Chapter 23. Alva: Dangerous Territory
The moment I opened my eyes, I knew I was dreaming. It was one of those dreams when you feel like you're just watching everything unfold before your eyes and you're completely powerless to stop it. I hate those dreams. I hate dreaming, hate being powerless. Period. It was dangerous. First, my dreams seemed meaningless, I was always walking, trying to get somewhere, anywhere but there was only grey, grey, grey everywhere. Imagine that. I just kept walking, and walking but I didn't seem to be getting anywhere. And I can't do anything about it either, I just had to walk. Why? I didn't know. Then, I dream of Ethan. Ethan on his good days with light in his eye and sunshine on his raven hair. Ethan, dark and twisted in the dark, firelight flickering on his face. Ethan's fist flying out of nowhere, hitting the side of the face. Ethan kicking me, as I lay on the ground, trying to make myself smaller and smaller; trying to disappear. Of course I hate dreaming. How could I not?
But I knew this dream was different right away. First of all, I think was in a cave, with a domed stony ceiling and stalactites spiraling downwards as though they were trying to impale me. Secondly, there wasn't any gray and no sign of Ethan. I sat up carefully, trying to avoid the stalactites that grew like rocky swords everywhere. I looked around. It was really small for a cave, more of a hollow, really. Not three feet away was the exit. Or the entrance, depending on how you looked at it.
Slowly, carefully, I picked my way out. Once I reached the gaping mouth of the little cave, I peered out. And froze. It was chaos. Literally. I couldn't make sense of anything at first; it was all red, red, red. I couldn't make out anything else. I was beginning to think that this was some bizarre twist of the grey dream when a blast of blue appeared over the horizon. I blinked and covered my eyes. The light seemed as bright as the sun in the endless red.
I looked out again. The navy explosion seemed to have done something to the landscape. The sky was still that terrible blood red but suddenly, I could pick out mountains, tiny figures of people, swirling dark masses of people fighting against … something. I stepped further out of the cave, staring. I was looking at a battleground. I could see catapults, and two tents at opposing ends of a huge plain. All around it were mountains, mountains rising higher than it seemed possible. One of the massifs rose higher than the rest, completely blocking out any view of the sky. On the plain, two armies churned against each other. I took another step. The further I went from the cave the better I could see. I felt my breath quicken. I could pick out Chiron, storming one end of the army all alone, armed with his bow and his face twisted with savage anger. It looked so different than how I remembered him – annoyingly wise and patient – that the change was jarring. I could see more demigods from Camp battling. Waging the war against monsters, endless rows of monsters, behemoths, whatever. They seemed no end to the enemy. Red liquid seemed to be flooding the ground like a crimson sea, adding to the harsh scene. I stared. It was terrifying. Terrifying and wrong. This shouldn't be happening. Someone, something had unsettled the balance. I could feel something in the air, an aura of something gleeful, something that was rejoicing in the chaos. Something that was waiting. It was all so confusing. I felt my head beginning to hurt.
"Alva!" I whirled around. Connor, of all people, scrambling up beside me. I had been so preoccupied with the scene before me I hadn't even noticed that I was standing at the edge of a ridge. Another step and I wouldn't have toppled down to oblivion. I jumped back, looking around, wildly. Behind me, the side of a mountain rose up to the heavens. I was on a trail of some kind, leading up the mountains. Connor walked up to me. His clothes were torn and dirty, his hair mussed up and standing in edge. He had various scars on his face and arms, all bleeding. Connor held his sword out, holding it up at every turn as if he was expecting something to jump put at him. Seeing him threw me into a whirlwind of emotions. Confusion, hurt, longing and sadness. Feelings so strong it was a physical pang. I felt my stomach twisting and my heart fluttering.
This was ridiculous. This was not the time or the place. "Connor!" I called put stepping forward carefully. "What's going on?" Connor didn't hear me. His gaze passed right through me. I had forgotten I was dreaming.
"Alva!" The anguish in his voice surprised me. It was like he had lost something precious. Something priceless that had been taken away from him by force. It was heart-rending, the pain in his voice. His eyes looked haunted as they passed through mine. I stepped forward, reaching out to him, stopping short as he walked right through me. That wasn't the Connor I remembered.
"Alva, come back!" He yelled again, his voice breaking. He kept on yelling, walking up the path. I stood there, straining to hear his voice as it slowly faded away, leaving me feeling strangely empty. What had he lost that had changed him like that? Why was he asking me to come back? Where had I gone? I turned away from the scene of the battle, facing the mouth of the cave.
Except the cave had disappeared. In its place was a mirror. I could see myself in the mirror. I looked different, like a familiar stranger. Or a twin that looked like me but wasn't quite me. I frowned, and the image of me frowned too. What was different? The hair was the same, still a multicolored freak show, hanging in my eyes. Maybe it was a little longer at the back, but still. Then it struck me. I stepped back, almost falling off the cliff. My scar. It was gone. The right side of my face was completely smooth. I touched the mirror, pressing my palm to my image's. It couldn't be possible. I had that scar for as long as I remembered. It couldn't be gone. It shouldn't be gone.
The image in the mirror flickered. I saw Connor, walking up the trail, still calling my name. Still sounding broken and tired. Then, something went wrong. He slipped or something pushed him or something. Connor slid of the precarious edge of the cliff. A strangled yell escaped him. Instantaneously, a cry tore from my lips. I rushed forward banging my knees against the solid wall of the mirror. I hit the glass angrily with my fist. I had to get to him. Connor hung of the edge by one hand. I wanted to call out to him, tell him I'm coming just hold on. Hold on, don't let go, for the love of all the gods. Just. Don't Let. Go. But I couldn't. There was no sound coming from my throat. I couldn't hear my voice. The image in the mirror flickered again. Connor disappeared. I screamed a silent yell.
I could see myself again. I saw that I had no mouth. Where my lips used to be was just blank skin. It scared me more than anything I had ever seen before. My hands flew to my face, tracing the smooth skin there. No, no, no, no. This could not be happening. I watched as the chilling blankness spread to the rest of me. My features seemed to be melting, disappearing. My nose, my ears, everything. Like I was fading. My eyes had just begun dimming at the edges when the image in the mirror changed again.
Ethan stood there. My vision continued to disappear but I could still see him. He had both of his eyes. Gods, he looked amazing. Healthy, vibrant, real. Not the skinny, half blind, street kid I knew. He was breath-taking. His twin orbs of gray fire looked me dead in the eye. He was alive, more animated than I ever remembered him being. I reached out, my hand flattening against the cool deadness of the mirror. I wanted to touch him, feel him. Say I was sorry I didn't try harder to stop him. Didn't try harder to please him. Sorry, Ethan. I am so sorry.
"Do you love me?" Ethan asked. Yes, I tried to say. But my voice was gone. I nodded furiously. "Don't lie to me," Ethan said, his eyes flashing. "Don't ever lie to me, Alva." I shook my head, but I couldn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything. Ethan reached out, out of the mirror. His cool hand touched my own feverish arm. I wanted to cry. He was alive! He could touch me. I could feel him. He was alive. Living and breathing. "Don't lie to me. I know when you're lying to me," he growled. Suddenly, his face changed. I wasn't happy to see him anymore. I was terrified. I wanted to run. Run as fast as I could. He pulled and I fell forwards into the mirror. Forwards into the darkness. Alone. Except for Ethan.
Suddenly, my voice returned and I screamed out the name of the one person who I knew could help me. Would help me. "Connor!" I yelled. It was no use. I disappeared into the eternal blackness. As I fell into the blackness, I swore I heard the faintest hint of Connor's voice in response.
I fell further and further into the hole. When I emerged again, I was in a memory. One of the countless memories I had of Ethan. I felt sick as I my dream twisted, changing, morphing. I was sick of myself. Of thinking of Ethan. But I couldn't help it. I never could when it came to Ethan.
I keep thinking about that little sparkle in his eye. How the sun used to make his hair even darker than usual. How his smile would be the only thing I see when I wake up, the only thing I would need to see, even as the days got darker and colder. He was amazing really, Ethan. He could keep giving as the temperature dropped lower and lower and still say that it'll be better tomorrow.
I remember that time when we were walking along the interstate highway, someplace between somewhere and anywhere. Snow was falling hard and I didn't know if it was morning, night or even afternoon. It was just dark. Time had lost all meaning.
As we shook snowflakes from our hair, stomping our feet and clapping our hands to keep warm, I asked Ethan a question. "Why do you do this?" I said quietly. I always had to be quiet these days; I never knew when he would get angry. But I didn't blame him, I couldn't. No one ever said living on the streets was easy. Ethan looked up at me, his one gray eye gleaming. I relaxed a little. He was in a good mood.
"Do what, Al?" He always called me Al. He said it was cuter. I never minded though I did have some reservations about being called 'cute'. The highway was deserted at this time of the year. It wasn't quite Christmas yet but not early winter either. It was that time of the year when all that seems to exist is the snow and you wonder sometimes if the sun was just a myth.
"Keep going on, like this," I answered, gesturing at the world in general. We were walking smack on the middle of the road where it was flatter and easier to move. Forests of bare pine trees flanked us on either side. I could see a huge mountain rising in front of us, swathed by the cold grey clouds of winter. The world seemed barren, dead and empty like Ethan and I were the sole survivors of the apocalypse. It was both terrifying and relieving at the same time. Ethan laughed. He had a nice laugh. It changed him somehow; he looked more carefree and happy, less like he had a huge burden weighing down on his shoulders. I smiled.
"Well, what else I am supposed to do, Al?" Ethan said between chuckles. "Go back to Camp? Join their little band of singing demi-fools? Believing that all is right with the world when it isn't?" Ethan's voice turned mocking. I winced. Camp was a dangerous subject. But I couldn't clam up now. Things might just get worst if I hadn't screwed up already.
"Maybe all is right with the world." I said, looking up at the mountain, trying to see how high it goes. "Maybe it's us that's wrong." My voice was wistful, I know. My hair was tucked up underneath my cap but I knew that it would be a bright yellow, almost gold. Ethan stopped walking and I mirrored him. I always do.
"Oh, really, Alva?" Ethan sounded dangerous now. Bye, bye, Al and cutesy names. I winced again. Great job, Alva. You made him mad. Do you want a medal? "What exactly do you suggest we did wrong?" He stepped forward, the gleam in his eye gone. Now, it seemed dark instead, like the clouds above us. There was a smoldering fire behind them. A fire hot enough to melt the chilly winter we were breathing now. I felt my heart speed up, my breath coming out in spurts. Every bruise, every scar I hid beneath my clothes began to ache, like phantom pains. I felt my hands begin to shake and I stuffed them into my pockets. Weakness only made him angrier. I should know.
"I-I- I didn't mean that." I sputtered out. He was advancing now, his long legs prowling like a hunter's, dangerous but sort of elegantly beautiful all at once. "I just mean, may-maybe," I took a deep breath. "That maybe, we could do something. You know, maybe we could change, make the world better." Wrong answer; he was still advancing.
"I thought you said all was right with the world," Ethan growled. I nodded furiously. He reached out and I leaned back reflexively, searching for the right words to douse that fire. I couldn't find them, everything I said or did was wrong. I just couldn't. No. No. I knew what was coming and I didn't want it. Please, Ethan. Don't do it. I'm sorry.
"I-It is!" I said, my eyes wide, flicking from one tree to the next, avoiding his scorching gaze. Trying to look anywhere but at him. Anywhere but at that raging fire I knew so well. "Just that maybe we can make it bett-" I never finished the sentence. Ethan grabbed the front of my jacket and I gulped, swallowing my words whole. Fear filled my heart like water filling a glass. Ethan pushed me back, off the interstate into the dark forest. Dark was bad. Dark was very bad. But I didn't fight back, letting Ethan push me into the shadows, trying not to stumble over my own feet. My heart thundering hard, beating a tattoo against my ribs. He slammed me into a tree and I winced as the hard, winter frozen bark hit my back.
"Don't lie to me," Ethan hissed, his face mere inches from mine. He shook me slightly and I felt my cap slid off my head. My hair spilled out, flopping over my eyes and spilling ever my shoulders. "There's nothing good about Camp, okay? Nothing. They are cruel and dangerous. Sure, it looks like sunshine and rainbows but they lie, okay?" He shook me again, trying to emphasize his point. I nodded furiously again. Anything to avoid what was coming. "They lie. They lied to me. Don't lie to me too." He let go of my jacket. I let go the breath I didn't know I had been holding.
Ethan buried his head in my shoulder and I automatically placed my arms around him, stroking his beautiful hair. He ran his hands up and down my back, tracing the shape of my body. We stayed like that for a while, breathing in synchronization. Then, Ethan raised his head and kissed me. The kiss was soft and sweet and it lasted a long time. When it was over, he looked me dead in the eye. There was another fire there now, the fire I saw when we lay beside each other looking up at the stars. When we had spent hours kissing on some park bench somewhere. When he smiled at me on his good days. It was a good fire, this one. It meant I was safe. No hitting, no kicking, no punching. No trying to stifle moans and cries as Ethan had his way with me. Safe. So why did it scare me even more?
"Alva," he said his voice oddly formal all of a sudden. "Alva, I love you." I blinked. I suppose I should feel something. But I hadn't felt anything but fear for so long. It was all I could remember feeling. It was confusing. Love. He loved me. Did he, really? Yes, yes, of course he did. He was the only one I had. The only one. And I had been alone for so long. Yes.
"I love you, too," I said back. But all I felt at that moment was gravity. Gravity pulling my fear out of my heart so it flowed through my body like a dark bird spreading its wings. Gravity. Fear. Maybe there was no difference after all.
"Hey," a voice above me was calling. "Hey, wake up," the voice continued. My eyes flew open. I was looking right into the bright jade green eyes of a girl. A girl I didn't know. I shot up, reaching for my sword. The girl reacted just as quick. Within moments we both had various weapons pressed at each other's throats. I had a celestial bronze dagger pointed at her throat and my sword was digging, probably very painfully, into the green eyed girl's neck.
"Whoa, Alva! She's with us! She's helping! Don't kill her!" I turned to see Vanessa, waving her arms at me like a maniac. Behind her, Di Angelo was sitting on the ground, holding his head and looking annoyed. I put down my sword, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Vanessa smiled, relieved. "Alva, this is Phoebe. Phoebe this is Alva." I frowned, barely acknowledging Phoebe, whoever she was.
"Vanessa," I said, putting a hand up to my head. It felt like someone had bashed it with a hammer or something. What happened? Gaia was there. And Prometheus. And she pushed Di Angelo and me to the wall." Someone had bandaged my head. I remembered hitting my head against the mountain wall. Twice. No wonder it hurt so badly.
"Slow down, Alva." Vanessa pulled me back on the ground. "You were bleeding pretty badly just now. Phoebe fixed you up, though," Vanessa rattled on. She shot Phoebe a grateful smile. I would have shaken my head if it didn't hurt so much. That girl trusts everyone far too easily. Vanessa shot me a pointed look. I sighed.
"Thanks, Phoebe," I looked at the girl. She was around my height but much beefier. She looked like she could take me down in a fight, easy. Her hair was carrot red and it stuck up wildly at various places. She looked to be around Vanessa's age, maybe younger. Phoebe seemed tough but there was certain softness to her face that said otherwise.
"It was the least I could do," Phoebe said. "That was some nightmare you were having," she went on nonchalantly. My nightmare. I winced, recalling the details. It was so vivid. I remembered hitting my knees on the mirror and how Ethan looked and the snow in my hair. I glanced down at my legs. Working on some hidden instinct, I pulled up the leg of my jeans up to my knees. There were two identical purple bruises on my knees. Exactly where I had hit the accursed mirror. I let the material fall, feeling my head swirl again. It could have come from somewhere else, anywhere. That was just a dream. Just a dream. I tried to push the memory out of my head. How alive Ethan had looked, so vibrant, so real. It was enough to make the bile rise up in my throat.
"Alva? Earth to Alva, hellooo?" Vanessa waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked and focused on her sweet face again. Her blue gray eyes were pinched with worry and there were dark bags under her eyes. She looked tired. And defeated. "You were miles away," she said quietly. I looked around; Phoebe had disappeared so I could talk to Vanessa properly.
"What happened, Vanessa?" I asked her, my voice low. She met my gaze squarely. I saw fear cloud her eyes. Her gaze dropped to the ground.
"I don't know," she said quietly. "I did something, I'm not sure what. They just disappeared. Then, I blacked out and woke up here." At here, she waved an arm at the area around us. We were in a campsite of sorts. There were various silver tents pitched around the clearing and silver clad girls in black combat boots stomped around the area. I spotted wolves with shiny pelts slinking in and out of the area and huge birds that looked like grey falcons, swooped down, perching on the tents.
"The Hunters," I breathed. Vanessa nodded. Well, it could have been worse. We could have been captured by the Amazons. "Is Artemis here?" I asked Vanessa. She nodded.
"She wants to see us later." Vanessa sounded terrified. I understood why. I had heard stories about the goddess of the hunt. Funny how many of them involved jackalopes. I turned back to Vanessa.
"Show me what happened," I asked. Vanessa's brow furrowed and it took her a while to get what I was saying.
"Show you? Ph-"Vanessa looked a little reluctant.
"Please." I said, taking her hand. "I want to know what they said. And what you did." Vanessa sighed and nodded. She squared her shoulders, lifting her chin. I closed my eyes, and reached out, feeling for the aquamarine blue spark that was her mind.
"Ready," Vanessa said her voice small but determined. Ready. I dived into the spark. Immediately I was reliving the events of the past few hours, from Vanessa's point of view. It was astounding how much she thought of Death Boy. He seemed to be woven into her every thought. Boy was she infatuated. Then, I saw the images Prometheus had shown her, the twisted story. I heard Vanessa gasping and mumbling something as I made her live through all her memories again. I felt a little guilty for that, but I had to know what happened without any details edited. But I could have done without the various details about Death Boy intruding into her thoughts.
I saw Gaia smashing Di Angelo and me into the wall and winced as I heard our heads cracking against the wall. Vanessa let out a whimper and I squeezed her hand. Gaia blabbed something about a deal, a compromise. Pride flared up in me as Vanessa fought back. Surprised, I watched as she reached out for her power. She just washed two powerful Titans away. Just like that. I opened my eyes. Vanessa looked at me expectantly.
"You were amazing," I told her. She blushed, shaking her head
"I freaked out. I don't even know what I did," she began but I cut her off.
"You stood up to two powerful Titans. Not many people could have done what you did," I told her. She just smiled, shaking her head. I let it go, forging on. "What did Prometheus mean you have things even Gaia has no power over?" Vanessa shrugged and I sat back, frowning. I looked out at the campsite.
It was dark, probably near midnight and moonlight flooded the clearing, making everything look like it was swimming in a sea of silvery light. The whole place looked like something out of a fairytale. I was leaning against a tree, at the edge of a campsite. The Hunters had probably dumped us here because of the infectious male in our midst. Vanessa had probably refused to leave him, smitten as she was.
I watched as Vanessa, looked around for Di Angelo, flushing slightly as he made her gaze. He stared at her for a moment and looked away, his eyes dark. I could sense something boiling in him, some kind of dark rage and hurt. Something about his sister. Vanessa's thought were just as chaotic, with Gaia, Prometheus and Di Angelo rolling in and out of them. She kept thinking about the images Prometheus had shown her. I nudged her slightly and she looked up.
"Hey," I gave her a little half grin. The best I could do under the circumstances "What do you say we go get some food?" Vanessa grinned, jumping up and pulling me along with her.
"I say 'Hallelujah'!" she said. Turning she called out to the emo freak who was slumped against another tree. "Hey, Nico! You hungry?" Di Angelo looked up at her and I felt pain travel through his mind again. Being in the Hunters' camp was really bothering him but I couldn't tell why. There was too much rage.
"You guys go ahead," he said quietly. Vanessa's shoulders slumped as she nodded and turned away. We had barely taken two steps when he called put again. "Vanessa?" She turned, looking at him hopefully. "Bring me some of the hot chocolate, would you? I don't think they want me anywhere near their precious tents." He sounded bitter. Vanessa looked confused but she nodded anyway.
"He's been like that since he woke up and I told him what happened," she told me quietly as we walked into the Hunter's campsite. "I don't know what's wrong with him," Vanessa sounded sad. I laughed. It was bitter, mocking sound, I know but that wasn't something I could change. Several Hunters looked at us curiously as we passed.
"What's ever right with him?" I asked Vanessa. She shot me a glare and I winced. "Okay, okay, sorry," I sighed. "Something happened to his sister," I told her. Vanessa's little head shot up, her brow furrowed again.
"His sister?" she repeated. I looked up to the sky. It was a clear summer night and there seemed to be billions and trillions of stars in the sky. I remembered how Ethan and I used to try and count all of them. It was a night like this when I told Connor my story. A night exactly like this.
"Yeah. Something happened to her and it's tied with the Hunters or something. I don't know" I shrugged. "I can't get anything more than that. He's too angry and his mind's all muddled up." I told Vanessa, watching as her expression got darker and darker. "I'd say leave him alone. Let him sort himself out," I mumbled.
"His sister," she said again quietly. "I wonder what happened to her."
"She was a Hunter," yet another strange voice came from behind us. Honestly, I was getting kind of sick of strange, mysterious voices popping out of nowhere. Our hands flew to our weapons. "Relax," said the owner of the voice, a little girl, around twelve. Her eyes were the color of moonlight and the stars. Her hair was auburn and it hung loose around her slender frame. The girl looked like she was spun out of light, with her silver clothes, standing there in the light of the moon. I recognized her, not because I had met her. No, not that. But I had met other demigods who had. My hand dropped from the hilt of my sword and I inclined my head slightly.
"Goddess," I said quietly. Vanessa followed my lead. Artemis smiled. Her features looked young but her mind felt old, so old I could hardly sense any thoughts in it at all. It was rather scary and I mentally drew back a little.
"Come, maidens," Artemis called, walking towards the largest of the silvery tents, located in the dead center of the clearing. "Your companion's waiting and I wish to speak to all of you." Beside me, Vanessa gulped. I tried to be encouraging.
"Hey, you heard what she said. Relax" I told Vanessa, trying to smile. It came out as a grimace instead. I was none too calm myself. We followed Artemis into the tent. I noticed that there were only around a dozen or so Hunters in the area. The stories I heard said that Artemis had at least twice as many followers than that. What had happened? The number of girls wandering about seemed meager if compared to the space around them, if compared to the stories I had heard about them.
Stray demigods usually avoided contact with the Greek world because they were the ones with things to hide, things to hide from. But they usually made an exception for the Hunters. At least the girls did. They were whispered about when demigods met one another, en route to inconspicuous places. You could lose yourselves with them, become a new person or just rediscover you own self. It was liberating, the Hunt, they said. I wondered what that felt like, to lose myself in the service of Artemis and never have to think about anything else ever again.
As if she had heard my thoughts, Artemis turned around and looked at me. Her piercing silver eyes glimmered mysteriously. They reminded me of the silvery cold light of the stars, of the cool water of a mountain stream gushing down as fast as it can. They were cold, those yes but there was a certain purity, a certain hint of kindness that put me at ease. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all, being a Hinter. Turning my back on men was definitely one of the perks, I mean, it's not like their kind have helped me a lot lately.
Even as I thought the words, my mind turned back to Camp. I found myself remembering a certain blue eyed boy with his roguish smile and rugged charm. It was crazy but I remembered how I had blasted him across the room the first time we had met, mortification flooding me again. I remembered him sticking up for me against Chiron. I remembered the sparkle in his eyes as he cracked joke after joke, each lamer than the one before. I remembered the stupid shaving cream incident. I remembered healing him during Capture the Flag, the sparks that seem to fly when his skin grazed mine. The tenderness that filled his eyes as he listened to my story. How his gaze seemed to penetrate me from afar. How he saw me, not some freak with a scar and weird hair. Vanessa thought me dense, thinking that I hadn't noticed but I had, and that scared me. I wasn't ready. I didn't believe I would ever be. I closed my eyes reliving the last time I had seen Connor. Remembering how his rough voice made me get butterflies. How my skin tingled where he touched me, his face mere inches from my mine. How he had bent his head, so close to be that I could hardly tell whose breath was I breathing. The moment shone in my mind, startling me in its clarity. I opened my eyes again. I had pushed him away.
I pushed him away and he was never going to look at me again.
I looked back at Artemis; there was a kind of challenge in her eyes that I couldn't quite comprehend. Suddenly, I heard someone yelling incoherent words and the sound of something smashing.
"Uh-oh," Vanessa muttered. That was an understatement. Artemis turned towards the camp, looking annoyed. She looked at us, raising her eyebrows. She muttered something and I swear I could make out something like 'stupid boys', 'brother', 'jackalopes' and 'mistake'. For a moment I felt like laughing. All such feelings were quelled when I stepped in the tent.
Di Angelo was at one end of the tent - which was much bigger than it had seemed from the outside, not to mention fancier, too – glaring daggers towards the other end of the tent. Standing there, glaring right back was Phoebe, the Hunter who had healed us and who I had almost murdered. It was funny how I kept doing that. We were surrounded by animal pelts, from tigers to monsters, most of which were so beautiful and fantastic, it gave the impression that we were in some sort of palace and not a simple camp. Well, as simple as godly camps could be anyway.
There was a brown liquid spilled on the floor, hot chocolate I think judging from the smell. Di Angelo stood over the spill, yelling again. He had looked like an angry tiger, waving his hands about with an agitated air. His eyes held that look again, that simmering barely leashed fury that was just waiting to burst out and annihilate everything in its path. I knew that anger of his was dangerous the first time I sensed it. I had just been proven correct. Vanessa was staring at the emo freak, dumbfounded.
"Nico," she said her voice soft and surprised. Death Boy didn't acknowledge her. He was too busty being a brat. Artemis looked like she agreed with me.
"Bianca was a great Hunter," Phoebe was saying, dagger in her hand. "She chose this life and she died –"The infernal Underworld spawn cut her off with an angry roar. Honestly, I think he was trying to get us all killed of the fury in Artemis's face was any indication of how this night was going to end.
"You killed her!" The words seemed to be torn from his throat and Di Angelo threw them at her, his teeth clenched. His hands were balled up at his sides and his knuckles were white. I could sense his fury, his rage, his grief even from where I was standing and it hit me like a physical ball. I felt my knees weaken slightly, a lump rising in my throat. My hair turned black, darker than the darkest night. I blinked and straightened up again. The sheer depth of Di Angelo's grief surprised me, saddened. As much as I disliked him, I … understood.
He blamed the Hunters for taking his sister away from him. His sister abandoned him, choosing to spend her time frolicking with Phoebe and the rest of the Hunters than taking care of her whiny younger brother. I could relate to that. After all, Ethan had left me for the position of a lieuniant of Kronos's army and my own family had abandoned me, the runt. Despite myself, I genuinely felt sorry for the boy.
I must really be going crazy.
Artemis however, didn't seem to share my sentiments. She didn't take very kindly to one of her precious Hunters being yelled at, much less by a boy. She stepped forward, the silvery aura that seemed to surround her growing more pronounced than ever in her fury.
"Sit," she ordered Di Angelo, like he was a mangy dog she was training to do tricks. Unfortunately, Di Angelo was a pretty stubborn mutt and he growled right back.
"No," he said, his voice shaking with fury. "It's your fault too. You – "Artemis however, had had enough. She raised her regal head, her ethereal eyes flashing.
"Either all of you sit or I'm turning you children into a herd of jackalopes. And believe me, I have missed turning demigods into jackalopes," Artemis said. I felt myself smiling. For a goddess, she sure was cool. Di Angelo stared at her for a while before sitting. My grin grew larger. Vanessa and I sat too, Vanessa looking troubled. I settled back into the furs.
It was going to be a long night.
Do review! Check out the poll on my profile too! What to you guys think of the cover picture? Did you guys know jackalopes are mythical creatures? I sure didn't! Anyway, this ones for Jo Yi! (She knows why).