Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the olympians.
Chapter Three: My Sister Joins The Eternal Girls Club
I don't know what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn't expecting this twelve year old girl to announce that she was the Greek goddess Artemis.
Apparently Percy was in awe too because he said slowly, "Um... Ok."
That was nothing compared to Grover's reaction because he knelt in the snow and started mumbling, "Thank you Lady Artemis. Your s... you're so wow."
"Get up, Goatboy!" snapped the spiky-haired girl angrily "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone."
"Wow," my sister said holding up her hands in a stop gesture, "Hold up, time out."
She pointed around at everyone around us and said, "Who, who are you people?"
"It might be a better question, my dear girl to ask who are you? You are your parents?" said Artemis gently.
I winced at the question because Bianca and I had been told that our parents were dead. I saw Bianca glance at me nervously before saying, "Our parents are dead. We're orphans, there's a bank-trust that pays for our school b..."
She trailed off because it was pretty clear that noone believed her story.
"What?" she demanded, "I'm telling the truth."
"You are a half-blood," said the Hunter called Zoae, "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian." I wasn't sure where Zoae came from because her accent was strange. It was very old-fashioned like she was from another time period or something.
"An Olympian... athlete?" asked Bianca uncertainly. I couldn't help rolling my eyes because it was obvious that Zoae didn't mean an athlete.
"No," Zoae said patiently, "One of the gods."
I couldn't help but think that that was very cool so I said, "Cool!"
"No," Bianca said shakily, "This is not cool."
I was getting more excited now so I couldn't resist doing a little dance from pure happiness.
"Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do 600 damage? Does he get extra movement points for-was but I was cut off by my sister saying,
"Nico, shut up! This is not your stupid Mythomagic game Ok? There are no gods."
Everyone gave her sympathetic looks at that and the spiky-haired girl said softly,
"Bianca, I know it's hard to believe but the gods are still around. Trust me, they are immortal and whenever they have kids with regular humans. Kids like us, well our lives are dangerous."
I thought of the poor girl, Annabeth who had fallen off that cliff on Dr. Thorn's back.
"Dangerous," Bianca said slowly, "Like the girl who fell."
The girl turned away with a sad look on her face. "Do not dispair for Annabeth," said Artemis, "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."
I thought that Artemis was being a bit hipicritical because she had stopped Percy from going to look for Annabeth and yet she had just said that she would find her if she could.
Apparently Percy was thinking along the same lines because he said, "Then why won't you let us go look for her?"
"She is gone. Can't you sense it, son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why but your friend has vanished."
Percy's shoulders slumped and I felt the need to try to change the subject.
"Oh," I said raising my hand, "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with the arrows. Is he dead?"
"He was a manticore," Artemis said calmly, "Hopefully he is destroyed for now but monsters never truly die. They reform over and over again and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."
I felt kind of let down was this fact but I pushed it aside for now and tuned back into the conversation.
"Or they'll hunt us." the spiky-haired girl said.
"That explains, Nico do you remember those guys who tried to attack us in that alley in DC?" my sister said
I shuddered because the memory was horrible. We had been walking along a narrow alley in DC when a group of guys who seemed to have wings and eyes that flickered with lightning ran at us. Then a demon thing with a pasely handbag came and killed them all and then disappeared.
I also remembered a creepy bus driver with ram's horns on his head.
I decided to see if Bianca remembered that too so I asked, "And that bus driver? The one with the ram's horns?" then just to rub it in I said, "I told you that was real!"
"That's why Grover has been watching you. In case you turned out to be half-bloods." Percy said.
Wait Grover is a half-blood too?
"Grover?" my sister asked shocked, "You're a demigod?"
"Well, a satyr actually." he said and kicked off his shoes to reveal... hoofs?
An honest to goodness pair of goat's hoofs instead of feet.
I glanced at my sister who looked like she was about to faint.
"Grover put your shoes back on. Your freaking her out." chided the spiky-haired girl.
"Hey," Grover protested "My hoofs are clean."
Percy felt the need to change the topic again, "Bianca, we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. You need to come to camp,"
I wondered what he meant by camp.
"Camp?" my sister asked.
"Camp Half-Blood. It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff." Percy explained to her.
"You can join us," he added, "Stay there year-round if you like."
I felt quite excited about this camp thing so I said, "Sweet, let's go!"
"Wait," Bianca said "I don't-was
"There is another option," said Zoae quietly.
"No there isn't." said the girl with the spiky hair angrily. I got the feeling that these two didn't get along tell because they kept keeping each other evil looks. For the first time I noticed that Zoae was wearing a silver circlet like a crown in her dark hair.
"We have burdened these children enough." Artemis announced "Zoae, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents, treat the wounded and retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."
"Yes my lady," Zoae said
"And Bianca come with me. I would like to speak with you."
"What about me?" I asked feeling a little hurt about not being included.
"Perhaps you could show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy," Artemis sugguested, "I am sure Grover would be happy to intertain you for a while. As a favor to me?"
"You bet," Grover said, "Come on, Nico."
I followed him happily and told him all about Mythomagic. I explained that all the gods had different attack points and stuff and then we headed back towards the camp that the Hunters had set up while we were in the woods.
Grover bandaged Percy's shoulder which had a small cut from Dr. Thorn's spike then I asked Percy some questions like if he was really a son of Poseidon or not.
He said that he was but he apparently hadn't tried surfing so he didn't know if he was any good at it at all.
Suddenly Zoae came up to us and told Percy to follow her.
While they were gone the spiky-haired girl came up to us and she said to me, "I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Thalia Grace daughter of Zeus."
"Nice to meet you Thalia," I said and she smiled.
Just then a Hunter brought me a bag full of my stuff and I thanked her. She simply scowled and walked away.
"Why didn't she even say your welcome?" I asked confused
"Hunters don't like boys." Thalia explained.
"You see, Artemis is a maiden goddess. All her Hunters are eternal maidens too so they don't like boys."
"Oh," I said.
I suppose that it did make sense.
At that moment my sister and Zoae came out of one of the tents and my sister walked over to me and said, "Nico, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Ok, sure." I said and followed her out of ear-shot of the others.
"I need to tell you something," my sister said quietly. Why did she look s... worried?
"What is it?" I asked her.
"I-I've decided to become a Hunter. I'm so sorry, Nico."
"Will-what?" I said, I couldn't believe this. How could my sister be so selfish?
"Yes, Nico. I've decided to join the Hunters and I have already done it so you can't change my mind now."
"You're so selfish!" I screamed at her "I HATE YOU!"
"Just let me explain," she pleaded desperately.
"I will be able to see you from time to time I promise."
"No!" I shouted "I told you. I'll never talk to you again!"
I stormed away from her and tried to keep myself from crying. My sister, my only family had joined an eternal girls club and left me alone.