Disclaimer: Sorry to disappoint, its not Ricky.

"What!?"

That one word shattered the silence that had enfolded after Artemis invited me to join the Hunt. It was spoken by a tough-looking girl, who was quite pretty and has a kinda punkish look going for her. She looked appalled that Artemis would invite me, though I had no idea why. The Hunt sounded fun, I mean, a bunch of girls hanging out forever. Or at least, that's all it sounded like to me.

"Thaila, is there a problem that I invited Nicole to join us?" Artemis asked, looking a bit resigned.

"She's a daughter of Aphrodite! If she joins, she will break the vow within a week!" The girl, Thaila, exploded.

I felt very, very confused about the whole ordeal. "Wait, what vow would I have to make? Is this like, a cult?" I asked, very resonably.

All of the girls burst out into a fit of giggles, while even Artemis looked like she enjoyed my ignorance a bit. "No," she stated, "This is a group of females, whom pledge their service to me and my cause of hunting all wild beasts. A requirement of sorts, is that you must vow to be a maiden forever. I know to you that must sound ghastly, but think of the perks: immortality, perfect archery, having eternal friends, and much, much more. You would find after joining that boys would be a distant thing of the past, a kind of fly buzzing in the ear type of thing."

When I heard the words, 'be a maiden forever', my heart about stopped. 'No boys... Ever?' I thought. But then I glanced at Eric, standing there in his boxers, looking quite disappointed and forlorn that the Hunters had interrupted what he was doing, so I said "May I consider it, Miss. Artemis?"

She simply nodded her head and handed me my clothes. I went behind a tree and pulled them back on, but there was no longer a party feel to the fabric. Instead, I felt vulnerable, empty, violated. Like something was taken from me. Adding to the fact that I could not stop shaking, I was not a happy camper. When I finished, Artemis was talking to the girls. "Now, my friends, I must leave you. The sun rises soon, and Apollo and I must talk. Take Nicole and the boy to their cabins. Thaila, you may check in with Chiron and go to my cabin. I will see you soon. And try not to destroy anything. Oh, and Nicole, I am always open for your vow to come." she added. Then, the Goddess Artemis turned and sprinted off to the East.

The Huntresses all were a little tight, like they were worried about something. We journeyed through the woods silently, heading towards Camp. All of the maidens kept their distance from Eric, and I could see a few that were giving him distasteful looks and that still had their bows out. When we reached the edge of the woods, Thaila looked at me. "Nicole, let me walk you to your Cabin," she said, but it was more like a demand. The other girls ambled along, with Eric in the middle, being shephered to the Apollo Cabin.

Thaila and me started walking, each of us lost in our own thoughts, until she broke the silence. "Consider well, Nicole. Becoming a Hunter is not something to lightly do. Once you take the vow, you must never break it, or you will face expulsion." Thaila spoke gravely, and I knew her words were true. Then she nodded to me and walking off towards the big house.

I sat outside the Cabin, within reaching distance of the door just incase, and watched the sun rise. I pondered about what Artemis would tell Apollo, and if Apollo would care that his son had tried to rape a girl. That word made me shiver. rape. That had almost happened to me. A few minutes later and I would've been forever excluded from joining the Hunters. I knew that I could gladly join the Hunters, forget about tonight, and live forever. But what would my sisters say? What would my mother say! I flinched just thinking about it. But in the back of my mind, me joining the Hunt was still a possibility. Maybe someday... It said. Maybe.

I jerked awake as I felt a light tapping on my shoulder. My dreams were absolutely ghastly. Filled with men in the shadows, and I would run and run and never move. I rose my eyes to see who had awakened me. It was Darron, the Son of Ares.

"You never came back last night" He said mornfully. "I waited and waited for you"

My entire being shyed away from him. He was just so big! And with his vantage point he could easily overtake me. I found myself curled in a ball, hiding from him.

"Nicole, what happened last night?" He uttered softly. I couldn't even muster up the courage to say something. Then I heard the door to my Cabin open.

"Nicole!" April shrieked. "Oh dear, whatever happened! We thought you guys had gotten eaten by a monster or something! Whats that on your face. OHEMMGEES! Is that a bruise! What happened! You have to come inside. Oh Silena, come over here and help me get her up. She looks horrible! Ohmy, Ohmy!" she exclaimed, all the words running together. In a snap, I found myself in the Cabin in the middle of my sisters.

"Oh honey, don't worry, the bruise will fade. I have some great makeup that will cover it until it does, though!" Someone said. Another added "Really, you should get up and get ready. Breakfast is only in like, and hour."

I forced myself to get up, and then I padded over to the shower. I could hear my sister's talking as I was soaking. 'That bruise looks awfully like a hand mark', 'Her clothes are all rumpled and wrinkled!', and 'I really hope they used protection.'

When I came out, all the talking stopped. As I got ready, forced conversation was all around me. I couldn't stand all the built up tension, so I threw on jeans and a t-shirt and made for the door. My sisters all gasped. "Your going out....In that?" one asked. I nodded and threw open the door.

A/N: Song- Stand in the Rain by Superchick.

By the way, this chapter is kindof just to fill space. It needed to be written, but I don't like it. Ill write more soon!