"Zoë Nightshade. Sas timo." The daughter of Zeus took a deep breath and traced an invisible Greek letter in the air, unknown that she was being watched.
"Hunters of Artemis. Sas timo." The girl stepped into the moonlight, into the clearing of the forest, and dropped to the ground, her legs folded, haunted blue eyes closed.
"Goddess of the moon," she uttered. "Sas –"
"Hello, Thalia," a cold voice sounded, and the shadows moved.
"Luke," she whispered, her eyes flying open in a flash. At light speed, her bow was in her hand and an arrow was notched, even though she had no idea where her enemy was.
Until Luke stepped out into the moonlight, his blonde hair slightly messy. He wore a gray shirt and long black pants, Thalia noted. He didn't seem to be carrying any weapons either.
"What is your business here?" she asked, all professional and how a Hunter should act. Hopefully, Luke didn't notice that her lower lip was trembling.
"I'm just visiting an old friend," Luke answered, giving her a wide Hermes smile. Casually, he walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Thalia's eyes widened, and she glared.
"And what, exactly," she demanded, "Do you think you are doing?"
"Drop the Huntress act," Luke rolled his eyes, as though the situation was perfectly normal and they were best friends. "You know you're glad to see me."
Thalia's eyes narrowed as she (skillfully) avoided the question. "All I have to do is scream. Then you'll be up in at Olympus, facing the gods in chains and probably the worst punishment the Furies have for you."
"I know," Luke answered, matter-of-factly. "But you wouldn't do that."
Thalia's shoulders sagged, and her weapons vanished as she dismissed them mentally. "I'm still asking you," she said, but sounding more of a defeatist this time. "Why did you sneak into Artemis' camp?"
"To see you."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"I'm sorry – what were you expecting? Hugs and kisses?" Thalia's voice was icy and distasteful as she spoke.
"No, but I was hoping about something like what you just said," Luke's smile widened into a smirk.
If Thalia's heart kept stuttering like that she would go into cardiac arrest. But she ignored it.
"You know why I joined the Hunt?" Thalia glared at him. "Because – forgive my lack storytelling skills – once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there was a boy who betrayed a girl. And then he poisoned her, and –"
"And resurrected her," Luke added, cutting in quickly. "Yes, that story's vaguely familiar. Did you tell me that when we were on the run or something? Because I don't really remember that story, you know?"
He was so sincere that Thalia almost believed him – if that hadn't been the summation of her worthless life.
"Let me continue the story," she said smoothly, straightening up. "After she was poisoned, her real friends resurrected her. And then, she decided that the boy was a fucking bastard and tried to kill him on a mountain. She failed, but she still thought the boy was a fucking bastard, so she joined the Hunt."
"Hmm. You never did tell me part two," Luke commented thoughtfully. "Is there a prequel?"
"Yes, there is, in fact," Thalia glared daggers at him. "A former Huntress who died had once told the girl who had been betrayed that the boy would let her down one day. And it turns out that she was correct, no matter how much the boy told her he wouldn't. Quite a sad story, isn't it?"
"Yes," Luke drawled. "But think about it, Thalia. If the gods didn't turn you into a pine tree, I wouldn't have gone over to the bad side. I did it for you. I resurrected you –"
"After you poisoned me."
"Yes, that's correct. But I had to do it."
There was a moment of silence as Thalia studied Luke passively.
"I'm letting you go," she said finally, turning away. "You have ten seconds before I change my mind and kill you."
Luke smiled, almost painfully. "Then do it."
Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Where's the catch?"
"There is no catch."
Thalia took out her spear and pointed it at Luke's throat. "You know, I actually could kill you right now," she whispered, her tone changing from expert Huntress to dark and tormented. "How are you not scared?"
"You can't kill me. I'm your best friend," he said, pulling the spear gently from her hold, smirk fading. It slipped through her slender fingers, and Luke placed it down on the ground. "See?"
Thalia closed her eyes, the moonlight reflecting off her raven black hair. "Go away," she ordered, with a princess-like authority in her tone. "This is Huntress territory. Why are you here anyway?"
Luke gave her a small, sad smile. "I just had to see you once last time," he whispered softly, and when Thalia opened her eyes much later, he was gone.