Chapter Two: The Hunters Take a Field Trip

Zoë Nightshade

It did not take long for the Hunters to set up the tents where we slept, talked, and healed. Chrysanthe blew for the wolves and falcons to come. Having known we would be meeting demigods, they had stayed under the cover of trees while we hunted the manticore. No need to scare them.

I looked over at the demigods. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, was sitting at the fire, his face heavy. I could tell that he believed himself to love the half-blood who had fallen over the cliff. Annabeth, I thought her name was. I vaguely remembered her. Seven years ago, the Hunters had found her and… I couldn't even bring myself to think the other name.

No, that was not very strong of me, not very Hunter-like at all. I forced myself to whisper it. "Thalia."

I looked around our camp for her. I found her sitting so still at the foot of a large tree. For a moment, I doubted that it was Thalia at all. She never could sit still. Besides, as I thought about it, would not she have been older? She was twelve when we… well, she was twelve when we last met, and though by all rights she should be nineteen and grown now, she looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. She still looks older than I do, I thought with a start. As I had for many, many years now, I looked not a day older than fourteen years old. Barely old enough to be considered grown. In fact, lately in society, I would not be.

Thalia got up and began to pace, threading through the wolves. She knew them, from the times we spent with them seven years ago. I wondered if she was thinking of them… if she thought of me. I knew she remembered the fight we had from the expression on her face.

I watched her turn to face that miserable school we had rescued Bianca and her brother from. I would have liked to ask her what she was thinking of. Only a few years ago, we would have sat in the snow and shared the thoughts we had. Those days were gone and good riddance to them.

I saw Magia and Sabina running silently back to camp, carrying a couple of bags each. I assumed that the one in deep, nightly purple belonged to Bianca, while the one with that infernal animated sponge was Nico's. I nodded at my two sisters, and they broke from each other. One positioned herself outside the tent of Lady Artemis, waiting to hand Bianca her belongings, not paying much attention to the bag I believed was Thalia's. It was good to know I was not the only one who remembered what she had done. The other went to the small group of males that huddled around the fire. She dropped the bags near Percy, then walked away to join her sisters.

I walked to Magia, the Hunter waiting for Bianca. "I relieve thou of thy responsibility," I said, taking the bags from her. "I must speak to Lady Artemis as it is."

Magia smiled gratefully. She was almost as old as I was, being from the days of the Roman Empire. Many of their females had preferred to become Amazons, but she and Sabina- sisters- had preferred the traditional, Greek ways. I was glad of it. In our centuries of being Hunters, we had become good friends.

Quietly, reverently, I lifted the flap that led into the tent of Artemis. "I have brought thou thy belongings," I said.

Artemis smiled at me, and I felt pleased, as I always did. To an outside observer, I was sure I looked as though I was in love with the goddess. It was not so. Artemis had an aura about her if you were a young maiden, within her sphere of influence. You wanted to please her. I did not mind so much. She was my savior. Perhaps my devotion ran deeper.

I glanced at Bianca, who was small and scared and nervous. She reminded me of… of Thalia Grace, at age twelve. As it had when I met the Daughter of Zeus, my desire to protect this small girl scared me. I smiled at her… reassuringly, I hoped. My sisters liked to mock my smile, saying I needed more practice.

"Zoë," my goddess said warmly. "I'm happy you're here. Is everything set up nicely?"

"As you desired, my lady."

She rewarded me with another smile. "I have a task for you. Will you please go fetch Percy?"

I am certain my face betrayed my shock. "The boy?"

"Yes, Zoë, the boy. I believe I need to clear up a few things with him."

I nodded stiffly. "Very well." I turned and left the tent, heading towards the fire. Why would Lady Artemis need to speak with a male? This is so terribly wrong.

I stopped a few feet away from him and his two male friends, careful not to give them any ideas. "Percy Jackson."

I was amused as he straightened up slightly. I knew Hunters had that affect on people. Possibly especially me. Before I was a Hunter, I had been a nymph, and for some reason everyone fell in love with nymphs the moment they saw them. It could be quite annoying. Besides Hercules, getting away from that bothersome trait was why I chose to follow the goddess of the hunt. Sadly, it had not seemed to do away with that effect.

"Come with me," I continued. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

He followed me to Artemis's tent, and I motioned for him to enter. I watched his face as he obliged, and nearly smiled with the wonder flittering across it. The goddess's tent was quite lovely, especially if one had never seen it before. Artemis allowed a faint ghost of a smile to flicker on her own lovely face. "Join us, Percy Jackson," she said.

He sat across from her, and she stared at him intensely. "Are you surprised by my age?" she questioned.

"Uh, a little." What a son of Poseidon. He has all the eloquence of the water.

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want," Artemis said, her voice aloof and proud. "But this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?"

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure." Her eyes narrowed. "Forget themselves."

"Oh," he said, sounding as though he were dumb.

I walked over to Artemis's right side and sat down carefully, watching Percy, wanting to see how he reacted. He fancied himself in love with the half-blood maiden Annabeth. Would my lady's speech make him reconsider?

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis explained. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp… which one was it?"

I thought. "That boy in Colorado," I decided finally. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah yes, I enjoy making jackalopes." She nodded, remembering. Eventually, she continued. "At any rate, Percy, I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the… mmmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."

We listened, the goddess, Bianca, and I. I tried to work out what the boy was telling me, tried to come up with something that made sense. Something that related to the… thing we hunted. But nothing I could think of would fit into Percy's tale.

As Percy finished, Artemis stroked her bow thoughtfully. "I feared this was the answer."

"The scent, my lady?" I asked, straightening and trying to think even harder.

"Yes."

Percy looked confused. "What scent?"

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia. Prey so old I have nearly forgotten." Her voice was quiet. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'" Stupid boy.

"No, no, after that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."

The General? No. No, it cannot be. I turned to Artemis, wanting anything, comfort, help, assurance that Percy had heard wrong. As I was about to beg for something, she raised her hand, telling me to remain silent. "Go on, Percy," she said.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot."

"Stirring," Bianca corrected.

"Yeah, and he said 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all- the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"

Artemis stilled, and the rest of the room followed. I could hear the wind whispering outside. It was chilling.

"Maybe he was lying?" Percy suggested. Idiot boy.

Artemis shook her head, sad. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."

I attempted to breathe deeply. It did not do much to calm me. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No, Zoë. I must do this alone."

She knew how terrified I was. I felt ashamed. "But, Artemis!" I protested, wanting to prove that I was not as fearful as I may have appeared.

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."

Her voice was harsh, but I knew it was true. She needed to begin at my home... and I could never return there. If I had been another, yet with my strength, maybe I could follow her. But I was not. I was Zoë, and that would not change. "As... as you wish, my lady."

"I will find this creature," Artemis promised, her voice dangerous. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."

"You know what the monster is?" asked Percy.

"Let us pray I am wrong."

Percy looked stupidly at my goddess. "Can goddesses pray?"

Artemis smiled at the thought. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you."

"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"

"Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" I demanded. "But Artemis, we hate that place! The last time we stayed there..." Well, she knows, and I remember she does not like to hear this tale.

She sighed. "Yes, I know. But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

"Foolish campers," I cursed. "Must they be so horrible to us?" We would not have set fire to the camp if they had not told us that it was the only way to prevent monsters from getting in. Chiron later explained that the camp did not operate under a fire shield, but under an elaborate web of blessings to dispell the monsters. How were we to know? We still got blamed for the fire of nineteen eighty three, though.

Artemis turned to Bianca. "And now there is one last decision to make. Have you made up your mind, my girl?"

Oh! Artemis has officially invited her to join the Hunters. I did not know how I felt about this. Bianca reminded me of the twelve year old Thalia whom I had loved. Thalia broke my heart when she decided not to join. I worried that Bianca, too, would decline. At the same time... I worried she would accept.

The girl hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Wait, thinking about what?" asked Percy. Alarm played on his face.

"They... they've invited me to join the Hunt," Bianca explained.

"What! But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."

I sighed, a bothered noise that expressed my patience through this boy's idiocy. "It is not the only way for a girl," I told both him and Bianca, hoping to clear up their confusion.

"Bianca!" Percy said, his voice slightly whiny, "camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and... I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"

There were millions of ways I could have answered. Love. Sisterhood. The beauty of watching the dawn break on the forest. You were stronger as a Hunter, you did not feel too cold or too warm. There was always this sense of inner peace. One could not describe being a Hunter in words, so I went less for the metaphysical benefits and more towards what many wish to hear. "To begin with... immortality."

Percy stared at me, then at my lady. "She's kidding, right?" he asked.

Artemis chuckled. "Zoë rarely 'kids' about anything. My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal... unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

Breaking the oath, I knew, was not so likely either. There were indeed loopholes, loopholes that had allowed my love for Thalia.

"What oath?" Percy questioned.

"To foreswear romatic love forever," my lady said. I tried not not correct her. Yes, romantic love for another female was permitted. However, Artemis tried not to draw attention to it. Sisterhood, maidenhood, these were her domains. The definition of "maiden," however, changed as centuries went by. Now, whether a girl and a girl loved each other and... well... consummated said love... whether that was a loss of maidenhood was up for debate. "To never grow up," she continued. "Never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?" he asked. Artemis nodded. He looked like he could not believe it. "So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods..."

"Not just half-bloods," I interrupted. The prejudices of demigods! Must they always believe themselves to be the highest on the food chain, sometimes not even under the gods themselves? "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals..."

"Which are you, then?"

Did I not have enough of my history to deal with without this boy trying to figure me out? "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy!What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."

"Certainly not. He will go to camp," Artemis agreed. "Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey!" the boy protested.

"You can see him from time to time, but you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

"A new family, free of responsibility," Bianca echoed. I could hear the lust for this life in her voice. I was certain that tonight, I would gain a new sister. I smiled as the boy protested about how this situation was "nuts." It was nothing of the sort. It was wonderful.

Bianca looked up at me. "Is it worth it?" she asked.

I nodded. "It is."

"What do I have to do?" she asked, her voice quiet. She was still unsure, that I could tell.

I took a deep breath. "Say this. 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"

"I..." She stuttered, and for a moment I doubted that she would repeat the oath. However, she gulped and continued. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"

"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt. That's it?"

Again, I nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

We looked to Artemis. "I accept it," my lady assured.

The silver glow of the goddess's magic was cast over the room, filling Bianca with the utter peace and strength of so many young women, all of those under Artemis's patronage. I basked in it. It was what I lived for. I heard Bianca breathe deeply. "I feel stronger," she said.

"Welcome, sister," I smiled.

Artemis stared gravely at the newest Hunter. "Remember your pledge. It is now your life." Then she turned to the boy. "Do not despair, Percy Jackson. You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."

"Great," he muttered. "How are we supposed to get there?" I wondered the same thing.

My lady closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching."

I immediately understood and tried not to express my displeasure. Maybe I misunderstood. "Zoë, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother." No. Sadly, I had not misunderstood.

I nodded my obedience, then took Bianca's hand. "Follow me. I shall introduce thou to the rest of thy sisters."

As we walked out of the main tent, Bianca paused in front of the boy. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really do," she explained.

We left, and I turned to my new sister. "You did not need to explain thyself to that boy."

"I know," Bianca said quietly. "But there is someone who does."

We looked at her brother, Nico. "You must explain to him swiftly. It is best if it is quick."

She nodded and headed over to him. As for me, I began to walk towards the rest of the Hunters. They had congregated around the fire, laughing and talking. "Sisters!" I called, and they all looked towards me.

I nodded my approval at their quick response. "I am pleased to announce that there is a new Hunter... Bianca di Angelo." My sisters smiled and cheered. It was always an occasion, getting someone new. "She will be along shortly, she must explain to her brother Nico. Until then, we have been instructed to take down the camp. We will be riding the sunrise to Long Island come morning... as we will be staying at the heroes camp."

"Why?" called a Hunter. Jennifer, I believed.

"Lady Artemis has godly business. We may not assist in this."

Jenn sighed. "I hate camp."

Another Hunter, Rose, put her arm around Jenn. "We all do. It'll be alright."

I clapped my hands. "Now, to work! We will gather here as we finish."

I took the immediate area, the fire and it's logs. I put out the bright flames and cleaned the ashes, leaving no trace we had ever set a fire here. As I worked, I heard a male voice. I nearly jumped- I still wasn't used to it. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."

Another voice, Percy's. "How'd they even show up here? I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."

I smiled slightly. Trade secrets, boy.

"And Bianca joined them!" I froze. It was Thalia's voice, and as I could expect, it was angry. However, I did not expect her next words. "It's all Zoë's fault. That stuck-up, no good..."

I sucked in a breath. Thalia's words were almost word for word the last thing she said to me before tonight. Did she remember too? Was she trying to hurt me? Did she know I was eavesdropping?

"He will hurt and betray thou. Do not trust a hero."

The girl's eyes narrowed. Though she was only twelve years old, she seemed much older. It was part of living mythology. It could not be helped. "He won't. I won't."

"Why can't you just leave him? You are so..." I searched for the right word. "You are so stupid, Thalia Grace!"

Her eyes shone, like lightning. "And you're a stuck-up, no good bitch! I never want to see you again, Zoë Nightshade!"

I gulped down a bit of air and waited for my sisters. One by one, they returned to me. Bianca was last. "Does thy brother understand thy decision?" I questioned, trying not to let distress show on my face.

Bianca looked uncomfortable. "Kind of. I mean, he was upset. But... this is what I want." She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself, not me.

I slipped my hand into hers and squeezed. "All will be well with you and Nico in time. That is a promise, sister to sister." The smaller girl smiled. "Now, let me introduce the Hunters. You have met Phoebe and Chrysanthe... they are lower in command only to myself and Lady Artemis. The twins are Magia and Sabina. These four over here... they are Galatee, Echo, Livy, and Jane. Finally, on the other side of the fire are Mary, Rose, and Jennifer. Hunters of Artemis... this is Bianca"

There was more cheering. Many hugs and smiles. Bianca seemed to visibly loosen. She began to answer questions and ask her own. I tuned my sisters out, still distracted.

When finally the sky began to lighten, we walked over to the eastern edge of the clearing where we had camped for the night. When the first sight of the sun carriage appeared, we all averted our eyes. This entire situation had been played out before... and we learned the hard way that though Hunters could not easily die, they could easily go temporarily blind.

We had almost forgotten that Bianca didn't know about this. Luckily, Lady Artemis advised her. "Don't look. Not until he parks."

When finally Lord Apollo did park, he was in a car that was so shiny and flamboyant that it was a wonder he was not seen... a phenomenon due to Mist, no doubt. He climbed out of the car, and as he smiled, most of the Hunters frowned. Only Jennifer and Bianca, both too new to know any better, smiled back.

"Wow," I heard Thalia say, quietly. "Apollo's hot." Though I didn't like it, I could feel a stabbing pain shoot through me. A pain that was pure jealousy, hitting it's hardest.

"He's the sun god," Percy said, his voice confused.

"That's not what I meant," Thalia breathed. She had a look on her face that I knew well. The look was pure attraction. It spoke volumes about what she was feeling. With another sharp pain, I remembered the times when she would aim that look towards me.

Apollo did not seem to notice that Thalia lusted for him. He smiled at Lady Artemis. "Little sister! What's up? You never call… you never write… I was getting worried!"

Lady Artemis seemed exasperated as she answered. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."

"Hey," the god said with mock indignity. "I was born first."

"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue?"

He ignored the question. "So, what's up? Got the girls with you, I see." The Hunters glared. Though we could not very well do anything about it, the demeaning way that Lord Apollo referred to us was something that never failed to make us angry. "You all need some tips on archery?" he added then, making the entire situation worse. Maybe we were not as good as the gods, but the Hunters of Artemis were the best and brightest archers out of all mortals.

My lady gritted her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do… alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

Apollo grinned. "Sure, sis." Suddenly, an odd expression came onto his face and he raised his hands, a silent commandment for silence. "I feel a haiku coming on." My sisters and I groaned. Another blasted poem! This is one of the reasons I swore off boys forever.

Apollo cleared his throat. "Green grass breaks through snow/ Artemis pleads for my help/ I am so cool."

There was dead silence for a moment. Finally, Lady Artemis broke it. "That last line was only four syllables."

"Was it?"

"Yes. What about 'I am so big-headed?'"

"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmmmmm…"

I saw the three boys looking confused and figured that the least I could do would be to explain. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with 'There once was a goddess from Sparta…'"

"I've got it!" the god interrupted. "'I am so awesome.' That's five syllables." In an overdramatic show of flair, he bowed. As he straightened his body, his face also grew solemn. "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing… I was just about to roll."

"These demigods will also need a ride. Some of Chiron's campers," Artemis explained.

"No problem!" He looked at the group of four standing apart from the Hunters of Artemis. One in particular. "Let's see. Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

Thalia blushed, and I tried not to feel hurt yet again. "Hi, Lord Apollo," she said shyly. Trying not to feel hurt was getting harder by the minute. The shy tone of voice she used was so attractive; it could drive a girl mad. Desperately, I wished to be over this girl. Thalia Grace was too capable of making me crazy. I did not like it. It was something about myself I could not control. It was something dangerous.

"Zeus's girl, yes?" Apollo asked, rhetorically of course. He was a god; he knew things about Thalia that she didn't know herself. For instance, possibly, her sexual identity. Apollo suddenly smiled. "Makes you my half-sister."

I allowed myself a tiny smile. Maybe that fact would push all thoughts of attraction out of Thalia's mind.

The god continued. "Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time…"

Oh, so first thou remind her of your relation, and then thou call her pretty? If thou art "in to that", I know plenty of relations on Mount Olympus… and that's good, as thou will be afraid to leave if I ever get my hands on thou!

Artemis glanced at me as I seethed. "Brother, you should get going," she said quickly, more for my benefit than for his.

"Oh, right," he said distractedly, before turning to one of the boys. "Percy Jackson," he murmured.

"Yeah," Percy responded. "I mean, yes, sir."

Apollo, for once, was silent. Sadly, it only lasted a moment. "Well, he said," ignoring all the tension of before, "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way. West. And if you miss it, you miss it."

Nico stepped forward and began to examine the sun chariot. "Cool car!" he said.

"Thanks, kid."

"But how will we all fit?"

Apollo stared at Bianca's brother as if he had invented nuclear fission. "Oh. Well. Yeah. I hate to change out of sports car mode," the god sighed, "but… I suppose."

He took out a small device and pressed a button. The car glowed and shifted into a larger vehicle. "Right, everybody in."

I nodded. "Hunters! Load up camp. Quickly, sisters! The sun may not wait forever."

I reached down and grabbed my own backpack and tent. I was close to the ground when someone bent down next to me. "You still have it bad for the daughter of Zeus, don't you?" said Lord Apollo. "I remember that you two dated. You were cute together then. Wish you two were still together. It can be fun watching you two making out." I stiffened for a moment, then came back up.

So did the god. He reached for my bags. "Here, sweetheart, let me get that," he said casually, as if that was all he had ever said. I stepped back, mainly so I didn't aim my bow at him. I could not win against a god, said my logical mind, but Apollo was making me want to test those limits.

Artemis pursed her lips. "Brother… you do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them 'sweetheart.'"

Apollo shrugged. "Sorry, I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to anyway?"

"Hunting. It's none of your business."

"I'll find out," he threatened. "I see all. Know all."

Artemis half-laughed. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around."

"No, no! I never mess around," he promised. As he finished that sentence, he caught my eye and winked at me. I barely managed to stop myself from sending an arrow into his heart.

The lady did not look so sure about her twin brother's assurances. However, she turned to us. "I will see you by winter solstice," she vowed. "Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."

I straightened, trying to look as sharp as my clouded mind would allow. "Yes, my lady," I said.

My lady began the Hunt right in front of us, checking for any traces of the monster that she sought. "So much danger," she murmured. "The beast must be found."

With that, she ran towards the woods, gracefully. I watched for as long as I could, but she seemed to almost become part of the forest, and it was not long before I couldn't pick her out among the trees. And as she was out of sight, Apollo whistled. We all turned. "So, who wants to drive?" he asked.

There was dead silence again. When would the god learn how to be polite, or at least a little less awkward? He did, after all, have eternity. As quietly as I could… which, being a Hunter, was very quietly… I boarded the van, climbing as far into the back as possible. One by one, the Hunters followed, leaving the four others to answer to Lord Apollo.

As soon as we were on board, the chatter started where it left off. Bianca was already one of us- that much was obvious. I did not contribute much to the conversation, only sat back and listened. Between sentences that the Hunters said, I could hear snippits of conversation from Apollo and the demigods. When Apollo exclaimed "Daughter of Zeus, perfect!" I stopped listening to my sisters at all and paid more attention to the front.

"C'mon," Apollo said when I tuned my ears to focus on him, "How old are you?"

Twelve, I thought automatically. It was how old she was when... but wait, that was seven years ago. Thalia's nineteen?

She didn't answer that immediately. When she did answer, it was in her shy voice again, too low for me to hear.

Apollo seemed to correct her. "You're fifteen. Almost sixteen."

Wait. I suddenly knew what this was about. They kept up the who-wants-to-drive conversation. Apollo wants Thalia to drive.

Thalia is afraid of heights.

I stood, intent on going up there and setting him straight. However, as I rose, a small hang grasped my wrist. "Where are you going, Zoë?" It was Bianca. And... oh no... she had a shy voice. It was almost as endearing as Thalia's shy voice, too.

I sat. "I just had to stretch my legs. They are tired, cooped up in here."

Bianca and some of the other newer girls accepted that. Most of the Hunters did, actually. But I could see Phoebe and Chrysanthe looking at me with concern. Are you alright? Phoebe mouthed. I nodded.

Thalia can take care of herself, right?

No. She can't. That's why she needed me.

Then why did she let you go?