[A/N] The game goes on, hope you're enjoying it thus far, continued kudos to Shrrgnien for her awesome beta work.

Shadows of the Hunt

Chapter 3: Winning the Battle but…

I woke up the next morning with a warm heart and…another braided bang. I sighed as I examined the two offending articles in front of my eyes, slid out of the tree and headed for the showers. I found myself oddly yearning to go to breakfast for once.

I sat again at the staff table for my morning meal and enjoyed a coffee. Telling tales of Apollo late into the night had left me feeling quite tired, and I really needed a pick-me-up.

Suddenly I felt Rachel's elbow nudge me and I glanced up from my beverage to see a trio of blonde campers standing near the table. At the front was Will, the head councilor for the Apollo cabin. He was flanked by a boy that I recognized as James from my first archery class (you don't easily forget the face of someone you came within an inch of killing) and the little girl from the previous night, Maria.

"Umm, can I… help you with something?" I asked, as the lead boy seemed to be hesitating. The girl frowned and kicked him sharply in the shin.

"Go on, then!" she snapped. She was obviously not as timid as I first imagined.

"I'm asking, I'm asking!" Will snapped, reaching down to rub his ankle. He sighed, "Look…it's like this, we were wondering…" he paused again as if wondering how to phrase his words without embarrassing himself. I heard the girl growl in frustration and the boy quickly snapped out of it, "…what we'd like to ask is…would you like to join our team for Capture the Flag?" he blurted out the end bit quickly, in the same way one might pull off a band-aid.

"Excuse me?" I asked with a frown.

He tugged the collar of his t-shirt nervously, "Well, the councilors are planning a game of capture the flag for tomorrow; it's us and the Ares cabin versus all the others and we were wondering if you'd like to…you know…be on our team?"

"Two cabins-" I began

"-and you," Maria interrupted hopefully.

"Two cabins…and me, versus everyone else?"

Will spoke up, "Well, since we have the most campers in our two cabins, and since it's spring and there's not that many in the others, we figured it works out about even. In fact the only ones we have to worry about are the Athena kids."

I did the math in my head. "The odds will be against us…"

"Yup," Will agreed.

"And the situation may even be hopeless…"

"Might be."

I smiled. "Sounds like fun." Will smirked but something suddenly occurred to me, "…On one condition, though."

"Yeah?"

I glanced wistfully off to the side, "I get to ask one other camper to join our team."

Will nodded, "Okay, and there's just one more thing that we need to handle," he said, glancing at the boy behind him, who now looked quite embarrassed.

Maria hissed something and the boy flinched. "Sorry I shot you with an arrow… It was rude." Maria kicked him. "And mean!" he yelped "Definitely mean!" I'm not sure if he was talking to me there.

I chuckled. "Apology accepted" He nodded gratefully and limped back to his table with his two cabin-mates.

Bridge mended, it would seem.

-A-

It's got to be around here somewhere…

I could sense the gap in nature, as if the forest were trying in vain to pull itself away from it, and after turning round a particularly large oak I found what I was looking for.

Cabin Thirteen.

It was as dark and gloomy as one might expect from the cabin belonging to the Lord of the Underworld, and everything in me was telling me to stay back. Out of all the cabins, I knew that this was the one I belonged near the least.

I forced myself up to the door, collected myself, and knocked twice, gently.

"Yes?" A voice came from my right and I nearly jumped right out of my skin as I swung around. Nico stood there, smiling slightly.

"Hestia's hearth! Do you have to do that?" I gasped, putting a hand on my chest.

He shrugged his shoulders. "More often than not… Is there something I can do for you?"

I wiped the cold sweat from my brow. "Y-yeah, Nico, are you joining the capture the flag game tomorrow?"

He shrugged again. "Annabeth or one of the others usually asks me, I half-expected it to be her when I heard someone coming…" I noticed he seemed quite melancholy as he said that.

"Her loss, you're on our team," I said in a matter-of-fact tone, turned and walked off.

"W-wait! You can't just say what team I'm on!" he called after me in protest.

I didn't stop so he couldn't see the small grin on my face. "Sure I can! I'll go tell William and Clarisse to expect you."

I could almost hear him pause, as if just realizing something. "Wait, you're playing?"

I sighed and shot him a small smile over my shoulder, "I suppose. Think of it as a plea for help from a hopelessly crazy person."

His eyes widened and I caught the briefest smile on his face. "Since you put it that way… I guess I'm in."

"Excellent…" and then I was gone.

-A-

I was in the Big House and feeling immensely relieved as I changed into my black hunter's tunic and jeans. I strapped my sword on.

I almost felt like myself again. I glanced out the window at the half-moon that hung in the sky. It was a perfect night to hunt.

I grasped my bag and headed for the door. They'd be gathering at the edge of the forest by now.

-A-

There were two large groups of campers gathered. One was almost uniform, split between slender with blonde hair wearing glistening bronze and large and imposing with even heavier armor...and of course, one lone form, clad in lightweight black armor with a black blade at his waist. The other group was a varied bunch of all different sizes, ages and genders. They did indeed have a significant numerical advantage but I felt their clashing natures could be to their disadvantage. At their head, in silver armor with a bronze dagger at her side, was the girl Annabeth Chase, their chosen team captain. And at ours, holding our red flag in her fist and clad in full armor, was Clarisse.

I approached Nico, who was shifting nervously. "What are they doing?"

He blinked and turned to me; I had obviously startled him. "It's the traditional psyche-out; they'll glower at each other until Chiron signals to begin. Then we go to our opposing camps and take positions until the horn is sounded. Then the fun starts."

I eyed him carefully. "What's wrong? You seem… disturbed."

He shook his head, "Nothing, it's just… I'm usually on her side." I didn't need to follow his eyes to know he was staring at Annabeth.

"Then I suggest you don't disappoint her by giving any less than your best," I said.

His eyes flashed with irritation for a second. "If you think I'd hesitate, even against Annabeth, then you're dead wrong. Remember who I am, Armani."

"Relax. I didn't mean anything by it; I was just trying to... what's the phrase... Yes... Psych you up."

He smiled, and then regarded me. "You sure you'll be okay like that? You're not even armored."

I inclined my head. "I'll just have to make sure I don't get hit then…"

"Okay campers!" Chiron called as he trotted up, in full armor himself. "Let's keep it clean, and please try to avoid any mutilations or fatalities this time! Take your places!"

I followed my team into the forest and we took position under a large, withered tree in a small clearing; a decent defensible position. According to Nico, Annabeth would be placing the blue flag at Zeus' Fist right about now.

Clarisse used her spear to hang our own flag in a high branch and wrapped it securely over. She nodded at Nico and everyone stood back as he drew his black Stygian iron blade. I stared at it with something akin to fear as I realized not even the light of the moon was reflected in its cold surface.

An unearthly shudder went through me as the ground opened and a dozen skeletal warriors dressed in archaic battle armor and carrying rusted blades clambered out. Nico extended his sword and the creatures took up a circular formation in front of the tree. The ground closed and the dark half-blood leaned back against a boulder, surveying the forest with his dark eyes.

"Glad you're on our side," I muttered. The boy just smirked in response.

"Will?" Clarisse asked the Apollo boy. He indicated a small group of his campers to move out in several directions.

"That's the last of them. I'll join the front lines in a moment. And the Ares cabin?"

She smirked, "Ready to begin the push." Her eyes turned to me. "And you?"

The makings of a smile appeared on my face, "Don't worry about me. Just make sure they don't get our flag. As long as I'm in the forest I can operate independently. I personally prefer a surgical strike. So just keep them occupied."

"You're going alone?" Will asked, pausing halfway to the trees.

I regarded the leader of my uncle's cabin. "What's wrong? Worried that I'll beat you to it?" I asked with a playful smirk.

He sighed, "It's your head…"

-A-

I climbed into the tangled branches of a tree and waited like a shadow. The creek that was the border of our two sides was below me. Ares campers stood with swords drawn in the distance and Apollo children stood further up the hill in a flanking formation ready to encroach upon the enemy.

A horn echoed over the darkness and the silence was shattered by a mix of garbled battle cries. I watched bronze clash against bronze as the opponents' forces charged ours head-on.

I didn't stop to watch; their fight didn't matter, so I began moving. I hopped from branch to branch. Leaping from tree to tree; I froze dead as a pair of iris girls dashed by below me, swords drawn.

The blue team's defensive cordon came into view. It consisted of a line of Aphrodite girls and Athena boys dotted about, although the Aphrodite girls' concentration seemed torn between the forest and their reflections in their blades. I smirked.

Typical.

I slithered down the trunk of the tree and began a wide circle around the clearing. Their defense was spread thinly the further back I went. I slunk through the darkness a good distance until I was well behind the clearing that they defended.

There was only one Athena boy circling around back here with sword drawn.

I moved carefully, waiting for the wind to blow to hide the rustling of leaves. He glanced around, and like a cobra I sprang up silently behind him and clamped my hand over his mouth, dragging him down backwards. I smacked him on the base of his neck and his body went limp.

One down...about three dozen more to go.

I stayed low and crawled towards the edge of the clearing; the back of the rock formation was in front of me; no doubt the flag was embedded in it on the other side. I spared a peek around the boulder; the Nemesis twins and another Athena girl stood poised with swords drawn, obeying the rules of distance the defense had to keep from the flag.

Their offence near the stream was impressive, but their defense was laughable. Heck, I didn't even need to sneak. I could probably take them without much effort with the element of surprise. The gap in their rear was so bad it was almost as if they wanted someone to-

My brow furrowed as suspicion dawned.

No… Surely not…

Then I felt the point of an invisible blade press against my cheek.

-A-

"Well what do we have here?" a familiar disembodied voice enquired dryly. I instantly saw the three guards swing around. "Up," the voice said simply, and very slowly I pushed myself up. An invisible arm nudged me forward and the others caught sight of me. That same arm suddenly pinned me to the rock face and I felt the blade move to my throat.

The arm relaxed but the blade remained as a familiar face materialized in front of me, a baseball cap twirling idly on her free index finger. I breathed a sigh. "Annabeth Chase…invisibility cap, huh? Now that I didn't see coming. No pun intended, of course." I couldn't keep the impressed note in my voice from surfacing.

"I figured between you and Nico, one of you would at least try something that takes a brain cell to do," she said with a smirk. "Now do you surrender yourself as our prisoner? I'd really hate to have to beat you into submission, Armani."

I narrowed my eyes. "You really shouldn't use such big words, Daughter of Athena. It makes you look weak."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at me in return, "They're hardly big words considering the position you're in. I'm afraid you won't be getting reinforcements anytime soon either."

My eyes widened as an idea occurred to me.

Reinforcements…It's a long shot, but…

I glanced up slowly at the moon shining down at me.

…It might just work…

I relaxed and my eyes became unfocused. I listened to the song of the wild around me as something began building inside my chest. I listened to the song; searching for the right note, so to speak.

"What are you-" she was cut off as I let out a long whining noise in my throat. It rose louder and louder until I could contain it within me no longer, and I arched my head back, the blade scraping my skin slightly, and let out an echoing wolf's cry that caused Annabeth to stagger back in shock.

Come on… Work!

On and on the call went, until I ran out of breath and felt Annabeth smash me back against the rocks. I noticed she seemed quite disturbed. "T-that was a cute little trick, Armani. But what exactly was it supposed to do?"

I noticed swirls of silvery-grey smoke beginning to gather over the ground at the edges of the forest, like glowing dry ice. I breathed out a sigh.

I think I did it…

I met Annabeth's eyes and put on an inquisitive smile, "Let me ask you…why exactly would you use a dagger against a ranged target?"

She scowled, "I would hardly call you a ranged target right now."

My smile turned dark, "I wasn't talking about me."

Her scowl turned into a frown as she shook her head. "What are you-" the question she was about to ask was answered in the form of a low warning growl coming from directly behind her.

Her eyes widened in fear as she turned her head around very slowly, and I caught her intake of breath as she froze dead.

She flinched back. I heard a loud bark and she literally leapt back for defense. I was just smiling, however, at the beautifully elegant silver wolf that was growling menacingly at the girl, teeth bared. The other campers had backed up into a semicircle, each not sure where to aim their blades as the other eleven wolves took up a formation around them. The sound of feral growling filled the air.

Annabeth was backed right up against me as I spoke. "And now we face a dilemma… See, I can't control them for long; I'm just not that well-practiced. So here's the problem we face: either I get to safety before I lose my concentration or my friends here will resort to their instinct to defend me from anything that threatens me, which right now is the four of you. True, you might take one or two of them out, but all it takes is one to sink their teeth in to bring you down…and trust me, when these pups bite in, they don't let go. So tell me, Annabeth, what does that analytical brain of yours tell you to do now?"

There was only one answer, and she backed away from me. I calmly strolled forwards and rubbed the lead wolf's chin affectionately. "Good boy!" He whined happily in response.

I strode composedly over to the gap in the rocks where the blue flag hung and reached up to pull it free. The other Athena girl moved to stop me but froze as two of the wolves barked and snarled angrily. "Ah, ah, ah," I said, wagging a finger at her. "I wouldn't break eye contact if I were you; they really don't like it when you do that."

"Annabeth…" I heard the Athena girl in question hiss tensely to the side, "…what's going on? We don't have wolves like these in the forest! Where in Hades did they come from?"

I noticed Annabeth was staring dead at the wolves with confusion in her eyes; confusion and terrified recognition. She spoke in a thoughtful tone, "I've seen wolves like these before…just once before." She called to me as I walked coolly away, "But you can't! If she finds out you summoned them, do you have any idea what she'll do to you?"

I paused at the edge of the undergrowth, "Not as much as you might think…now don't go anywhere, and no sudden noises or movements either, my friends look about ready to snap."

Stop gloating and run!

-A-

And so I ran.

I shot past the two unprepared Athena girls, my outline glowing silver as I gripped the blue flag in my fist. I leapt from tree trunk to tree trunk for leverage, barely touching the ground as I went, swinging up into the branches and leaping through the tree tops in a blissful surge of speed and elation. It was all or nothing.

I focused and sensed the wolves dispersing. The chase was on.

This time I had no intention of ending a battle flat on my back, tied up or incapacitated.

I was a child of Artemis.

I was a Hunter.

The moon was out…

And I was in the forest.

I wasn'tlosing, not this time!

I leapt clear over the head of one of the small Iris girls and roared a terrifying cry of murderous intent squarely at an Aphrodite girl in my path, who dived for the ground with a shriek of fear as I passed.

Closer… KEEP RUNNING!

I saw the river border in the distance, and people were starting to take note of the silver streak dashing through the battle lines. I now had half of the camp turning their attention to me, and I had seconds before I had dozens of half-bloods of various lineages on my tail.

Let them come, let them try to catch me!

I leapt up and used a branch to swing over the heads of a pair of Athena boys who were in my path and kept right on running.

I had built up so much momentum by now that, when a Hermes and Hephaestus duo got in my way, I simply barreled straight through them and sent the two flying like a pair of bowling pins.

Almost…

I heard a horn in the background and a second later one from up ahead and I realized that the alarm had been raised, but if a horn had sounded ahead at our camp then that must mean…

There!

I could see him: running down the hill towards the river was a terrified little Aphrodite boy, screaming his lungs out in terror. A mass of skeletons, very large Ares warriors, and Apollo campers charged after him as he ran for all he was worth, the red flag in his fist trailing behind him.

I was idly acknowledging how comical it looked when I felt something wrap itself around my ankle and drag me to the earth with a painful thud. I rolled over and did something with my hands that my attacker couldn't have seen; it was imperative he didn't. As I glanced up I saw my opponent; it was a blonde boy who I immediately recognized.

Pollux…

The son of Dionysus stared down at me and I felt the vines he had summoned tighten. He gave me a once-over with his eyes and turned away. "He doesn't have it! Keep the line tight-YAAAAGH!" he screamed as a series of tree roots exploded out of the earth either side of him and whipped him eight feet into the air, severing the vines around me in the process. Several smaller roots shot up and swiped at the legs of the surrounding blue team members, flipping them onto the ground, and as I staggered to my feet and I could've sworn I caught the unmistakable movement of a small form melting into a tree.

I let out an almost hysterical laugh and I dashed onwards, down the embankment and towards the stream. Then the little running Aphrodite boy saw me…

His terrified eyes met mine and I saw the terror go up a notch as he saw me charging him head-on. A merciless smirk spread over my features as he jumped into the air over the stream. I crouched down as I ran and leapt up into in his path. I heard a whimper and saw his wobbling lip as we met in midair. He moved his hands to block desperately but my leg was already swinging into a roundhouse kick, which caught him square in the chest and sent him spinning back the way he came and bouncing into the dirt.

I landed next to him in a crouch, tore the red flag free and held it triumphantly in the air.

Clarisse ran up to me, breathless. "Nice one, we'd never have lived it one down if that kid had beaten us!"

Part of me really wanted to know how an Aphrodite kid who looked less than ten years old could've gotten past the Apollo and Ares guards and thensnatched the flag from a bunch of animated skeletons. William must've been just as grudgingly impressed, as he was already bending down to check on the kid.

I noticed Clarisse was staring across the stream. "Get that back to the tree," she hissed at me, indicating the red flag. I followed her gaze; Annabeth and the other blue team members were gathering. It was about to hit the fan and I could see a lot of the other blue team members scanning the undergrowth as if looking for something.

Her blue eyes met mine and then flickered to the red flag. She frowned in confusion.

"Okay…" I began, as I reached up my tunic sleeve. "And what should I do with this one?"

"With wha-" Clarisse froze as I held up the blue flag. All the murmuring stopped and a disbelieving silence descended.

"Should I put this back with the red one?"

Clarisse blinked, "But that's…the blue team's flag."

I nodded. "Yeah…the blonde girl had it," I said pointing to Annabeth, who was standing with her jaw hanging open. "So…you know… I…captured it."

I heard William's voice. "You…captured the flag?"

I blinked; honestly, you could hear a pin drop. "Y-yeah, I got both of 'em." I held both up. I was genuinely unsure what was supposed to happen. "So…which one do you want?"

"But you crossed the border…" Clarisse breathed disbelievingly.

I glanced down at the stream, then back. "Yup, sure did, so…what now?"

"Are you genuinely this stupid?" I heard William demand, an incredulous laugh escaping him as he stood up and he grasped my arm. "VICTORY!" he cried, and the silent spell was broken as a great deafening roar erupted from every direction. My ears would be ringing for days…

"W-what, you mean it's over already-AARRGH!"

And then the ground disappeared from under me as the two councilors had lifted me up suddenly into the air. I realized I was now surrounded by cheering campers, and of course a line of not-so-happy ones across the river, who were now applauding respectfully.

Well I'll be darned… I won…makes a nice change.

"Kindly put me down," I pleaded.

They complied. There was an oddly nice feeling going through me and I felt Clarisse nudge me from the side. "Hey!" she whispered, "Hold it up! This is the important bit!" With a defeated smile I held the captured blue flag triumphantly aloft and the roaring became almost obscenely loud all around.

Then something very odd happened. From among the cheers came a confused series of murmurs, and the cheers faded out as I noticed my audience were now either squinting their eyes or tilting their heads and staring with bewilderment, muttering "but isn't that…"

Suddenly the silence had returned, and so had the disbelief. Now I was very confused. "W-what?"

William spoke up after a moment. "Armani… You are…you know…a…guy, right?"

What kind of….

Both eyebrows went up. "Yes! As a matter of fact, I am! Have you lost your mind?" I snapped incredulously at the councilor, wondering what could've driven him to ask something so bizarre.

"It's just…well…look!" And I finally noticed that everyone's eyes weren't aimed at me, but at the flag in my hand. I followed their gazes around…

And then my heart skipped several beats.

It was no longer a blue flag, but shimmering silver…emblazoned with the image of a drawn bow and a stag.

It was the symbol of Artemis.

My mouth opened and closed and found I could only say one thing. "Enchanted flag…right…stupid…"

I glanced around and noticed everyone staring at me in shock and bewilderment. I suddenly noticed a certain black-haired half-blood's eyes burning into me with such intensity I feared I would disintegrate if he could make me.

And then I saw Annabeth…and what did I see in her eyes? Disbelief, of course…shock was there too…and finally realization. As much as she couldn't believe it, I could see that she knew…she had her answer.

My breath was coming in short gasps as I glanced around and, in that instant, knew there was only one thing I could do.

Run!

And so I did.

And boy, did I leg it. I don't think I had run this fast even when I was pursued by my mother and her Hunters. I kept going until the forest was gone and I skidded several feet before I reached a halt, the friction burning my feet.

Hide! Get to safety!

I glanced around desperately as I realized where I was; in the center of the rows of cabins that represented the gods. I knew that now there was only one safe place for me in Camp Half-Blood.

Without hesitation, I bolted for the door of cabin eight and slammed it shut behind me. Trembling, I sank to the floor against the door, the silver flag still gripped so tight in my fist that my knuckles were white as I sat in the dark, my panting breaths the only sound…

Pandora's Box had been opened.

They know.

I inhaled a trembling breath to try and steady myself and climb to my feet. I wiped a tear out of my eye—I was utterly exhausted emotionally, so I felt it was justified-and glanced around for the first time at my mother's cabin. I made sure the doors were locked and shutters and curtains properly closed before I lit the lamps by the door.

I immediately felt like an intruder.

It wasn't the feeling of the place, but the smell. Now, if you've ever been in a boy's and then a girl's room, you might know what I mean. There's a lingering odor of soap, hairspray and perfume. Now imagine that, but having been reinforced for centuries. This was not territory a boy was meant to be in.

I looked around; it was all bunk beds, intricately carved wooden shapes, each appearing handmade. Not a speck of dust lay anywhere. As my tired eyes scanned the room I suddenly saw one bed that was different to the others: it wasn't a bunk bed, but appeared of identical construction and was sitting directly under the window. Judging by the layout of the cabin the other bunks had been pushed back to make way for the new one.

I approached it as if drawn by some force and only then saw the beautifully carved white feather marked into the headboard. I immediately knew what it was: a dove's feather…or rather, a Dove's feather.

Mother…

Another tear fell as I collapsed forwards onto the mattress. Then, strangely, the lingering smell disappeared and I was engulfed in the smell of nature; pine and the scent of a crisp morning in the forest surrounded me. I didn't even have the energy to marvel at the charm that must've been placed on the piece of furniture as I fell into a deep and welcoming sleep.

-A-

Did I ever tell you that I hate mornings?

I was awoken by the gentle rapping on the cabin door.

My eyes opened and I remained there, staring at the wooden ceiling. The rapping continued.

I wondered what would happen if I simply remained there. They wouldn't dare break down the door of Artemis' cabin, would they? I had a supply of nectar and ambrosia, and each cabin did have its own toilet facilities, so…

My train of thought froze as my eyes drifted to the symbol of my mother on the flag from the previous night, hanging off the cabin's door handle. It was then that I realized what I was doing.

You're hiding again. What would the Lady Artemis say to that?

I'm no coward. I gripped the bedsheets angrily and pulled myself up. I stared at the door.

I will not be ashamed, and I will not apologize for being what I am!

I gritted my teeth and felt my bow form in my hand. What I would do with it, I had no idea, but I suppose it was a comfort thing.

Whoever was outside had obviously heard me moving about, as the knocking had stopped.

I grabbed a quiver that was lying in the cupboard at the far end of the cabin, and as I walked to the door I began forming arrows, dropping a new silver bolt into the sleeve with each movement of my hand. As I reached the door I felt a reassuring weight on my back. It was another comfort thing…

I undid the bolts and yanked the door open. My eyes quickly adjusted to the light, and I found Chiron staring down at me in the morning light. A semi-circle of half-bloods was behind him, all of them councilors from various cabins.

"Found me, did you?" I asked rhetorically.

Chiron inclined his head. "This time round, Armani, I now deduce two possibilities." I sighed drearily and inclined my head for him to continue. "Possibility one: the enchantment on the flag was tampered with and you have taken the utterly suicidal risk of hiding out in the Artemis cabin…"

"Or?" I prompted.

"Or, there's possibility number two; that I think you're about ready to elaborate on those facts you omitted when you first arrived."

I sighed and gripped my bow tightly. The centaur's eyes drifted to it and I saw recognition as they widened in surprise. "And what do you intend to do with that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know…will I be needing it?"

Chiron smiled sadly. "Regardless of what's changed, you remain among friends here."

He was right and I knew it.

Chiron took a few steps back to allow me out. I removed my quiver and flicked an arrow. It and the others shimmered and disappeared in a flash of light. I noticed the centaur take a step back at that as I turned to toss the quiver back in the cabin and close the door.

"Possibility number two seems more and more likely, as impossible as it may seem. Where would you like to talk?" the Centaur asked quietly.

"Follow me," I responded flatly and turned towards the forest, Chiron and the half-bloods following close behind. Out of the corners of my eyes, I noticed numerous eyes peeking out from behind curtains in the cabin windows as I passed. "I don't think I heard the morning wakeup horn."

"I thought it best we talk before everyone else gets up," Chiron replied as he took up position at my side.

"Tell that to them," I said, still staring dead ahead, and I noticed Chiron arc his head around. Suddenly all the curtains were flung sharply back into place.

"Can you blame them for being curious?"

"I suppose not."

-A-

We entered the forest and I approached a tree and rapped lightly on the bark.

"What are you doing?" I heard William enquire.

"You're not the only one who needs to hear this," I said as a head peaked out of the bark, rubbing the sleep out of her hazel eyes. They brightened upon meeting my own. I think she caught the seriousness in mine as she immediately peeled herself free of the wood.

"What's wrong?" she enquired, her large brown eyes filled with concern.

"It's nothing… I just have a story to tell, that's all. Why don't you join the campers? You can pass the info on to your sisters later," I said solemnly, and the nymph walked over to the campers, who were now leaning against trees or sitting down on the earth.

"I suppose I should explain myself," I said. I had handed my bow to Chiron, who was examining it with intrigue while listening to me. "My name is Armani Dove, and I am the son of Artemis."

"But that's-" Mila, the Aphrodite Councilor, interrupted. I silenced her with an angry glare and raise of a hand.

I knew the dangers of explaining everything in front of her, especially after Athena's warning, especially if I wanted any hope of keeping myself from the gods. Why? It's not so much because she's an Aphrodite child, but because it's well known that the best method for information dissemination in the world is amongst the following possible choices:

a. Telephone

b. Telegraph

c. Tell a girl

And I'll give you a hint: a and b are tied for second place.

And on that I began telling my story to my assembled audience…

-A-

Thankfully, they followed the rules of the lecture and saved any comments or questions for the end.

I felt quite relieved, to be honest. I was now in mortal danger, sure, but at least I had that weight off my chest.

William laughed sadly. "And we all went with the 'he hexed the flag' option. It was only Annabeth who thought you might have actually been Artemis' kid."

I glanced at the blonde girl, who looked quite solemn now. She smiled weakly when she saw me looking. "You summoned the wolves of Artemis, that and the flag sort of got me thinking. Also what you said about why my mother might be curious about you. I can certainly see why now…"

Clarisse still appeared to be trying to wrap her head around the facts. "So wait, you're the son of Artemis, but she also made you a Hunter right?" I nodded. "So, like, what does that make you?"

My brow knotted at the question. "I don't really know myself… Hunter squared perhaps?"

Chiron spoke up next. "I've seen Artemis' bow a few times over the centuries, and this is either it or an absolutely perfect replica."

"That's unsurprising, considering they both come from the same place, so to speak." I closed my fist in Chiron's direction and my bow vanished in his hands. He seemed somewhat put out at that but didn't complain.

"But it can't be…" Mila breathed, "Artemis can't have a child and still be a virgin."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It was just explained, Mila, or weren't you listening?"

I could understand why she was frustrated; one of the things Aphrodite had been hanging over my mother's head for centuries was the fact that she was the goddess of childbirth and yet had no children of her own. To an Aphrodite child it probably looked like Artemis had insulted their mother…and to add to that insult, she had done it without even trying.

"And what about love, huh?" she suddenly demanded in an angry tone. "Do you even feel that?"

"I take it that it's romantic love you're referring to, yes?"

"Yes! Love; the most wonderful thing in all of creation! Or is your heart as cold as your mother's?"

My eyes narrowed. "I don't like your tone. But as for love…" I paused to think, "…I have no real feelings towards it one way or the other." I think my utter indifference just made her even angrier, as she pushed herself up and stormed off, radiating indignation.

"You've made an enemy there," Will observed as he watched the girl leave.

"To be honest, I think it's better if she dislikes me than likes me, if you follow"

Annabeth spoke up, "I wouldn't be so sure, the Aphrodite campers can pull some nasty tricks on people they don't like. Aphrodite is not a goddess you want on your bad side."

"Well Ares has got nothing against Artemis, so I don't care about all this one way or the other. I don't see what all the big fuss was about," Clarisse said, shaking her head.

"So which of the gods know now?" Chiron enquired.

"Besides Apollo and Artemis, obviously, there's Zeus and Athena-she'd been following me for several days apparently before she announced herself, so I'm pretty sure she's seen most of the tricks I have up my sleeve. I guess that's it for now."

Chiron nodded thoughtfully, "Quite like Lady Athena to get ahead of the game, but that will soon change. I have the feeling that news of your existence shall be reaching several of the other gods quite soon."

William, however, seemed quite happy at the revelation. "Hey, but this is great! Artemis has a kid! We should like totally have a party to celebrate!" I suppose it was in his nature to be elated at the news.

"I knew it…" The nymph girl who had kindly identified herself as Lya spoke up suddenly. "I knew there was a reason!" she said happily, springing to her feet, her long chocolate-colored hair trailing behind her as she clapped her hands in delight.

"A reason for what?" I enquired with a raised eyebrow.

She carried on without telling me. "This is big! Big big big! I've gotta tell the others! No, I've gotta tell everybody!"

"Actually, I would prefer it if you-ah, never mind, she's already gone," I sighed as the girl gleefully bolted off into the forest. "I should probably worry about that…"

"So, what about boys?" William suddenly asked. Like his father, he was awash with curiosity.

"What about them?"

"Y'know, you're a Hunter and your mom's Artemis, so can youstand to be around us guys?"

"I can stand to be around myself, so yeah; I've thankfully cured myself of that little prejudice."

"You must also be careful not to get on the bad side of Aphrodite herself…if you can avoid it, that is," Chiron said in a warning tone.

"I know."

"I hope you do, because if you don't, you'll find yourself at odds with two other gods along with her."

I knew who he was talking about. "Hephaestus and Ares." The husband and 'secret' lover of Aphrodite would no doubt both leap at a chance to posture in front of their Lady by blasting me into atoms.

"Well, as long as you understand your position, I'm sure you're going to be fine here, Armani. You might get some odd stares from some of the other campers but I'm sure they'll get used to it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd best go organize today's activities," Chiron announced as he turned about and trotted off back to the camp.

"Any further questions?" I asked the remaining half-bloods, who merely shrugged. I breathed a sigh of relief that it was over. I had no doubt each would spend the next hour or so telling the information to their cabin mates, so I had that long to eat breakfast in peace and then hide while they took it all in. On that note I turned and headed away myself.

I froze for a second as I realized I was being watched from somewhere in the shadows; I could feel it, that undeniable sense of something wanting to hurt me.

I ignored it for now and carried on walking, but with an extra bit of speed.

Annabeth caught up with me near the edge of the forest. "Problem?" I enquired as she fell into step beside me.

"No problem, I was just thinking that you look a lot like your mother, too."

I smiled ironically. "Met her, have you?"

She inclined her head. "A few times. Besides at Olympus, we've fought side by side…so to speak…against the Titans. She also saved me from being crushed to death by the sky. So I just thought I'd let you know; despite what you may think, you'll have at least one friend in the Athena cabin." She patted me on the shoulder and turned towards her own cabin.

Suddenly I felt a lot happier inside. For someone who had inherited the cold logic of Lady Athena, she really did seem to have the ability to warm people's hearts. If I didn't know any better I would've pegged her for an Apollo child.

-A-

I ate breakfast swiftly. Trying out the Artemis table for the first time was nice, and oddly comfortable. I left before I caught sight of any campers emerging from their cabins and decided to hide out on the archery field for a while and shoot some arrows with my own bow for once.

As I headed back to my cabin I could've sworn I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, somewhere in the shadows, but when I turned it had already vanished.

I scowled into the darkness.

Something's following me…

And so things went on as you might expect; that night I ate dinner at the Artemis table and there was the expected silence as everyone stared at me. I also had the added bonus of being able to eat alone, which is usually how I preferred it.

The freedom to be myself again among others was nice, too, and I noticed with amusement that, when practicing against me, Clarisse would often spare a cautious glance up at the sky, having explained to me that she had 'figured out' I was some kind of 'moonlight powered' half-blood. It was more true to say my strength waxed and waned with the lunar cycle, but I felt that would just confuse her.

The Aphrodite kids viewed me in two different ways; the few boys viewed me now with open scorn. The girls, however, looked at me with almost terrifyingly predatory glances.

Mila had taken to occasionally hurling a scathing remark as she passed by…but usually only when accompanied by the entire male portion of her cabin.

I had, however managed to scare some of the Aphrodite girls off after I…implied…that my powers could cause their monthly cycles to go haywire if they made me mad. Yeah, they backed off a bit after that.

-A-

All the while this was all happening, I could feel an unfriendly presence shadowing me, and it wasn't until a few days later that I confronted it as I strode out into the middle of the forest.

"I know you're there, Nico, so why don't you come on out?"

Nico Di Angelo's shadowy form melted out of the shadows to my right. I noticed he was back in his black jacket and jeans, but he still had his Stygian iron blade drawn and at his side.

He was smiling, but not in a good way. "So… A Child of Artemis, is it?" he enquired dryly and began to walk a slow semi-circle about me.

"That's right…do you have a problem with that?"

He stopped. "Well you see… As a matter of fact, I do," he said in a disturbingly consoling tone.

"I've done nothing to you, Nico."

His façade melted in an instant. "You lied to me!" he shouted, stabbing his black blade at my chest. "You pretended to be my friend when you knew how I felt about Artemis!"

"I wasn't lying!" I shouted in response. "I couldn't tell you at the time, and you know that! I'm still your friend, Nico, whether you like it or not!"

"We can never be friends," he said in a low, venomous tone. "The child of death friends with a child of birth? We are natural enemies, even before we met! Although I'll compliment you on this; you do have a nice smell of death about you, I wonder why that is?"

I frowned, I recalled the fury saying the same thing. "You tell me, child of death…so what happens now? Are you going to try and kill me or something? Or.. or swallow me up into the underworld for all eternity?" I asked with mock fear.

Nico laughed darkly, "Oh I'm not going to kill you, Armani Dove. I'm just going to hurt you. I'm going to make you feel some of the pain that I do." The earth around him exploded as the sound of moaning and the stench of death filled the night air. A dozen hulking shapes pulled free of the dirt, each dressed in differing military uniforms. Unlike before, they weren't skeletons. These were much more… meaty.

Zombies?

"This is the night you face the Ghost King, Armani Dove!" Nico said as, with shocking speed, the undead forms lunged forwards.

Run!

You don't freaking say!

I turned and bolted, but they were in hot pursuit. As I pulled away, they would occasionally melt into the earth and reappear somewhere up ahead, forcing me to change direction and double back.

I was unarmed, and I knew my bow would have little effect against an animated corpse. I needed celestial bronze and cursed my foolishness for not bringing my sword.

I knew I could handle Nico if I got close enough for hand to hand. I had seen his combat skills and they were par average for a half-blood; it was his undead minions where his power lay.

They were boxing me in, forcing me to double back constantly. I knew the nymphs couldn't help me out this time; things of the underworld petrified them.

Just as I was contemplating taking to the trees, one of the creatures exploded up from the earth in front of me and pinned me up against the oak I had been planning to climb. As I fought to slip free, two more appeared to my right and left and I was stuck tight. I cursed the situation…

I HATE dead things!

Now this fact may not surprise you…

Wait…I'm repeating myself…

Fast forwarding a bit…

-A-

"No, Armani Dove. What I am…is upset," he said, raising his black blade. I could feel my skin begin to burn and it wasn't even touching me yet.

I saw anger in Nico's eyes, but they were filled with sorrow, too. I had opened up an old wound. Perhaps I deserved the pain he wanted to give me. "I'm sorry," I said suddenly.

He faltered. "What?"

"I'm so sorry about what happened to your sister," I said, no longer even meeting his gaze.

"Don't you even talk about Bianca!" he snapped. He waved his blade angrily and I felt him inadvertently press the black steel into my cheek.

I screamed in agony as pain ripped through me. I was dimly aware of a small hand that leapt up to grab Nico's; it was the wood nymph, Lya. "Please! Stop hurting him!" she begged. I was actually quite awed at her bravery; for a nature spirit to leap into the fray surrounded by nothing but death took some serious guts.

"Let. Me. GO!" he snapped and shook the little nymph free with such force he backhanded her violently with the hilt of his sword.

Nico seemed to snap out of his anger and stared in shock as the nymph cradled her face, sobbing loudly.

Okay, now I was angry. "Nico, what in Hades is wrong with you?" If I could have moved, I probably would've broken several of his bones on the spot. I suddenly wondered how long it would take half a dozen wolves to tear him limb from limb.

He stared at me and at the mark on my face as if only now realizing what he had done, and then back at the girl who was pulling herself up. "I- I didn't mean to…"

Above my swirling emotions I suddenly felt something in the distance; a familiar tug in my gut, but it couldn't be…

Oh, no.

"Nico… Nico, I strongly suggest you let me go now!" But he wasn't paying attention; he was lost in shock and self-disgust. His sword lay discarded on the earth as his hand reached out toward the nymph girl. "Nico!"

"I swear I didn't mean to-" he was cut off as the sound of a horn filled the air. I thought for a second it was the camp horn, but the tone was different, clearer, more piercing…

Recognition flashed in Nico's eyes.

I turned quickly to Lya. "Back to your tree, quick! I'll be fine, I swear!" The nymph nodded tearfully and melted into a nearby spruce.

"No! No! No!" Nico snapped angrily, looking around into the forest. He had clearly got his rage back. He had obviously heard that horn before. He reached for his sword, but a hand shot out of a hedge and grabbed him by the neck.

The son of Hades froze as a familiar voice spoke up. "Hello, Nico…" An instant later the half-blood lit up as tendrils of electricity arced through his body. He immediately collapsed.

As the zombies exploded into dust, I managed to catch Nico before he smacked his head on a waiting rock on the ground. "That was unnecessary!" I snapped at the darkness. I had been getting through to him, I knew it.

"You're welcome," Thalia said sarcastically as she emerged from the darkness, her silver lieutenant's band glinting in the night. "Nice to see you, too."

"Aren't you going to tell your friends to show themselves?" I muttered. I could sense two others still in hiding.

I saw Thalia wave and two other Hunters emerged out of the darkness; I recognized them as the only other two followers of my mother whose names I actually knew.

"Steff," I greeted her. I could remember her quite well, considering I had once used her as a hostage. That sticks with you. "And… Annoying Blonde One…"

Wait… No…What was it again?

"Aren!" the petit tomboy snapped indignantly.

I picked up Nico and began carrying him towards Cabin Thirteen. "You looked like you could use our help," Thalia objected as she followed. She could clearly sense my irritation.

"Yeah? Well, a good hunter should learn to look beneath the surface. There was no need for you to blow your little horn or hit Nico with the Thalia Neck Pinch!"

"Don't call it that!" she snapped, but I could've sworn I heard Steff snicker. I probably wasn't the first to refer to it as that.

I dumped the slumbering Nico on the veranda of his cabin and turned to the trio. "I suppose I should ask what exactly it is you want."

"You don't have to be so rude," Thalia muttered as I walked past her towards the camp.

I sighed and stopped. "Forgive me, it's just been one heck of a past few days, and I sort of brought little Nico's wrath down upon myself."

"He bears a grudge against Artemis?" Thalia guessed.

I nodded my head and walked on. "And me, at least now anyways. So, I'm going to assume my mother sent you, am I right?"

"Yeah," Thalia replied.

"And here was me hoping you just wanted to see me." It was a light tease, but I noticed it made them uncomfortable for some reason. I ignored it for now and carried on.

"How… How have you been?"

I froze; it was clearly Aren's voice…and if I didn't know better I could've just sworn she had just asked me…no…better get confirmation.

"Excuse me?" I inquired incredulously.

Both she and Steff shifted nervously. Steff spoke up after a moment. "The Mistress…worries about you, although she doesn't say anything. There are times when it's clear she's thinking about you and….well…so do we."

I blinked. "You do?"

Aren seemed to find her voice. "You're of Lady Artemis; you're a part of the Hunt! And so…"

I raised a guarded eyebrow. "I can't exactly be sure, but are you trying to be… nice to me?"

They were both blushing nervously. Obviously they had been thinking on me and had come to the startling revelation that I was sort of like their beloved mistress. "S-so, if anyone's giving you any trouble at camp, just let us know whilst we're here and…" Steff trailed off. I suppose after scorning boys for hundreds of years, suddenly trying to be pleasant to one would convince her that a boy would only think her words sounded insincere.

"No need to overcompensate, girls, we're good."

"Cut them some slack, Armani", Thalia warned, and then smirked. "Although, I suppose it's sort of made easier for them, what with you being so effeminate and all. Nice braids, by the way."

I felt myself blush violently and continued off a little faster. "Send my mother my love and regards!"

"Wait! We forgot to tell you why we were-" Thalia was cut off however, as a delighted voice sounded up and I realized we had paced right into the center of the cabins.

"Thalia?" It was Annabeth, and she didn't wait for the black-haired girl to respond before she had enveloped the Hunter in her arms. Once Thalia's shock wore off, she embraced the blonde girl warmly in return. "It's been ages! By the gods, what are you doing here?" Annabeth asked, practically beaming in delight.

Thalia shrugged. "On a mission for Lady Artemis, which reminds me…" she paused as she realized a crowd had gathered around us. There was a group of Aphrodite campers glaring bloody murder at us, and I realized that Steff and Aren had taken up flanking positions; just behind me and to the left and right respectively. Not too long ago I would've called myself nuts for even considering turning my back to them.

Thalia had melted away from Annabeth and turned to me. Suddenly Mila's voice spoke up, "So, you called on mommy's little helpers did you? What, too much of a coward to be here all by yourself?"

I felt Aren lurch forwards and on instinct. I raised a single hand up and she halted dead, and for a second I wondered if commanding my mother's Hunters was another ability I had inherited.

Gods, I hope not…

"Leave it, Aren" I muttered . Then I turned around and headed for cabin eight.

"You can't just walk away from me!" Mila snapped indignantly. Obviously she was hoping to make a scene with all the other campers watching.

"Really? Well here I am; this is me, walking away…it's so difficult! Oh, I'm not sure if I can keep it up!" I heard snickering from the other campers and then the sound of Mila scoffing and storming off again with her cabin in tow.

I sighed and opened the cabin door. "Does that happen often?" Thalia asked.

"It's her thing: she poses, I ignore her, rinse and repeat."

"Armani…" she began as I strode into the cabin, "…You've been summoned to Mount Olympus."

I skidded to a halt and fell silent for a moment. "So…it's time, is it?" I mused out loud. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you're ready. Lady Artemis is waiting for you there."

"I see." I suddenly noticed Annabeth hanging around the door. "Come on in, Annabeth. Oh, right. I, Armani Dove, invite you into cabin eight on behalf of the goddess Artemis," I droned. Olympians could be so dreadfully formal.

She uneasily stepped inside and glanced around, "I've peeked in before, but something seems different."

"I've noticed that too," Steff said, glancing around. "It's not the new bed, it's something else."

"That would be the smell of clean air," I said as I grabbed my bag and unpacked my regular clothes. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to air out centuries of girl-smell from a confined wooden space? It's very hard. Didn't think the place would ever air out, it was seeped right into the wood grain."

"You…aired out the cabin?" Aren asked cautiously.

"I know, nice to actually be able to breathe oxygen in this place again, isn't it?"

"I suppose…hey, what do you mean girl-smell?" Thalia demanded indignantly.

"Never mind…" I groaned as I peeled off my orange t-shirt and began to change.

"W-what are you doing?" Annabeth exclaimed, suddenly swinging around.

I frowned. "Changing. You don't really expect me to face the gods wearing this do you?"

"Y-yeah but there are ladies present!"

I glanced around, "Yeah, I noticed…what's your point?" I paused to glance around again as I peeled my shorts off. Strangely both Thalia and Annabeth were doing their best not to look, having turned a most peculiar shade of red. Steff and Aren had simply covered their eyes and were actually looking quite pale.

Strange…

"The point is you can't just go around changing clothes in front of people!" Annabeth snapped.

Now I was confused. "It was never a problem when I lived with Apollo…"

"That's different!"

"How?"

"Are you really that dense?" Annabeth demanded.

"He is," Thalia moaned as I put my jeans on. "Wait, you've seen Apollo naked?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Near enough…" Strangely, she seemed to go even redder.

That can't be healthy…

"Are you feeling alright? Your capillaries look fit to burst," I said anxiously to Thalia.

"Just tell us when you're finished!" she snapped.

I glanced myself up and down, "But I am…wait! Best put my coat on too, don't turn around yet!" I heard them sigh and turn around, "But I'm not done yet!"

"You've done the important bits!" Annabeth snapped.

Okay…

I threw on my black overcoat, strapped my sword on and grabbed my knapsack. "Right, best not keep the gods waiting."

"Right. Just don't do that again…" Annabeth groaned.

"Do what? I've got to get changed sometime!"

Annabeth looked about to scream, for some beguiling reason, but Thalia spoke up before she could. "I'll explain it to him on the way, Annabeth." She stopped to hug her friend goodbye and then ushered me out the door. "Let's go, nature-boy…"

To be continued…

-XA-

[A/N] Wow, I'm actually running out of author's notes, but I'm assuming you're just going right onto the next chapter.

So I'll see you in Chapter 4: Just One Question…