-Few people even scratch the surface; much less exhaust the contemplation of their own experience-
Randolph Bourne
The deer bounded over the forest floor. It could sense something chasing it, and it knew only the instinct to run. It could hear its pursuer bounding over the forest floor almost as easily as itself. It felt the danger as its hunter slowly gained ground, heard as a bow was pulled out, heard the twang as an arrow was released, and in a last sprint of fear; it leaped over a fallen tree.
It was dead before it landed.
An arrow was protruding out the back of the deer's head, a clean shot, killing it quickly and painlessly. The hunter crept out from the shadows, letting the moon fall on her face as she pulled off the dark hood covering her head. The moon light danced across her raven hair, and washing over her pale face, casting shadows over her closed eyes, as she offered a chaste prayer up to the goddess she served.
This was done out of necessity, not out of any concrete respect for the goddess. After pulling out the arrow, and cleaning it off, she called to the wolves that had come with her, which eagerly started to pick at the dead animal carcass. The hunter looked away with distaste, before turning away and returning silently to the camp. Receiving nods of respect from the other hunters, required by the silver circlet on her head, she retired to her tent.
She fell onto her cot, and closed her eyes, almost trancelike, she began to inhale and exhale, and outside, the wind began to mimic her steady breathing.
In,
Out,
In,
Out,
Push,
Pull,
In,
Out,
She loved this feeling, the feeling of the wind like an extension of her body, the feeling of the shifting clouds, the feeling of the pent up rain and energy inside of them. She knew that if she chose to, she could release the energy, and rain, and wind, throwing them together, recklessly combining and mixing, all it took was for her to loosen the hold she had on the knotted energy contained inside her.
She had thought about releasing her storm before, it was different than any other storm she had created, more powerful, more out of control, but she hasn't yet, she had the feeling that if she released her storm, she would be releasing herself, and would cease to be. The idea was tempting, but, she knew too much about the underworld to risk being sent there. Now, with her pain and her storm were both locked away inside of her, she felt like a shell, waiting for her breaking point.
"Lieutenant?"
A small blonde girl around eleven years old timidly peeked into the tent, the huntress reluctantly opened her eyes, lifting herself off the cot, and masking her face with a stoic expression. She nodded curtly to the other girl. Bowing quickly she shakily offered Thalia a small silver phone, at which the hunter raised her eyebrows incredulously, someone had called her? She took the phone none the less, and motioned for the girl to leave. Technology was scarce in the camp, with a single phone used by the camp or Olympus, it was hardly ever used, as the hunters preferred to use iris messaging. Lying back on the cot she raised the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Thalia!"
"Annabeth?"
"Obviously," the line crackled over her words, "Hey, when's your next camp visit?"
"Whenever I want, Artemis is at some Olympian counsel meet for the next week... why?"
"Something's happened... here at camp..."
Thalia grimaced; she would always imagined Annabeth as a seven year old, bothering her for food, or to carry her for a while, or snuggled up in both hers, and his coat. But she wasn't a child anymore, and due to Thalia's aging being halted more than once she was actually older than the raven haired girl. But Annabeth would always be her family, in the place of a little sister, or daughter even, and as much as Thalia tried to forget, Annabeth brought painful memories back. Shaking her head, she responded in a teasing tone so that Annabeth wouldn't guess at her thoughts.
"Did the Seaweed Brain cheat on you?" She asked mock serious, "is this a call for back up? Because you know what I can do to-"
"Thalia, please be serious."
"I'm being perfectly serious."
"Thalia."
"pfft your no fun anymore kiddo… When do you want me to come by?"
"As soon as you can, and maybe it would be better if you don't bring the hunters."
"Hmm… secretive."
"Your one to talk," Annabeth snorted over the line, "oh and um, Thalia?"
"Hmm?"
"Prepare yourself for... a good mixture of pain and happiness."
"What?"
The line died, leaving Thalia confused. The camp never contacted her anymore, and now that Annabeth was with Percy, she never did either. Thalia was used to being ignored by the camp, she found it kind of unsettling that the problem included her at all. She knew that she'd never sleep with something like this on her mind, so she exited the tent quietly, leaving a note, and crept out of the camp.
bumbumbumBUM.
you know something gonna go down,
its all set up now ;)
cliffhanger... :P