A/N: Thank you to all of the kind reviews I got. And once again, if you notice anything too OOC or Mary-Sue, please don't hesitate to tell me.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's mine.

Belle opened her eyes once again, feeling slightly sick to her stomach. She concluded that this newfound way of traveling didn't exactly have the best effect on her. Belle looked around the room she was in, slightly dazed and not exactly remembering anything. Then she spotted her mother sitting on the edge of a bed, and it looked like she was glowing slightly. Belle scrambled to her feet, not sure how she was supposed to address Lady Artemis. She had met other deities before, when they had occasionally come to camp, and she had met almost all of them at the meeting on Olympus; and Dionysus was always at camp. But somehow, sitting in what Belle believed to be the Artemis cabin, she had no idea as what to say to her mother.

Artemis broke the silence. "Will you forgive me, Belle?"

Belle's head shot up from looking down at her lap. "F-forgive you, m'lady?"

The goddess nodded. "For removing myself so far from you for all that time. I should have claimed you years ago."

"Then why didn't you?" Belle asked, slightly peeved at her mother for ignoring her. "I mean, if you wanted to claim me, then why didn't you?"

Artemis sighed. "Back when you were about 6, I wanted to claim you. However, I was afraid that at such a young age you would be unable to understand why people treated you so differently. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to understand why you were… shunned for being my daughter. Then, once the Titans started to act up, my father and uncles were far too preoccupied to hear me through; to understand that I never broke my vow. I thought this time would be good, seeing as the war has been over for a little more than a year, and my family wasn't so stressed. Also, it gave me more time to think of how exactly I was going to announce the news to my family. Actually, I first told the Hunters, and explained it to them. Some of them that had helped me raise you for 2 months knew, and were sworn to secrecy. Although lately, thanks to Thalia, our numbers increased by quite a bit. However, someone must have been eavesdropping when I told the Hunters, because they relayed that I had a daughter to Apollo. I tried to find him to clarify things, but he was hiding from me, and I could never give him the exact details of what happened."

"Excuse me, -mom, but why was Lord Apollo so angry? I had always thought of him as a relaxed, easy-going person." Belle put in. "He looked as if he wanted to bite someone's head off."

"Normally my brother is always in a good mood," Artemis replied, "but he was upset, thinking I had broken my vow. If it is a male who was eavesdropping on my Hunters and who told my brother, he is in for a big surprise, and not a pleasant one."

Belle cringed slightly, remembering all the stories about her mother turning men into animals, and then hunting them.

Artemis continued, "Apollo is a very possessive god. He is like a father to me, considering Zeus is too busy fathering other kids. Even though Apollo is younger than me by a day." (A/N: According to one myth that I am using for this story.) Thunder rumbled outside. Artemis lifted her head towards the sky. "It is true! I was born one day, and then the next day I helped Mother across the sea where she gave birth to you." The goddess shook her head in disbelief. Addressing Belle once again, she spoke. "No matter how many times we go and ask Mother for clarification, and she always says that I was born first, my thick-headed brother always denies it."

"Your mother is Leto, correct?" Belle asked softly. "This last year in school my teacher assigned me a Greek deity to do a report on. I got you. So did 2 other students. One of them, a boy, was upset that he got stuck doing a girl goddess. I told him that if he didn't shut up that you were going to come down and turn him into a deer. He didn't say anything more, but that might have been just a 'cause our teacher was giving him the evil eye. But then he moved away a month later. I can't even remember his name."

"Perhaps that is for the best," her mother replied. "Or else I most likely would turn him into something. But that is not important right now. I have a proposition to make."

"A proposition?" Belle echoed, "Like what?"

"Well," Artemis began, "It wouldn't be fit if I didn't ask my own daughter if she wanted to join the Hunters. Would you like to?"

Belle's mind swarmed with near-excitement. To be able to be free, to wander the world, to help those in need, to remain 12 until the end of eternity. Wait. To remain 12???? "Not now."

Artemis looked taken aback. "Not now? Why would you want to wait? I've seen you while you are with your friends, and you always said that you detest men."

"I do," came the reply, "But I want to wait a week until I am 13. If I am to remain the same age, I at least want to remain a teenager, not spend eternity one week from 13."

"Are you sure?" Artemis asked. "And how exactly do you know your birthday? After all, nobody I know was actually present at your birth."

"The people at the orphanage took me to some doctor when I first arrived to see how old I was. She said I was born approximately June 13. Seeing as today is June 4th, I figure I can wait until I am 13."

Artemis gave a slightly, barely noticeable sigh of exasperation. "I suppose you are my daughter, you stubborn girl."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes, it wouldn't do if my daughter was passive."

"Nope, it wouldn't." Came Belle's response.

"I'm glad that's settled," Artemis said, "Now, arrangements for you to be in the Hunters. Since I have time to prepare, everything will be exactly right and accounted for."

A small voice in the back of Belle's mind wondered if Artemis was always OCD, seeing that she clearly liked things a certain way. Then another part of Belle's mind wanted to smack herself in the face for thinking like that. She's a goddess, Belle, and after thousands of years she has the right to want things exactly like she planned.

Artemis stood. "I must leave now, to return to my Hunters and prepare for your arrival."

It was then that Belle was painfully aware that she had been sitting on the floor, cross-legged this entire time, without even realizing it. She stood, now attempting to make an effort to be respectful to her mom as she left.

"Bye, Belle." Artemis said, slowly walking towards Belle and enveloping her in a hug.

Belle was surprised, once again that a goddess was showing compassion. Even though she was surprised, she returned the hug. "S-sorry to ask, but I thought gods and goddesses weren't compassionate, and not always the best of parents, if you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all," Artemis replied, her silvery blue eyes looking at Belle's of the same shade. "The other gods have many children, and they cannot attend to them all. I, however, only have you, and I can devote my attention to you. I don't want to fail you as a mother." With that final word, the goddess shimmered, and was gone.

Belle truly looked around the room for the first time. The walls were a light shade of lavender, and had a pearly sheen to them. There were several sets of bunk beds placed strategically around the room, each covered with a silvery duvet. The floors were hardwood, and the whole place had the faint aroma of pine, making Belle feel like she was in a forest, but with walls. On the other side of the cabin, across from the beds was a small sitting area, with a large skin serving as a carpet. Hanging on the wall above a stone fireplace was a large crossbow, encased in a glass box. Approaching it, Belle found a small plaque at the bottom. It read: "This was the first bow of my daughter, Artemis. Her younger twin brother, Apollo fashioned it for her when she expressed her desire to have a bow like his. I have enclosed it here for safekeeping. – Leto"

Belle was amazed to have such a relic here, in her very own cabin. She turned around, ready to go hunt down her belongings that the Allenworths had when she saw a bow and quiver lying on a bed that was not attached to a bunk. Belle walked over to it, and saw a note. Picking it up, it read in a swirly script: "To my dearest Belle: The Hunters thought you needed a bow of your own, and thought this one would be sufficient. The arrows in the quiver are priceless. Even if you shoot them towards a target, they will always reappear in your quiver. – Your Mother."

As she read the letter, Belle's eyes widened with excitement, and then filled with worry. This would mean that she would need them to fight. Fighting. Why did everything always come down to fighting? If only Belle had thought through her decision to join the Hunters. Of course they would be fighting, with probably more than bow and arrow. She would have to train extra hard until her initiation into the Hunters. Image Artemis's surprise if she found out her daughter was afraid to fight. If she knew her only daughter was a coward.

A/N: How was it? I felt that this was mostly just a 'filler chapter' that gave you all some facts. I appreciated the CC that I was given for the previous chapter, and I hope that I continue to get more. Remember, the next chapter doesn't get posted until I get reviews!

Sarra