"Well," Thalia sighed. "This looks cosy."
My nose wrinkled in disagreement. The snow was still falling heavily around us, and I shivered beneath my jumper and coat. In front of us, a huge manor house had been converted into a private school, surrounded by a thick, dense forest. Overhead, a full moon shone eerily.
"How are we supposed to find them in there?" Percy groaned.
Annabeth shot him a withering look, her blonde hair poking out beneath her hood. "I'm guessing they're in there," she pointed. In the left corner of the house, lights flooded out of the window, and dimly, I could hear the music playing.
"A school dance," I blanched, shuddering violently. "Poor kids."
"Prefer being chased by monsters?" Thalia frowned.
"Yes," I snorted.
"Figures," she grumbled.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Percy and Annabeth exchange a strange look. "We should go inside," Annabeth said, clearing her throat importantly.
As if suddenly empowered, Thalia shook herself and squared her shoulders. "Come on then." Without checking to see if we were following her, she strode straight toward the large, double front doors. And, without any better idea, I took a deep breath, stuffed my hands in my pockets and followed her.
Inside Westover Hall wasn't any better, if not worse, than outside. The walls were dark grey stone and covered in flags, weapons and suits of armour. On the way over here, Thalia had warned us that this was a military school. Immediately, I'd conjured this version in my head, where the students all looked like Clarisse and her brothers and sisters, and the headteacher looked strangely like their father Ares. It wasn't quite as bad as that, but it wasn't much better either.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the wind whipped around the hall and the doors slammed shut.
"Great," I murmured, staring at the door with a sinking feeling. "Why is it always us?"
"This is bad," Annabeth agreed quietly.
"We're here now," Percy frowned. "And Grover's in here somewhere. We have to find him." Thalia was already marching off again, and despite his impatient, frustrated look at her, Percy wasn't far behind.
Annabeth, however, cast me an odd look. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?" she whispered.
"Am I ever?" I snorted. "Come on. They're right, we're here now, so we might as well get this over."
We hurried after the other two, heading straight down the corridor until we came to the doors leading into the gym. Cheesy music was playing loudly through the doors, and I pulled a face, but Thalia only rolled her eyes, looped an arm through mine and hauled me inside.
It was even worse here. School kids were scattered all over dance floor. Boys around my age were laughing and joking, pushing each other around with sneering looks on their faces. The girls all seemed to be wearing too much makeup, giggling amongst themselves and smothering any pure soul who got in their way.
"This is hell," I declared with a shudder. "And I should know."
"You're over-reacting," Thalia dismissed uncomfortably, releasing me without looking. I should have known better than to ever mention my past around her. She always got like this.
"Guys!"
All four of us whirled on our heels as Grover stumbled toward us clumsily. I couldn't help but smile. He looked the same as ever, dressed in baggy black trousers and a button down shirt, his horns hidden beneath a baseball cap. Smiling gratefully, he hugged Annabeth and Thalia tightly, before high-fiving Percy. He hesitated when he reached me, his expression faltering.
"Oh come on," I smiled shakily. "You didn't think I'd let you guys have all the fun, did you?"
He cast Thalia an uncertain look, but she only scowled. "She never did as I told her when she was little," she shrugged moodily, and I felt my expression darken.
"You find anything?" Percy suddenly asked him loudly, stepping between Thalia and I.
Grover cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, actually. Two. Strong as well. The thing is, that teacher over there-" He pointed discreetly toward the stage, where a tall, thin looking man with slick black hair in a black and red military uniform hovered with a frown, like he could smell something bad. "He's a monster. Every time I get close to the kids, he gets in the way. He's been watching and waiting for months, but he's not going to wait much longer. Today's the last day of term."
I kept my eyes on Grover and Percy, watching him sneak a look at the monster over my shoulders. "Where are the kids now?" Thalia asked.
"Behind me," Grover replied. "Beside the door."
I looked quickly. The girl was slightly older, maybe about twelve, and her brother must have been ten or so. They were clearly related, both with dark, sleek hair and olive coloured skin. The boy was quite happy, shuffling through some game cards and chatting animatedly at his sister. She, however, had a look I'd seen before. It was the same one Thalia had given me when I was little. It said she sensed trouble. That she was worried I was in danger, but didn't know what, when or how.
"We have to mingle," Thalia whispered. "Keep low and quiet and wait until we can get to them without the monster breathing down our necks."
"Mingle? How?" Percy asked with a pulled face.
"We dance," she shrugged, looping an arm through Grover's. "Come on, goat boy." Grover looked appalled, immediately making to argue, but she didn't wait to hear what he had to say.
That only left me, Percy and Annabeth. I scoffed and handle my hands out. "Not a chance," I grimaced, grabbing each of them by the arm and pulling them together. Instantly, they both turned red and made to protest. I grinned with a wink, backing up a few paces. "Have fun!" Annabeth shot me a look that clearly said she'd happily kill me right then, but I only shrugged and turned on my heel.
Skirting through the crowds, I tried to keep my head down and out of people's sight as I made my way to the food table. I wasn't remotely hungry, but that seemed the only other thing to do at a party besides dance, and I certainly wasn't doing that.
I'd just reached for a small triangle sandwich when something pierced the back of my mind sharply, and I winced.
My lady!
"Sasha?" I coughed out loud, and a group of guys lingering at the end of the table shot me strange looks. I made a sheepish smile and patted my pocket. "Old friend just text."
One of the guys grinned and leaned a little closer. "You're not allowed phones here, sweetheart."
I managed another smile. "Well don't tell anyone." He laughed.
Acacia, you need to get out of there! Sasha's sharp voice came. She was panicked and scared, but the only thing I could think about was how long it had been since I'd heard her voice.
Sasha, where-
Follow the sound of my voice, she instructed.
The others-
You can't help them from in there! Trust me!
The guy from the end of the table was back at my side was a smirk disguised as a smile. He held out his hand. "You want to dance?"
I cleared my throat awkwardly and handed him the sandwich instead. "Maybe next time," I muttered, slipping past him before his shock could turn to anger. His friends were already laughing loudly at him, but I shouldered my way through the crowd and back out into the main hall before anyone could see me.
Sasha, where are you?
Leave through the front doors and take a left into the woods, she told me, and I could hear the desperation in her voice. Wait for me there, you can't come any closer than that!
What? Sasha, what's going on?
The gods are watching, she said simply, and I could hear the pity in her voice as my face dropped.
"Oh not again," I gulped hard, pushing myself fast and bursting back outside. Fumbling at the sheath at my waist, I grabbed the dagger and ran toward the woods. "Sasha!" I called. "Sasha!"
A howl cut through the air, and the lithe wolf bound straight toward me. She was exactly as I remembered, every bit as lean, fierce and over-protective as last summer. Without hesitation, I dropped to my knees and threw my arms around her as she collided with me, nuzzling my neck affectionately.
My lady, you have to leave, she insisted, pained.
I leant back and rocked on my heels. What are you talking about?
This is Lady Artemis' hunt, she warned. If you stay . . . the gods want you alive, Acacia. They will do anything to make sure it happens.
My lips pursed. What was I supposed to say to that? Zeus had promised me he wouldn't let them test me, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to go out of his way to keep an eye on them. To be fair, he probably had more than enough on his plate at the moment.
How close is she?
Five minutes.
I groaned loudly and pushed myself to my feet, running my hands through my hair. "Sasha, I can't," I gulped. "The others are still in there, and there are two new kids. I can't just walk away."
I'd prefer if you ran, she responded.
I stared. "Sarcasm? Really? Gods, I must have been a bad influence on you."
She nudged my hand gently, and I sighed, ruffling her fur sadly. For a moment, the two of us simply stood there, for once not painfully alone or isolated or pitied. That's when I heard it, the shouts in the background. Sasha went rigid, straining to hear. A boy and a girl, maybe an older man too.
My fingers tightened around the dagger. "Sasha, I've got to go," I insisted, shifting forward slightly.
Lady Artemis is nearly here, she told me. You'll be welcoming the gods back if you do this.
I thought of Hera, and my friends, and the rest of my family, and my face set. "I have to," I told her, taking another few steps. "I'm not leaving them."
Then I'm coming with you. I smiled, ruffling her fur again. Then, spinning my dagger in my hands, I turned and led the way back toward Westover Hall.
We'd just made it back to the front of school when the doors burst open again. I staggered and tightened my hold on my dagger, but a heartbeat later, I recognised Thalia's angry scowl.
"Where were you?" she snapped furiously, stomping forward. Sasha growled slightly as my side and Thalia faltered. "Oh no, Acey, tell me that-"
"No time!" Grover's voice came, and I caught sight of him running in the opposite direction. "Percy and Annabeth! Come on!"
Thalia growled "Don't think this is over, Acacia," she warned, then whirled around and raced after him.
Your sister is delightful, my lady.
"You really need to stop the sarcasm, you're freaking me out," I warned, bolting after my friends.
We weaved through the trees, and I tried to summon what strength I had to focus on lightning. The wind shifted around me in response, and I pushed myself to move faster until I'd caught up with Thalia and Grover.
"Acacia!" Grover hissed desperately, yanking a sword out of his backpack and handing it to me. I took it and concentrated hard. A cackle of electricity leapt from my fingertips and rushed across the metal, and I gave a grim smile of satisfaction.
The four of us approached the tree line, and my stomach clenched at the sight of Percy and the new kids stood at the edge of a cliff, faced by the head-teacher who now appeared to have a tail covered in spikes. Automatically, I spun the sword in my hands in anticipation, while Thalia's face set and a spear grew in her hands.
I'd just taken a breath to ask what our plan of attack was when the new kids yelped in surprise and they and Percy fell face first to the ground. Instantly, Thalia shifted forward, and I knew our plan of attack was just that; attack.
Thalia yelled and launched her spear through the air, so straight and true I was sure she'd already managed to impale the beast, but he only batted it away with a hand, which now appeared to be a lion's paw.
A manticore, Sasha snarled.
I didn't know what one of them was, but I took her word for it, watching as Thalia just managed to rise her shield in time to catch a volley of spikes aimed directly at her head. The beast snarled furiously as she staggered to the ground, and this time, I knew she wasn't going to be able to defend herself.
Heart leaping in fright, I bolted forward, snatching my dagger out of it's sheath as I moved. Hesitating, the beast turned to me, just as I dropped to the ground and drove my dagger as far into the back of his leg as I could.
The manticore roared in pain, lifting one huge paw and swiping at me furiously. I gasped and ducked, but not far enough. The edge of his claws caught me right across the arm, and sent me flying to one side. Another roar sounded behind me as blood trailed down my skin, but as I braced myself for the inevitable, a snarl sounded and I looked up to see Sasha leap at the beast, her teeth sinking into it's lion's arm. It's teeth bared, it tore Sasha from its arm and threw her toward the forest.
Sasha! I called, panicked, but there was no response. The manticore roared it triumph, and for a split second, I wondered if this was it for us. Probably. It was too fast and too strong.
That's when an arrow flew through the air and impaled the beast's shoulder.
I blinked, astonished, but the beast only ripped it back out. Out of nowhere, Percy darted forward and slashed at him with his sword, just managing to catch the beast's side before he dodged and smashed his tail against Percy's shield, knocking him aside.
Gulping hard, I reached for my sword and tried to conjure what little strength I had left, but before I could, a group of girls rushed gracefully out of the woods. They were dressed head to toe in silver, with thick ski parkas and skinny jeans, all armed with bows.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth's voice came, and my stomach sank.
The moment she said it, I realised she was right. The eldest was a girl I recognised, Zoe Nightshade, with a silver circlet in her hair to signify her position as Artemis' lieutenant. Her eyes fixed fiercely on the manticore, she lifted her bow once more.
"Permission to kill, my lady?" she asked, and another girl stepped forward.
Artemis hadn't changed at all, her auburn hair braided back and her silver eyes fixed on the beast dangerously. "Granted," she said, her voice unnervingly cold and hard.
"NO!" the beast roared, and he whirled on the nearest demigods he could find.
Percy realised in the same second I did that that meant us. Lightning crackled across my sword, and Thalia yelled, but not as quickly as Annabeth. Without a moments thought, she lunched onto the monster's back and drove her knife into its throat.
"Girl, get back!" Zoe shouted as the manticore roared in fury. "FIRE!"
"NO!" Percy, Thalia and I screamed in perfect unison, shifting forward.
"Stay back!" Artemis's furious voice came, but none of us paid her the slightest attention.
"This is not the end!" the beast shouted, and shooting a poisonous look at Artemis, he leapt over the edge of the cliff.
"NO!" Percy and Thalia screamed again, and the sight drained me of whatever strength I had left. They bolted forward, but my eyes were fixed on the spot she'd disappeared from, my knees buckling beneath me in grief.
Someone shifted to stand beside me. "You cannot save your friend, Perseus Jackson," Artemis's voice came, as the hunters moved forward to stop him doing something stupid.
"You," Thalia snarled at Zoe, already restrained by three other girls.
"Let go of me!" Percy shouted angrily. "We have to help her, let go! Who do you think you are?"
Immediately, Zoe's eyes flashing in fury, and I saw her muscles flinch. "No!" I protested, bolting forward to stand between her and Percy. If anything, that only made her angrier.
"Zoe," Artemis started cautiously.
"What?" Percy spat. "What did I say?"
I gulped. "Percy, you're being disrespectful," I murmured.
"So?"
I turned to face him properly. "This is Lady Artemis," I sighed. "Goddess of the Hunt."