Author's Notes: I just can't get away from this story, can I? Oh well. I plan on updating FE:L in a week or two, so keep a lookout for that.
Disclaimer: PJO and HO are both owned by Rick Riordan.
Efialtis's POV
After a few minutes of thought, I made my way over to Artemis's Cabin. As I neared, I spotted a few hunters outside, feeding the wolves as they moved around the building. As I neared, they looked up at me, distrust and hate prevalent in their eyes.
"You're not welcome here." One stated when I got close.
A slight smile played at my lips as I crouched down, reaching out a hand to a wolf who sat beside me. It glared at me for a moment, and I turned to stare it in the eye. After a moment, it leaned forward, pressing its muzzle against my hand. When it did, the hunters let out a collective gasp.
"How did you do that?" One asked. "They never touch someone who isn't a hunter."
I looked up at the one who spoke, and stood. "I would like to speak with Lady Artemis." I ignored her question.
"You dare to-" One started.
"Serena!" Came a voice from inside the cabin. Out stepped the spiky haired girl that Percy had ran to.
"So," She said as she approached me, "you must be Efialtis. Percy has told me a lot about you."
"And yet he has made no mention of you." I answered, making her smirk.
"I'm Thalia Grace, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis."
"Grace? So you're Jason's sister?"
"Indeed. Word has it that you defeated him." She stared at me, her expression unreadable.
"Technically, I blasted him out of the sky, then ran to get the flag across the line, but I guess defeated works just as well."
She stared for a few minutes longer. Finally, she cracked a smile, and beckoned to the cabin.
"Lady Artemis was expecting you." She said.
I nodded, and walked past her, ignoring the glares shot my way by the few hunters present. Stepping inside the cabin, the first thing I noticed were the pelts. Rows upon rows of pelts adorned the walls and floor, each a separate animal or monster. Artemis sat on a bunk farthest from the door, many hunters bustling about, getting sheets for the beds. When I walked in, Artemis's gaze found mine, and she nodded to me. The hunters parted to let me pass, then turned and left without saying a word. All, save one, who stared at me distrustfully.
"You may go, Lily." Artemis spoke without removing her eyes from me.
"But My Lady-" Lily started.
"It is fine." Artemis cut in.
Lily looked at me for a moment longer, then turned on her heels and stormed out the door.
"So, what is it that you want?" Artemis asked as soon as Lily had left.
"I was told you were expecting me." I answered.
"I suppose you want some kind of reward for helping my hunters and me."
I stared at her, a confused look in my eyes. "Reward? I came to apologize."
Now it was her turn to look confused. "Apologize? For what?"
"I am sorry that I came to your aid first. I meant no disrespect, and in fact did not know your true identity until I was close enough to see your wounds."
She stared at me for a moment, an intrigued look replacing the confused one from earlier. "Interesting." She said after a moment. "I do believe that you are the first male to apologize to me in my entire eternity." She paused. "And for something that you need not apologize for. It is true that I assume the average age of my hunters, so it is no shock that you could mistake me for a regular hunter."
I nodded. "I have a question, if I may, Lady Artemis."
"Of course." She answered.
"You spoke of Orion possessing a power that he did not have previously, correct?"
"Yes, what of it?" She answered.
"Could you explain it to me, please?"
Once again, she stared at me for a moment before replying. "As you may know, Orion possesses mechanical eyes, forged by Hephaestus. These eyes grant him superior vision, as well as greatly increasing his accuracy. In addition, he possesses a bow unlike any other I've seen before. The wood is black, darker than the night sky, littered with small, ingraved blue gems. This bow is a powerful engine of destruction, responsible for the death of countless of my hunters.
"However, when he attacked us, he was different than usual. His eyes blazed with a black fire unknown to me, and he possessed greater strength than when I had last laid eyes on him. In addition, He used some kind of spell to immobilize some of my hunters, allowing the monsters to make quick work of them."
I nodded my head, the gears in my head turning. "It sounds like the blessing of Tartarus to me." I said after some thought.
"What?" Artemis asked.
"Be glad that he didn't touch any of your hunters with one of his arrows. It would cleave the soul from a mortal body."
"That sounds like Kronos's Scythe." She said.
I looked at her for a moment, allowing the implications of that to sink in. Then I affirmed them. "Where do you think his Scythe got that ability from?"
She stared in shock at me for a moment.
"The problem," I added, "is not that Orion has the blessing of Tartarus, but what that implies."
"What does it imply to you?" She asked. All traces of mistrust and hate were gone from her eyes, replaced by a cold seriousness.
"It implies that Tartarus is waking, and siding with the Titans. That would be worse then Gaia."
"How so?" She asked.
"Monsters would come back the instant we killed them. Courtesy of the "express train" of Tartarus. Not only that, but Tartarus is even more powerful than Gaia."
"How would you know?" She asked.
"My mother told me." I answered.
"Your mother, Nyx?"
"...Yes."
"Well, I-" She was interrupted by a voice at the door.
"Lady Artemis?" It was Serena.
"Yes?" Artemis looked up.
"It is nearing the time for the evening meal, and you've been talking with that...boy for a while now."
A quick glance outside confirmed the hunter's words. The sky was beginning to darken, and I realized that I had spent longer than I'd meant to talking with Artemis. I turned to her.
"I apologize for keeping you as long as I have. I'll take my leave, if I may."
She nodded to me, eyes staring with interest as I turned to leave. "Farewell, for now, Efialtis. It was...interesting talking to you, to say the least."
I nodded, and took my leave. As soon as I exited the cabin, the hunters filed in, sparing hardly a glance for me. I made my way over to the Hades cabin, and peered inside. As per usual, it was empty. I stepped inside, and sat on my bunk, immediately getting lost in thought.
~~~~Time Skip~~~~
It was announced during supper that the hunters would be joining Capture the Flag this Friday, which was two days from now. Much to the campers relief, however, Artemis would not be participating. It was bad enough considering the fact that the hunters had never lost a game before. Some campers were optimistic, hoping that Jason and Percy, as captains, would put an end to that streak.
That is, until the captains were announced. Nico and me. Last thing anyone expected, especially us. After we got over the shock, we immediately put our heads together, trying to figure out a way to win. Given the fact that we both didn't like talking a whole lot, however, sort of threw a wrench in our planning game.
"Yeah, but we can't spread our forces too thin. That'll leave us vulnerable to an attack." I said, pointing at the map.
"But there are only fifteen of them." He countered.
"Actually, there are sixteen, but that's beside the point. Besides, the females from the Apollo's cabin, Hecate csbin, Demeter cabin, as well as the Athena cabin are joining the hunters."
"What does that bring the total to?" He asked, staring down at the map spread out between us, groups of figures spread out across it.
"Almost three fourths of ours." I answered. "Athena has a lot of daughters at the moment."
He grunted, idly moving a figure around with the point of his sword. Watching him, I suddenly got an idea.
"Wait, if we move this group here, and this one here..." I moved the appropriate figures.
"What about this spot?" He asked.
"That can be covered by this group..."
We spent most of the night planning.
End Notes: Done. I've been making a concerted effort to lengthen the chapters, and it seems to have worked, for the most part. I will continue to increase the length until I reach at least 5k words per chapter, or average that amount. Anyway, please, submit an OC, and I'll see you next chapter. R&R! RayTheZoroark Out!
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