"Thalia was taken," Artemis repeated. She looked around the small room, the message center, that she stood in. Ever since she realized that Zoë's constellation was missing, she knew that something was wrong. Artemis just didn't know what it was, but Thalia's disappearance caused her gut to twist. Was someone targeting her Hunters, dead or alive?
Artemis slowly examined everyone in the room. The senior praetor, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, was sitting against the wall. Her left hand held a towel over her right arm, and the towel was covered in blood. Her right hand was clenched tightly. Reyna's gaze was solely on her fellow praetor.
Frank Zhang did not look good. Two medics were kneeling next to him and trying to remove the arrow that was lodged in his chest. He was lucky that the arrow avoided hitting an artery or his heart, but according to the medics, Frank's luck only spared him by a few centimeters.
Jason Grace sat on the table and stared down at the ground. He seemed to be lost in shock or thought, as he didn't bother to wipe the blood that trickled from his nose. There was a primal look in his eyes, and it was paired with another thing that Artemis could not identify. Fear, anger, grief, or even a combination of the three could have been what the boy was feeling.
"I'm sorry, Lady Diana," Reyna said. The senior praetor laid her head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. Her eyes showed her troubled thoughts. "We did not realize that someone was pretending to be one of your Hunters, but we will do everything in our power to find Thalia."
"What did the Hunter look like?" Artemis questioned. Her gut twisted. The disappearance of Zoë's constellation and the kidnapping of Thalia was not a coincidence. It was connected, and if this person managed to not only disguise themselves as a Hunter of Artemis but also take out four skilled demigods, Artemis had a very bad feeling about who exactly was behind the attack.
"Dark brown eyes full of hatred. Skin like copper. Tall. Fought with the grace of a dancer," Jason answered. He spoke as if he was reading off of a list, and his gaze stayed focused on the ground. Artemis looked at the boy. "She had me pinned to the wall and told me to deliver a message to you. She is taking Thalia back to where it all began. Her English was weird."
"As if she spoke in an older way?" Artemis asked, and her gut twisted. Jason nodded once. Artemis took a step back and felt like the world was going to disappear out from underneath her. Zoë could not be alive. She had died in Artemis' arms.
Artemis closed her eyes and thought of her vision. Orion and someone else had brought Zoë back. They dropped her in the River Lethe. For what reason? What were they planning on doing? Artemis opened her eyes. If she was going to get Thalia back, she had to go to where it all began: the place where Zoë died.
"Keep my Hunters here. I will be back," Artemis said. She took a single step forward, and she heard someone stand quickly. Artemis turned and looked at Jason. The son of Jupiter raised his chin and looked ready to defy her. The raised chin and the look in his eyes were exactly the same that Thalia had when she was about to get into an argument.
Thalia knew better than to disobey Artemis though. She knew that Artemis' word was law. Jason Grace would speak out of turn, and it would take all of Artemis' self control to not smite him on the spot. A hand grabbed Jason's shoulder.
"Lady Diana, where is Thalia at? We can help," Reyna said. Artemis examined the two demigods in front of her. They would just slow her down.
"You will both stay here," Artemis said. Jason's lip curled, as if he was channeling his mentor. "That is not an option, boy."
"I am going to help rescue my sister," Jason said. He stood straighter and glared at Artemis.
"Shut your mouth, boy. Do not ever speak back to me again," Artemis said. Jason opened his mouth, and Reyna stepped between the two. She pushed Jason backwards slightly, leaving some blood on his shirt. Jason looked down, and for the first time, he seemed to notice the blood.
"Jason, we both want to find Thalia, but we must listen to Lady Diana," Reyna said. She grabbed Jason's shoulder. "Remember when we helped Mercury by doing exactly what he said? We will just have to do that again,"
Jason closed his eyes, but he finally nodded and walked out of the room. Reyna sighed and slowly sat in a chair. One of the medics started to move towards her side, but she waved her hand. The medic went back to Frank.
"You should not punish yourself for a mistake," Artemis stated. She grabbed a few bandages from the medic and moved to Reyna's side. The praetor just studied her silently. Artemis gently wrapped the bandage around Reyna's arm. "Not many people could have taken on Zoë and won."
"Zoë?" Reyna asked. Her eyes glanced up. Artemis studied the demigod. "Zoë Nightshade? Thalia told me about her."
"My former lieutenant," Artemis said. She closed her eyes. "When I was tricked into holding up the weight of the sky by Atlas, Zoë led a quest to rescue me. Shed died as a result of poisoning and an attack from her father. It happened on Mount Othrys, and I believe that is where they are."
"Lady Diana, why would Zoë attack Thalia, if she was your former lieutenant?" Reyna asked. Artemis stopped bandaging the demigod's arm for a long moment. She finally met Reyna's eyes. The praetor had fought the evil that was Orion. She strangled the giant and dedicated the kill to all of the women that died by Orion's hand. She had to understand.
"To hurt me," Artemis replied. She finished the bandage and stood. "Zoë and I were close, so close that her loss feels like I myself died. Orion wanted to hurt me deeper than I have ever hurt him. I saw someone being dipped in the River Lethe, wiping their memory. Orion dragged Zoë out of the Underworld and turned her against me, but he is not alone."
"Who would help him?" Reyna asked. Artemis did not reply. She did not know the answer, but she had plenty of enemies. "If I had just followed the trail even after it went cold, this would not have happened."
"Zoë would have killed you," Artemis said. Reyna didn't respond and just stared at the ground. Artemis grabbed onto the demigod's shoulder. "Do not blame yourself. Just make sure that Jason Grace does not interfere."
"Understood," Reyna said. Artemis stood and closed her eyes. She thought of Mount Othrys, and when she opened her eyes, she was standing on a former battlefield. Artemis slowly looked around the silent, desolate mountain top.
Atlas was off to her side, still struggling under the weight of the sky. His head was bowed, and his eyes were closed. After a moment, he looked up and met Artemis' eyes. The Titan smiled and looked back at the ground.
Atlas: father of Zoë and the reason that she died. Zoë may have been able to survive the poison from Landon, but the injuries that Atlas caused were her demise. Artemis glared at the Titan and debated walking towards him. The taunts would only distract her though. She had to find where Zoë was.
Artemis began her search. She started at the peak of the mountain and made her way all the way down. The former stronghold of the Titans, now laying in ruins, was empty. There was no sign of anyone having been there. Artemis began her search of the entire mountain from top to bottom, with no luck.
For her entire search, Artemis was sure that she would ambushed. Whoever was working with Orion would lay a trap for her, and they were just waiting for her to spring it. When she found nothing, she realized they must have abandoned it.
Artemis tried to think of different places she could go. She tried the Garden of the Hesperides. None of the Hesperides were there, and the hundred headed dragon paid her no attention. Artemis even searched the grove where Zoë first made her vow to Artemis, but she found nothing.
A frustrated Artemis made her way back towards the ruins. It was impossible to tell how much mortal time had passed. Maybe a hour or two? Was she wrong about Zoë? Was this not the place where it began? Was this not the place where Artemis' grief spawned: the place where her heart was torn in two?
Something crunched underneath Artemis' foot, and she looked down. She stared at the arrow underneath her boot. It was rusted, and it had to be a few years old. A small amount of dried blood was next to the arrow. Artemis looked up and saw the battle in front of her.
Zoë had been disarmed and used her bow as a quick attack against her father. Atlas had simply slapped the arrow away, and Zoë barely retrieved her weapon in time. Artemis remembered that moment well, as it was the moment she knew something was wrong. She saw how much slower Zoë had been moving.
Artemis knelt by the dried blood and gently placed a hand to her. She closed her eyes. A laugh interrupted her grief, and she slowly looked up. Atlas, despite holding the weight of the sky, had the gall to laugh. He tried to stand, but his knees shook. He collapsed back to his knees.
"It's not the beginning of that," Atlas sneered. Artemis frowned and walked closer to the Titan. "Do not play coy, Artemis. You know the sin you have committed."
"What sin would that be, Atlas?" Artemis demanded. The Titan studied her, and he kept his smug look. He finally closed his eyes. "Do you intend to toy with me? You are defenseless, and I have no qualms in gutting you."
"Your indoctrination," Atlas replied. Artemis glared at him. "You claim to want to give maidens a chance at life, but all you do is brainwash them. You turn their heartbreak and woes against them and convince them that your way is the best. Then, you go and play warrior with your little girls."
"But, there are times when a maiden does not want to go with you," Atlas said. He grinned. "They play the role of a good servant and listen to their father. They listen to the man in their life. And when you don't get your way, you tend to take it out on the maidens that you claim to protect."
Artemis moved with lightning speed and placed her dagger to Atlas' jugular. The Titan looked up at her and just grinned wider, if that was possible. He spoke, "Zoë was not the first. She was not the last. This is not the beginning he speaks of."
"What beginning does Orion speak of?" Artemis demanded. She knelt by Atlas, so they were face to face. Orion was dead, so she could not get answers from him. Atlas was defenseless though, and he would talk, sooner or later. "Where is Thalia Grace?"
"You know the answer," Atlas replied. He closed his eyes. Artemis tore her knife through his jugular then kicked him hard in the chest. He fell on his back, and the weight of the sky slammed into his chest. A strangled cry of pain escaped the Titan, but Artemis paid no attention. She turned around.
Zoë was not the first what? Hunter? Daughter to die by their father's hand? Hesperides? Artemis had not recruited anymore of them, so what did Atlas mean? Artemis heard a noise behind her, and she quickly turned around, aiming her bow.
"Come out," Artemis ordered. After a few moments, two figure stepped out of the rubble. Artemis lowered her bow and studied the two demigods in front of her. Both were dressed in Roman armor. "I told you two to stay back at Camp Jupiter."
"We came to help, Lady Diana. Thalia is our friend," Reyna said. The praetor met Artemis' eyes and did not look like she regretted the decision. Jason stood by Reyna's side. His head was held high, and it was easy to see the Jupiter in him.
"I am not going to let my sister die," Jason said. His eyes held a determination that Artemis had seen a few times before. "Let us help you, Lady Artemis. Whoever kidnapped Thalia expects you to come alone, and they would have planned for it. They would not have planned for us."
"We found something as well," Reyna said. Artemis studied the two of them. She finally nodded. The two demigods turned away and started to walk towards a small outcropping. Artemis had somehow missed it on her patrol of the area. Artemis followed the two and stopped by a small pool of water.
The pool of water ran red with blood, and a dead deer laid next to it. The deer looked like it had been killed a few hours ago and had bled out into the water. An arrow was lodged into its eye, but the deer itself was stark white. It was one of Artemis' sacred deer. Someone had killed it in one of her sacred groves and brought it here.
The blood from the deer ran towards the small pool, but it also went off in another direction. Artemis followed the small blood trail and stared at the puddle of blood that a helmet rested in. Artemis recognized the helmet instantly. It was of ancient Greek design, but there was four separate plums on it. Each plum represented one of his conquests.
"Are you two ready?" Artemis asked. She gripped the helmet in her hand and studied the two demigods in front of her. Both nodded without a word. Artemis placed a hand to their shoulders. Taking two Romans to the site of a Greek tragedy seemed rather fitting. Artemis closed her eyes and thought of Aulis.
The old port town was the beginning of many things. It marked the place from which the Greeks set sail to raze Troy. It marked the place where a grave crime was committed and had to rectified. Aulis was the place where Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia, after murdering one of Artemis' sacred deer, and it was where Artemis had saved the maiden. Thalia Grace had been taken there, but the port town that marked so many beginnings would also mark an ending. Agamemnon had interfered in Artemis' business for the last time, and she would strike down the Greek legend.