Chapter 11

Lawrence p.o.v

I woke to chirping birds, and the bushes rustling. I lifted my head from my wooden pillow wincing at the lingering pain. "Who's there?" I called into the foliage. No response. I went to one knee and shook Reyna's shoulder, she snapped awake, and went to one knee reaching for her sword.

"Who's there?" I called again, this time I got an answer. A silver arrow whizzed out of the tree line, I jerked my body out of the way and it flew into the creek. "Okay, fuck you buddy!" I shouted while grabbing my lighter.

Two more arrows flew, and my lighter shifted quickly into a shield blocking them. I crouched in front of Reyna giving her cover with my now, large bronze shield. "Hunters of Artemis!" She called, "Stop attacking us, we're friends of yours." The arrows stopped and a girl stepped forward.

"Reyna, it's good to see you again." Reyna stood behind me and I stood as well, maintaining our cover behind the shield.

"Thalia!" Reyna seemed excited, "it's good to see you as well."

"You know this asshole?"

Thalia looked at me like I was a cockroach that had just started shitting on her carpet. She didn't answer but Reyna did.

"Yes, Lawrence this is Thalia Grace, Artemis's deputy. Thalia, this is Lawrence, my traveling companion."

"Now this is all real touching, but how 'bout explaining why the hell you're shooting fucking arrows at me first thing in the goddamn morning!" Another girl stepped forward, younger than Thalia with long red hair.

"Watch your tongue filth." She spoke with a confidence and superiority unbecoming if her few years.

"And who the hell might you be? Trying to kill a man before he's had breakfast, you're the filth." Her eyes flared with an angry fire and she stepped forward.

"I am the goddess Artemis, and you will watch your tongue male." Ah shit, that's really not good.

Thomas spoke in my head, "Be quiet for now, just do what she says." I wasn't too pleased with that, no one tells me what to do.

"So what do you want, lady Artemis." Thalia snapped her head toward me fire in her eyes.

"Hold you tongue before I cut it out!" The voices my head urged me to listen, a cacophony of shouts rattling around inside my skull. I smacked my temple trying to shut the voices up, they just grew louder.

"AHHHH, shut up!" I yelled out loud.

Reyna p.o.v

Something was wrong with Lawrence, he was smacking his head and yelling at no one. He dropped his shield and clasped both sides of his head like a vice. At this Artemis stepped forward, she put her thumbs in the middle of his forehead, and he calmed immediately.

At first I thought she'd soothed his mind, but then I looked into his eyes. Before they were, guarded, and a kind of desperate anger floated behind those green irises. But now, now they were different, the guard was down, and the anger was replaced with a pain. He wasn't just hurting, he was breaking.

"What'd you do to him?" I shouted at the goddess, for a second forgetting who she was. I barely knew Lawrence but since we escaped I started to feel responsible for him.

"I shut him up" Artemis replied. Lawrence stumbled, I caught him and sat him down against a tree. He couldn't seem to stop shaking, and tears streamed down his cheeks, unchecked.

I stood, angry. "What the hell, what's happening to him?" The goddess didn't seem to care much.

"I just showed him all his most painful memories, simultaneously." A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of her thin, pale lips. I glared at her, and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Ugh, fine" she snapped her fingers and Lawrence whimpered and curled into a ball, still shaking in the leaf litter.

She turned to Thalia and spoke, in a bored tone. "Thalia, lead this one back to her camp." Thalia nodded. "Now I really must be off." She turned and disappeared into the trees.

I hurried to Lawrence, he was shaking so bad it looked like he was about to fall apart. I rolled him onto his back, his eyes were unfocused, they seemed to look straight through me, and they were full of pain.

"Lawrence," he didn't seem to hear me, "Lawrence!" I shook him, he grabbed my shoulders, his eyes focused, but the pain was still there. "Are you alright?" I helped him sit up, he leaned into my shoulder tears staining his cheeks. He didn't answer, but he didn't have to.

He took a shaky breath, wiped his cheeks, and stood uncertainty leaning on me for support. "W-w" he stuttered, pushed the heel of his palm into his eye trying to slow the newly falling tears.

"We're staying here," I said in a reassuring tone, "You need to rest" he didn't resond but his face seemed to lift a tiny bit. I sat him down against an old oak, and placed a blanket over him.

"I'll find us some food," Thalia spoke for the first time since Artemis left. I looked back at her, standing there awkward and looking ashamed. And though it wasn't really her fault, I couldn't help but blame her a little.

"Go then" She nodded, bashful and walked off into the woods. I sat across from Lawrence and started building a new fire. He watched me, but he wasn't present, whatever he'd seen, well, I really didn't want to think about that.

I got angry then, what right did Artemis have to do that! Lawrence wasn't even attacking her, by what right could she do something this horrible. She's a goddess, a voice inside her said, still, she's a total cunt.