Hey guys sorry for the wait. This last week was hectic. As in the equivalent of 10 hour work days. But on the bright side I have this next chapter written on paper. Now I just have to put it on the computer. I plan on it Mr. X. Thank you for your responses MarkMeOrigins and Dogbiscuit. Now to the part you guys care about.
8 years later
Bluebell took a breath. Then released it slowly. When she had released all the air in her lungs, she opened her fingers. With precision that comes with years of practice, the arrow flew and slammed into its target. The deer took two steps then promptly fell over and became motionless. Bluebell watched the doe for a couple of seconds then made a loud "whoop!"
"I got it!" She screamed "Mama look, look!"
Bluebell jumped excitedly into Artemis's arms.
"I am so proud of you." Artemis said with a smile.
The mother daughter pair went to pick up the deer carcass. Artemis touched it and teleported it back to camp. Artemis and Bluebell (or as she refers to be called Bell) started back towards the hunter's camp. They were about five miles away from the camp as the crow flies over rugged hills and tall grand oak trees and other monoliths of nature when Bell shot the deer. Around two miles away from camp, Artemis stops unexpectedly. A frown appears on her face.
"What is it Mama?" Bell asks.
"The council has been called for an emergency meeting."
"What for Mama?"
"I don't know Bell, but it probably has to do with the winter solstice problem."
"You mean how grandpa's lightning rod thing got stolen?"
"Yes that one." Artemis says with a smile. Then she gets an annoyed look on her face. "I'm coming, alright?"
Thunder rumbles in response.
"Bell, I want you to go straight back to camp okay? No detours to converse with the nymphs or the wildlife. " Artemis says sternly.
"Yes Mama."
Artemis kisses Bell on the top of her head.
"Be safe." She says before she flashes away.
Bluebell stands there for a second before she joyfully starts her way back to camp, still bursting over her first hunt. She walks for a few minutes and is getting close to the camp when she hears a sound. She stops to listen and hears it again. It sounds like a woman screaming. the yelling had fear clear in her voice. The weird thing is that it was coming from away from camp. Bluebell being a curious 8 year old, decided to investigate. She followed where the scream had seemed to come from down into a valley. The valley seemed to stretch on forever to Bluebell due to her new found adrenaline from hearing the scream. At last, she came to a small clearing which held an even smaller shack. There seemed to be a whimpering cry coming from inside the shack. Bell crept closer. The words started to become distinct.
"Please... Just let me go...Someone help me!" the last part ending in a scream.
"I said shut your mouth you bitch!" A deep voice yelled angrily.
That must be one of those disgusting males mama always told me to avoid. Bluebell thought. Bluebell crept all the way up to the shack and started to slowly raise her head to peer in the window. Her eyes started to adjust to the darkness inside of the shack when suddenly Bluebell heard a noise behind her. The last thing saw before she blacked out was a huge fist heading towards her face.
Artemis sat on her throne bored out of her mind. She it seems was right about the purpose of the meeting. Once again he was blaming his brother for stealing it and Poseidon claimed innocence and demanded that Zeus apologizes for the accusation. How they kept this argument up for a solid 5 months was beyond her. Seriously, did they have nothing better to do? Finally, after hours of this he said she said bull shit Zeus exclaimed "You have until the solstice!" and exploded into an electric storm which quickly faded away.
"Drama Queen." Artemis heard Hermes mutter. He then promptly flashed out along with all the other gods but Poseidon and Artemis. He looked up at her and said quietly "We live in dangerous times. The sea always feels the stirring of the restless the same way it drew young men to go to sea. Monster stir that have not for a millennia. The safety of Olympus falls on you first, my niece." With that said he disappeared in a sea breeze.
All of this made Artemis frown. Then, she quickly remembered that she left Bell alone. She quickly turned on spot and teleported back to the hunter's camp. With a flash, she appear back in the hunter's camp. She notices all of her hunters gathered at the table. She quickly heads to her spot at the head of the table. Zoë sits at her right in Zoë's usually seat and at her left is Bluebell...or at least where she should be. "Where is Bell" Artemis asks fearing the answer. "We thought she was with you." Zoë says.
My eyes slowly opened. A pounding headache making my ears ring. It took a few second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Scanning like Mama told me to, I quickly figured out that I was in the inside of the shack. A flimsy wooden wall is the only thing in front of me. That must mean the window is behind me. I tried to turn around but learned that I was tied to a chair.
"Well looks like little miss princess is awake." A deep cruel voice sounded behind me.
"Who are you?" I ask my voice quivering. In response I get three deep voices of laughter behind me.
"How cute, she thinks we are going to give her our names."
"Well maybe we should let her see us." said a new voice that I assume was one of the ones laughing earlier. They all burst out laughing again like this was a highly amusing joke. Three huge figures walk into my line of sight. they as a group turn towards me. I let out a slight gasp. Each had hideous scarred faces with mouths filled with rotting teeth. The defining characteristic of them was that each had one big eye. Cyclopes.
Remembering something I ask in a small voice" Where did the woman go?"
The one in the middle smiles cruelly. "She served her purpose."
"Yeah best I have had in a long time." The one on the left says.
"In which way? We had her then we had her to eat." The one on the right comments. This brings a new wave of laughter from the three.
"Now what to do with you?" The one in the center said after he pulled himself together.
"You could let me go." I said chokingly, still disgusted with what the one on the right said. The part about eating her. I didn't quite understand the first part. I assumed it was one of those male things mama always mentioned. Wait. Mama. Mama always said that if I was in trouble to yell her name as loud as I can. "Mommy! Artemis! Mama!" I started to scream at the top of my lungs.
"That won't help you." the one in the center says. "This place is undetectable to gods."
Suddenly as if to prove him wrong, a part of the wall exploded making light flood from outside. After my eyes adjusted to the shock of the light, I saw a figure covered in a black cloak that came all the way to its knees and covered it's face. "You have three seconds to get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness or die" Came a clearly masculine voice with a commanding voice. He raised three fingers. "Three...Two" lowered one of the fingers."...one" lowered another"...zero. Times up. Goodbye" With that said he lowered the last one. As soon as it did, a lound noise equivelent to thunder rang in my ears and all three of the the highly confused cyclopes' heads exploded. "Pity, I would have enjoyed watching them beg." He walked up to me a promptly pulled a knife out and cut the bindings.
" I thought they said a god can't find me?" I asked nervously.
"They were right. It's a good thing I am not a god isn't it?" he said with a hint of laughter in his now much kinder voice. "I am a Demigod. Just call me Beta." he said."...or dad." in a much quiter voice. It was so soft I almost believed I imagined it. But no, I definitely didn't.
Before I could question him further, He reaches in his coat and pulls an old flintlock pistol out of his pocket. The kind the pirates used. He grabs the barrel and hold the gun out for me to take. I do. I mean who wouldn't take an awesome weapon from a complete stranger. I notice it also appears to be loaded so i hastily point it towards the ground.
"Bluebell, in your time of greatest need, point it in the air and pull the trigger. You can only use this once so don't waste it."He said.
With that done, he spins around and runs out the hole in the wall. I am stunned for a second but then my mind comes back into focus and I run outside to call him back. I have so many questions! But when I get outside, he is already gone. I look down at the gun in my hand and notice what looks like a red circle with 5 triangles around it on the barrel.
So longest chapter yet. Again sorry for the wait. Also, if any of you are at the point where you are wondering why Bluebell has no powers or seems kind of useless , you have to remember she is eight. Percy's powers didn't appear until he was twelve. So as always, review. I am guessing people can probably guess where this is in the time line from the clues. What do you guys think will happen next because I want to know how predictable I am.