Chapter 4: My First Encounter with the She-Devils

Immediately after I stepped off the bus Luke Castellan's smiling face was in front of me. I smiled brightly and Luke grabbed my bags and we headed down 5th avenue. Then we arrived at a yellow house and two girls with dark brown hair and brown eyes scrambled out the glass door.

"THALIA!" the girls screamed and hugged me.

"Alex, Kerrigan I missed you guys so much!" I exclaimed.

"We missed you too Thalia!" We caught up about our lives and then Luke and I got to the point.

"Umm… you guys need to come on my adventure…." My voice trailed off.

"Totally, cuz, of course we'd go with you!" Alex exclaimed. We scouted out a plan and decided to head south towards Florida and hang out there for a while so we can be far away from Maine. We would figure out something from there. So, we were going to drive to give us some time. Luke and I would find somewhere to live until we either get found or killed.

"Where are we going to get a car?" Alex asked. I looked towards Luke.

"Umm…. Alex, Kerrigan, Thalia how opposed are you to grand theft auto?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"Let's do it!" We all exclaimed. Our hands all came together.

"On three," I said, "One… Two…. Three!" Our hands popped up, "FOR THE GODS!" we all screamed.

Alex and Kerrigan's parents arrived and Luke and I spent the night in the guest rooms. At one a.m. we all gathered outside and ran down the street to an eleven year-old's house. His name was Chris Rodriguez and he was a half-blood too. His older half-brother (non-demigod) Jerry had a Viper and we could steal it if Chris got to tag along.

That day "The Runaways" were started. The Runaways was our group name, Me, Luke Castellan, Alex Mireles, Kerrigan Healy, and Chris Rodriguez. Although we were all way too young Luke and I would take shifts driving. What most people don't know is that under aged demigods and satyrs are basically invisible when they are driving.

We knocked on the window of Chris Rodriguez's bedroom and he opened it and jumped out although it was two-story and he didn't land on our ladder.

"Hey guys," he said.

"I'm Thalia and this is Luke. You know my cousins, Alex and Kerrigan," I introduced Luke and myself to Chris.

"If were going to go we got to go now!" he said tensely.

Luke got in the front seat and I sat shotgun, Chris sat behind me, Alex sat behind Luke, and poor Kerrigan was stuck in the middle. Chris handed Luke the ring of keys and he started up the Viper. It roared to life and we sped down the lifeless streets of Long Island. We sped back towards the mainland of New York and were soon in New York City. The Viper had great speed and we were making great time until right in our path was a giant Manticore blowing spikes right in our path.

"Great!" I moaned.

It howled and Luke backed-up the Viper. We got out and I threw my spear at its head and it just bounced off and it clattered to the ground.

"FOR ZEUS!" I screamed and threw my spear yet again and this time it bounced off again but this time taking its eye with it. I heard stomping in the distance and thought another monster was coming.

The manticore froze. "This is not happening," it said.

A silver arrow passed the manticore's ear. He flew spikes right into the Viper which was now crushed. Another arrow whizzed in the air and hit the manticore right in the heart and he ran. The manticore ran to the Atlantic Ocean and didn't come back up.

Then I saw them.

There were about sixteen of them all either ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, or fourteen years old and they were all wearing silver cameo pants with white tee shirts and black leather jackets. They all had black solider boots and had silver bows with arrows in leather cases on their backs. Who did these girls think they were? The girl leading them was about twelve she had auburn hair in a ponytail and she had creepy yellow-silver eyes like the moon. She was beautiful. The girl behind her was about fourteen and she had copper skin, dark brown eyes to match her long dark hair braided. A silver circlet was braided into her long dark hair which made her look like a Persian Princess.

"We are the Hunters of Artemis and I am Lady Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt," said the girl in the front. I stared in amazement. How could this twelve year old girl be Artemis?

The dark haired girl stepped forward, "I am Zoë Nightshade, Daughter of the Titan Atlas. I am the Leader of the Hunters. Would any of girls like to join?"