AN: Man, you guys are fast! I hope my sudden popularity will last!
As I floated through the dark abyss, I reminisced about how I got where I was. Seriously, I was your average almost-15-year old, brown hair, blue-eyed girl. Sure, I was mostly nocturnal, even before the monster attack, but seriously? I'm the daughter of someone who doesn't want me and hates spending any time with me? How is that even remotely fair?
Finally, after trying (and failing) to find the purpose for my existence, I felt myself returning to consciousness. I groaned, but for some reason I couldn't move.
"She's awake! Get Thalia!" I heard some footsteps run off, and I was left, lying in the dark. It was a weird darkness, because I couldn't see any stars. Maybe I was indoors. Still, something was weird. It smelled like a forest, but everything was black.
I heard footsteps approach, obviously this Thalia.
"Take off her blindfold." she ordered, sounding a lot like Artemis. Blindfold? Oh man. You can tell I don't get kidnapped often.
It was dark out, so the bright sunlight couldn't hurt my eyes. I was in a forest clearing, and I was surrounded by about 10 girls. One of them, Thalia, was standing in front of me with her arms crossed in a menacing manner.
"Who the pronk are you guys?" I exclaimed, trying to get up. When I couldn't, I looked down, only to see my entire body wrapped in a silvery rope.
I looked at Thalia. She was a teenager, like me, but she had a silvery glow around her. She was wearing silver camo pants, and the one thing that set her apart from the others was the silver crown on her head.
"It doesn't matter who I am. It only matters that you've destroyed everything we've worked for. Your birth is a-"
"Yes, yes, a blight on society, I know. I've already gone through this on Olympus. At least they let me have a lawyer." I said wearily.
Apparently, that surprised them.
"What? You've been on Olympus? Have you seen Lady Artemis?" Thalia asked eagerly, forgetting her anger.
I groaned. "Ugh. Yes. She's probably the most insane person I've ever known."
Before I could blink, Thalia had stomped hard on my stomach and all of the other girls had bows drawn and pointed at me.
I was gasping for air, so I wasn't paying much attention to her furious yells. Something about having respect for Artemis.
"Okay! I get it!" I mumbled after the speech had continued for quite a long time.
"Fine. Tell us your story from the beginning. Don't leave a single thing out." Thalia commanded. She flicked her hand and the rest of them put their bows away. I felt a modicum of defiance, so instead of answering, I asked a question of them.
"Who are you guys anyway? Artemis fans?"
They all gasped, and Thalia kicked me again. I could tell she was getting mad, because she had this weird electric current, like the one on Cabin 1. Coincidence?
"You will address her with respect, or we will beat it into you. We are, or were, the Hunters of Artemis. Now you, are you or are you not her daughter?"
Still mad about the threat, I didn't respond. Maybe it wasn't the smartest decision, but I've had enough of people bossing me around. If silence was the only way I could fight back, so be it. Thalia, noticing my tightly closed lips, knelt down beside me. She laid a hand on my forehead and flexed.
Immediately, 10,000 volts of pure pain ripped through me. My eyes actually rolled back in my head and my muscles twitched spastically trying to break through my bonds. This was even worse than being transformed into a rabbit. It even made talking to Ward seem like a gentle pat on the back. I had to make it stop!
"Yes! I am!" I gasped out. At once, the pain stopped.
"Now was that so hard?" she asked in a little-kid-voice.
I laid there, open-mouthed in horror. How could she possibly inflict that much pain and not feel any remorse? The other girls were wincing, so I guessed that they had had their share of electricity.
"Now, we'll try again," Thalia said, resting her hands on her knees. "Tell us your story."
Still twitching from Thalia's little, "demonstration", I retold my story, downplaying my terror and not mentioning Ward or Willow's names. I also didn't mention the restrictions she placed on me.
"Wow. So, you are the cause of all of our problems." Thalia said, rubbing her forehead in thought.
I didn't say anything, learning that my only way of protesting would result in a lot of pain.
"Since I'm such a nice person," I rolled my eyes but wisely stayed silent. "I'll fill you in on what is happening. As soon as they found out about you, someone from Olympus announced it to the entire godly world. Naturally, we heard. We tried to talk to Artemis, convinced that it wasn't true. Instead of sitting down and explaining it to us, she blew us off, telling us that we were distracting her from her godly duties. That was about two months ago. We haven't heard from her since. So, we decided to get her attention another way. By kidnapping you."
Well, it wasn't the stupidest plan I had ever heard. Oh wait. It was. Facing the wrath of an angry goddess just to get a little attention was possibly the dumbest thing I had ever heard. When they all got turned into caribou, I hope they don't come crying back to me.
"And you are going to summon her."
"Summon her? She's not a dog! And, no! I won't take place in the idiocy that is your plan." I yelled, forgetting her lightning power. To my surprise, she didn't shock me. Instead, she did something a lot more worrying. She laughed.
"You are too funny. Do you really think you have a choice in the matter? You'll call her, or we'll make your life a living Hades."
I scoffed. "You'll 'make my life a living Hades'? Do you really think it can get any worse? My mom hates me, and would love an opportunity to curse me. Half of the Olympians hate me. And now I'm kidnapped by a bunch of girls and a psychopath. Do you really think my life could get worse? Sure, you can shock me, but I don't care. Nothing you can do will hurt as bad as what Artemis will do if I disturb her hunt. So, go ahead. Shock me. I don't care," I said bravely, lying through my teeth. I honestly don't know if I could handle being shocked again.
There was silence for a second. Thalia was looking into my eyes, as if trying to read my mind. Then, she turned abruptly and had a little pow-wow with the other Hunters.
I sighed and exhaled mightily. Apparently they weren't going to kill me, at least, not yet.
The Hunters debated for another few minutes, until they seemed to come to an agreement. Thalia walked over to me and crouched down again.
'Oh suck,' I thought, certain that she was going to shock me. Instead, she started untying me.
"Don't even think about it," she muttered. "One false move from you and you'll be pierced with at least a dozen arrows."
Sure enough, all the girls had their bows drawn and aimed at me. Finally, the ropes fell away and I could move. I stretched and my back cracked in at least 15 different places. Not a healthy sign. I got to my feet, and all the blood rushed from my head and I had to grab Thalia for support.
Which was made difficult, due to the fact that she had moved too quickly, so before I knew it, my arm was being twisted behind my back. Not the best remedy for dizziness, I'll tell you that.
"You tried to attack me already? Do you want me to shock you?" she yelled furiously.
"Thalia, she wasn't attacking you! She was grabbing you for balance!" I heard one of the other girls shout.
Immediately, Thalia released me.
"Oh. Sorry. Let's head back to camp. Phoebe, you're on guard duty. Yell for assistance if you need it."
"Well, she's not going to yell for assistance if she doesn't need it," I pointed out helpfully. A couple girls, including Phoebe, laughed. Thalia rolled her eyes and the Hunters walked off into the woods. Phoebe walked up to me and asked
"Are you all right? Thalia's shocks can hurt a lot."
I laughed. "You don't say."
"This way to camp." she led me down the same path the other girls had just taken. As soon as we entered the trees, I noticed 10 silvery gray tents set up.
The Hunters were cooking stuff, and I felt a twinge of envy. Here they were, living in the wilderness, having the time of their lives, without a care in the world. I, on the other hand, had to deal with a psycho goddess and spontaneous kidnappings.
Phoebe directed me to a log and I sat down, watching the happy scene in front of me.
"Wait," I had suddenly remembered something. "aren't you supposed to be on guard duty?"
She smiled awkwardly. "I am."
Sigh. "I'm the one you are guarding, aren't I?"
She nodded.
After about 10 minutes, Thalia brought over some sausages for Phoebe and I. They were slightly burnt, made of dubious substances, and without a doubt, the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.
Eventually, warm, fed, and exhausted, I started nodding off. Noticing my sleepiness, Phoebe led me to a tent. It wasn't anything more than a blanket and a small pillow, but I accepted it gratefully.
And so, I slipped into a deep slumber.
AN2: Wow guys! You guys are amazing! I know I said I'd update at 55, but it just happened so fast! Anyway, I hope you liked the chappy. Questions or comments? Just click that green button (not any other green button. That would just be ridiculous. 61 reviews and I'll update. Sorry for the numbers, but I like to feel useful. Thanks again!
