who they all listened to. There was no clear hierarchy. Camp Jupiter and the Hunters of Artemis were different.
Camp Jupiter had their two praetors, and from what Thalia heard, Reyna and Frank worked together well. Underneath them was the centurions, and the senior centurion of the cohort would be the one listened to in battle. For the Greeks, it was whoever had the loudest voice and the largest amount of skill.
The Hunters of Artemis had an even clearly hierarchy. There was Artemis, then Thalia, and then the three lieutenants below Thalia. Those three were never in charge, unless the Hunters were splitting into group or Thalia was out of commission. It also helped that the Hunters of Artemis were immortals who had all off the time in the world to bond together.
That brought Thalia back to her original train of thought. With the two praetors sitting out, the Romans fought as cohorts instead of a unit. Until both camps figured out that they needed to hand leadership off to one or two people, the Hunters of Artemis would continue to rack up victories.
As Thalia walked, everything suddenly came into focus. She stopped and slowly looked around. There was no other footsteps on the dirt, but she felt someone's eyes on her. On her right, she heard the sound of a bow being drawn. Thalia turned and saw an arrow flying at her face.
Thalia dodged the arrow and grabbed her own bow. She fired an arrow towards the shadows and tried to calm her breathing. She listened to the sounds around her. There was a faint sound of celebration in the distance. The only other noise was her heart beating in her ears.
A footstep sounded behind Thalia, and she turned around. A foot slammed right into her chest, knocking her off balance and causing her to stumble backwards. A sword appeared in front of her face, and Thalia barely dodged. She scrambled backwards and studied her attacker.
The figure wore a parka hoodie and black pants, just like a Hunter of Artemis. They held a bow and had a silvery glow. That was also something that Hunters of Artemis had, and they were the only ones. Thalia spoke, "Who are you?"
Instead of responding, her attacker flipped out a sword and attacked. Thalia rushed forward to meet her opponent. As they fought, it became clear that their fighting style was similar, too similar. The person attacking her was a Hunter of Artemis, but there was something else in their fighting style that was different.
Thalia dodged another attack and struck forward. Her attacker dodged, and for the next minute, the two participated in a beautiful dance of attacks and dodges. It was like Thalia's attacker knew what she would do, just like any Hunter of Artemis would. This was just like a sparring sessions with the Hunters, but the stakes were much higher.
As it became clear that their battle would continue to be a stalemate, Thalia decided it was time to call upon her parentage. She started to raise a hand towards the sky and heard the clap of thunder. Her attacker took one step backwards, and a bow appeared in their hands. They fired, and Thalia dodged the attack. Before she could properly find her footing, an arrow tore through her side.
Thalia cried out in pain and suddenly felt the bow slam into her throat. She collapsed to the ground and started to cough. As a sword flew towards her face, something metal flew across Thalia's vision. She watched a hound clamp down onto her attacker's arm, and the attacker cried out in pain.
Their voice sounded feminine, and Thalia had heard that cry before. Thalia tried to catch her breath and sit up at the same time. The golden hound had a death grip on the Hunter's arm, and it was causing blood to cascade from her arm. She grabbed the knife at her side and stabbed it into the jaw of the hound. The Hunter ripped the knife down, forcing the dog's jaw open.
The Hunter kicked Aurum to the side. Then, she turned and ran. Thalia tried to stand, but pain flared in her side. She placed her hand to side. The arrow had not penetrated her side. It had just cut into it rather deeply. Thalia heard the sound of running, and after a moment, a silver hound appeared at her side. His owner appeared a moment later.
"Argentum, hunt," Reyna ordered. She knelt by Thalia. Argentum sniffed the knife that was stuck in Aurum's jaw. Then, he turned and ran down the street. Reyna looked at Thalia. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. How bad is it?"
"Just a scratch," Thalia replied. Reyna gently lifted Thalia's hand and examined the wound. "I'm fine. Seriously."
"I still want you to get checked out by a doctor. I'll help you there. Then, I'm locking this camp down. We will find your attacker," Reyna promised. There was a fury in her eyes. For a moment, Thalia thought it was directed at her, but she realized that Reyna blamed herself for the attack.
Someone managed to sneak into Camp Jupiter, right under the noses of all of the Romans. It wasn't the fault of the Romans though. Thalia's attacker was a Hunter of Artemis, so it would make sense that no one was suspicious of them. Reyna reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial.
"May I?" Reyna asked. Thalia nodded and slowly lifted her shirt. Reyna gently poured the vial on Thalia's wound, and Thalia winced. She felt the wound slowly starting to close. "I still want you to go to the infirmary. I'll take you."
Thalia knew there was no arguing her way out of her situation. The praetor blamed herself for the attack, and she would now guard Thalia with her life to make up for it. After a moment, Thalia nodded, and she was helped to her feet. Reyna began to escort her, keeping one hand on her sword.
"It was a Hunter of Artemis," Thalia began. Reyna glanced at her, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Can the infirmary wait? I want to stop by the barracks. I can narrow down who it is."
Reyna seemed to debate with herself, but she finally nodded. The walk to the barracks was in silence. Reyna looked like she was fuming over the attack, and Thalia was focused on her attacker. They were a Hunter of Artemis. How could one of her own sisters attack her? It wasn't like some random person had dressed up as a Hunter. They have the silver aura.
Which Hunter of Artemis had gone rogue? Thalia couldn't think of anyone who want too upset at her. Sure, some of them were upset that Artemis chose Thalia to be the lieutenant as soon as she joined, but they never said it out loud. Who would do this?
Artemis would have to know immediately. She would be able to tell Thalia which Hunter had done this. The silence was broken by the sounds of running. Reyna turned, and her sword was halfway out of its sheathe. Thalia turned and saw Jason.
"What happened?" Jason asked. He stared at the blood on Thalia's hand and the closed cut on her side. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Thalia promised. Jason nodded but still looked concerned. Reyna glanced back the way they had came. "We were just going to visit the barracks."
"Jason, can you take Thalia to the barracks to check on the Hunters of Artemis there? Then, take her to the infirmary. I will head back to where Aurum was and follow the blood trail. With luck, Argentum would have found the attacker," Reyna said. Jason nodded, but there was a small frown on his face.
"Why didn't you follow the attacker in the first place?" Jason asked. Reyna had turned away, but she stiffened. She slowly looked back at Jason. "You could have stopped them or at least followed the trail while it was still fresh."
"My first priority was making sure that Thalia was safe. Argentum is hunting down the attacker," Reyna said. Jason narrowed his eyes and gave her a look. Reyna returned the look, and they seemed to be having a silent argument. Thalia watched the two uncomfortably.
"You should have found the attacker first, to make sure that they were apprehended," Jason said.
"What if they had looped back towards Thalia?" Reyna snapped. "Do not question me, Jason."
Jason glared and took a step forward. Thalia stepped in between the two and spoke, "We are wasting time by arguing. Jason, help me get to the barracks. Reyna, try to find the trail."
Reyna turned and walked off without another word. Jason shook his head, but when he looked at Thalia, the anger was gone. Jason spoke, "How hurt are you?"
"I'm fine. Reyna handled it," Thalia said. Jason nodded and started to walk towards the barracks. Thalia walked by his side. "A Hunter of Artemis attacked me. Their arm was hurt badly. When we get to the barracks, we are going to do a headcount."
"Whoever did this will regret it," Jason promised. Thalia smiled. Ever since they were reunited, Jason was the one being protective. He tried to talk to Thalia every few days and sent her letters to stay in touch. Thalia was more than happy to return the gesture. She never thought she would get her family back, and she was going to do everything she could to hold onto it.
Jason stopped outside of the barracks and placed a hand to his sword. He stepped inside, and Thalia did as well. It seemed like all of the Hunters of Artemis were in the barracks, rearranging the beds. Some of them glanced up at Thalia, and others focused on Jason. A few seemed to see the blood on Thalia's hand, and they tensed.
Thalia did a headcount of everyone in the room, and a frown came to her face. They were all there. Thalia spoke, "Has anyone just walked back into the barracks?"
"No," Nancy answered. Thalia frowned. She couldn't just order the Hunters to hold out their arms. She frowned and examined all of the women in front of her. These women were her friends and family. They would not attack her, so it had to be a rogue Hunter. Thalia wracked her brain trying to think of someone, but she couldn't.
They took their fair share of losses during Orion's attack, but none of the fallen would try to attack Thalia. Jason was watching her closely. Thalia spoke, "I was just attacked, by a Hunter of Artemis. I think it is a rogue, but I do not know."
"We must tell Lady Artemis," Iphigenia answered. She stood and studied Jason, as if wondering what a boy was doing there. Thalia nodded her agreement.
"I do not know if this person was trying to kill me or if they will attack anyone else. If anyone has to leave the barracks, I want them to find a partner to go with them. The Romans are going to investigate, and we must answer their questions. Jason, we are going to find the praetor and help her investigate," Thalia said.
"Of course," Jason said. Thalia turned and left the barracks. Jason followed behind her. "When Reyna asks, there was no one at the infirmary."
Thalia grinned back at her brother, but she forced herself to look ahead. The rest of the walk was in silence, but both her and Jason were looking around for any kind of threat. As they made it back towards the area where Thalia had been attacked, she was surprised to see Reyna kneeling next to her dog, and Frank was standing over her.
Maybe, Thalia was being unfair, but only ten minutes had passed. Why had Reyna given up the search so easily? Frank glanced up at them and gave them a nod. Jason walked towards the two praetors and spoke, "What is the situation?"
"They disappeared without a trace," Reyna answered. She placed a hand to the top of her dog's head and whispered something in Latin. Reyna used her other hand to grip the knife's handle. Then, she pulled the knife out and examined it. "It's not a Greek or Roman design."
"What do you mean without a trace?" Jason interrupted. Reyna glared up at him. "It doesn't matter if they disappeared without a trace. You should be looking at their last known location."
"This is the last known location," Frank interrupted. He placed a hand to Reyna's shoulder. "Argentum is searching around the camp, and we sent a few centurions to do a patrol of the camp. We already have two guards at the hole that was found earlier today. This attacker will not escape."
"If I was in charge," Jason began.
"You're not," Frank interrupted. Jason glared. "Jason, we want to find the attacker as much as you do. Trust that we will find them and take Thalia to either my house or Reyna's house. From there, contact Artemis."
"My place, after we send a message. We have a small building with a fountain in it," Reyna muttered. She cradled her dog in her arms and slowly stood. Reyna turned and started to walk without another word. Thalia followed, and she found that Jason and Frank took up the rear. She was in some kind of protective triangle, and it was almost a little humorous.
Thalia looked at Reyna. The senior praetor was clearly tensed, and Thalia just knew there was a scowl on her face. Reyna clearly wasn't happy that Thalia had been attacked, and she really didn't seem to enjoy the fact that Jason was questioning her.
A glance back showed that Jason was solely focused on her. It seemed like he wanted to be just as protective of Thalia as she was of him. He was slightly out of line for jumping down the throat of the two praetors, but Thalia understood where he was coming from. They needed to be aggressive in their search.
Frank met Thalia's eyes and gave her a comforting nod. Thalia had not talked to Frank much, but she knew that he was a sweet guy, no matter how much he tried to hide it behind some tough exterior. Frank spoke, "We'll figure this out. Is there any Hunter who would want to hurt you? Were they kicked out?"
"This was someone who is currently in the Hunters," Thalia answered. She looked at the ground. "They wouldn't have that aura otherwise. It wasn't anyone in the barracks, and I can't think of who else it might be."
"Lady Diana might know," Frank said. He nodded to himself. They came to a stop, and Thalia glanced up. She watched Reyna open the door to a rather small building and step inside. Thalia followed behind.
There wasn't much to the building. There was two fountains that spat out mist, and there was a table in the middle of the room. Reyna laid her dog on the table and let out a shaky breath. She cursed softly and ran a hand over Aurum's neck. Her hand was shaking slightly. Thalia walked towards her and examined Aurum. The dog was an automaton, so it wasn't like he could die, and did he really feel pain? From Reyna's reaction, she seemed to think so.
"They usually just disappear," Reyna muttered. Thalia examined the wound. The knife had tore through Aurum's throat before stabbing into the bottom of his jaw. It was the mark of a feral hunter, one who wanted their prey to suffer. Thalia placed a hand to Aurum's side.
"He'll be fine," Thalia promised. Reyna nodded and took a deep breath. She stood and grabbed a golden drachmae from her pocket. She handed it towards Thalia. Out of the corner of her eye, Thalia saw that Jason and Frank were standing by the door.
"Here," Reyna muttered. She glanced at her dog and then examined the knife once more. Thalia nodded and turned away. They heard a scratching at the door. After a moment, Frank turned and opened the door slightly. He opened it fully a moment later, and Argentum limped in.
There was an arrow sticking out of Argentum's hind leg. He made a whimpering sound, and Reyna went to move to his side. A bang suddenly filled the room, and Thalia found herself blinded. She stumbled backwards and blinked rapidly. After a few seconds, she was able to see, but dark spots danced in her vision.
There was a loud crash from Thalia's right, and she saw Jason collapse to the ground. There was a small dent in the wall from where his head had collided with it. A figure moved faster than possible and slammed their shoulder in Frank's chest, sending him flying back into the wall. As Frank stumbled forward, he was thrown over the attacker's shoulder and right into Reyna.
As Thalia tried to grab her weapon, she felt someone small hit her neck, like a needle. Thalia realized what it was and swore. Every Hunter of Artemis had a few needles that held a liquid that would send the unfortunate recipient right off to sleep.
Thalia stumbled forward and looked at her attacker. The Hunter of Artemis had a bandage wrapped hastily around her arm, but it didn't seem to affect her. She dodged an attack from Reyna and slipped behind the praetor. The room was too cramped for fighting, but it seemed to favor the Hunter of Artemis, even though she was surrounded.
Even if Thalia was going to fall unconscious, she had to trust that her friends would save her. She still wanted to see who her attacker was. Thalia did a half stumble half tackle at the Hunter of Artemis, and they both fell to the ground. The Hunter scrambled to her feet, and her hood fell from her head. As unconsciousness finally took Thalia, all she could do was stare at the hate filled face of Zoë Nightshade.