Chapter Twelve: Unacceptable
"Where do you think you're going?" Hunter asked as I reached to grab the door handle.
"Zoë said we had to get back to Uncle Joe's in an hour, right?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah, but maybe not looking like that," She said, gesturing at me.
I frowned, then realized what she was getting at. My entire outfit was basically scrap rags now leaving me barely enough to maintain a small degree of modesty. That would certainly raise a few eyebrows, even in New York.
"I can lend you my shirt," London said, pulling off her jacket and tugging her orange-yellow shirt off and handing it to me before pulling her jacket back on. "I'll just keep my jacket zipped."
With the difference in height and build, her shirt practically swallowed me whole - the neckline hung off my shoulders and the hem rested just over my knees. Hunter shucked her own jacket off and passed it to me. Together, it looked like I was wearing a small dress underneath a jacket. "Thanks," I said.
The three of us took a moment to fill up another two boxes of donuts each before making our way back out to the busy street. The sun shone down through overcast skies and people hustled along minding their own business. You would never guess we had just been in a fight for our lives not that long ago. Looking back at the donut shop, I saw that the windows were boarded up and the building looked like it hadn't seen use in years.
"The donut shop was tied to the monster's life force," Hunter said, reading the confusion on my face. "When you killed the hydra, the nest was only sustained by our presence. Now that we're outside, it's already started to deteriorate. In a couple days, at most, the building will be gone entirely."
"Won't the mortals question that, though?" I asked. "I mean, I know it's New York, but there's got to be a limit to how much apathy a person can exhibit?"
"The Mist will cover that," London said. "If anyone bothers to think about it, they'll probably just come to the conclusion that it was demolished while they weren't paying attention. Most will just forget it even existed."
I had seen references to the Mist made in passing in the Enchiridion, namely by Isabelle having mentioned it as being the source of her own magic-like abilities. If that was the case, then maybe Elena's book had more to say about it? Now properly intrigued, I made a mental note to read up more on the subject later.
The trip back to uncle Joe's took just over an hour, and the celebration was already under way by the time we arrived. We were greeted with a chorus calling our names as we walked in through the front door. I took a step back as a couple girls ran up to hug London and Hunter, checking them both over for injuries. They walked away as a group back to their table, launching into an animated conversation recalling the details of their own extermination.
I stayed where I was, watching as the group interacted with each other. Talking among themselves, laughing at what must have been in-jokes, and even taking food off each other's plates and being playfully shoved in mock retaliation. These girls were more than just friends, they really were sisters. They were a family. Non-traditional, maybe, but a family nevertheless.
"Nipote?" Uncle Joe's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up to see him standing in the doorway to the kitchen, relief etched clearly in the lines of his face. He crossed the room to pull me into a crushing hug. "Meno male! Sei ferito? Stai bene? Ero così preoccupato!"
"Io sto bene. Va tutto bene. Vedi? Sto bene!" I smiled reassuringly. "I should head upstairs, though, to get dressed. My outfit is less fine."
The phone ringing from the kitchen cut off any further protests on his part, and I quickly made my way up to the apartment to get changed. Shucking off the ruined garb, I sighed. There truly was no salvaging this outfit except maybe for rags. With a heavy sigh of resignation, I bagged the tattered clothes for disposal before moving to my dresser to find a new outfit. Twenty minutes later I had finally settled on wearing a black off-the-shoulder blouse with a stylized red rose design on the front and a pair of artificially distressed blue jeans.
Satisfied with the outfit, I glanced at my reflection in the standing mirror and saw my hair was still a mess and frowned. Before I could reach for my hairbrush, I felt something tugging at my hair. I snapped my attention back at the mirror and froze as I saw my hair styling itself. In less than a minute my hair had gone from looking like I had stood behind the engine of a jet plane to looking like I had just stepped out of a salon on Fifth Avenue. I blinked on my aura vision and looked around, not seeing any fresh traces of color except my own in the room.
"I'll just... Unpack that later," I said, resolving to do exactly that. In the meantime, there was a party going on downstairs and I had already missed a large chunk of it. If nothing else, Uncle Joe would probably appreciate help serving the Hunt.
I made my way back into the restaurant to see Uncle Joe still on the phone, his face still creased with worry lines; "Sì. Sì, certo. Ci sarò. Sì, d'accordo. Addio."
He carefully placed the phone back on the receiver and let out a deep sigh before looking up and noticing my arrival.
"Nipote, we need to talk."
"So," I said. "You're leaving."
"Not immediately," uncle Joe said. "But, yes."
"And I can't go with you."
"Unfortunately, no. I could get in very serious trouble if I tried to take you with me."
I knew that, of course. He wouldn't be able to legally take me across state lines for hamburgers in New Jersey, let alone on an international flight to Italy.
"I'm sure something can be arranged," he continued. "If nothing else, going to the camp is always an option. It's a little earlier than most maybe, but there are those that stay all year."
"I could join Lady Artemis' hunt," I supplied. The idea of hanging out with Hunter and London some more, and even making friends with the rest of the girls, seemed like a lot of fun. Though, Zoë was more than a little intimidating if I was being completely honest. My thoughts were cut off by uncle Joe's full belly laughter.
"Oh, nipote, you would be a very poor fit for that particular group," he said, still chuckling.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked. He just laughed again before ruffling my hair and pushing me to go join the celebration. "Che cosa vuoi dire con questo?!"
"There you are," Hunter said, and I turned to face her. "What's got you so worked up?"
"Uncle Joe's going to be leaving," I said. "Apparently there's a family emergency with his mortal sister or something? Anyway, he's going to be going to Italy and... And, I'm not."
"Why not?" Her eyes flashed with indignation on my behalf.
"He isn't really my uncle," I said. "Our arrangement is based on a lie of convenience, I guess you could say. The niece and uncle thing started when he helped me while I was living on the streets, as a way for me to work here and pay him back for feeding me on a regular basis. And then after I landed in the hospital, he took me in properly - or tried to. But, with no records or official paperwork, I am not legally his ward.
"And now, he's going to be leaving the country and I'm probably going to end up back on the streets again. Just like before. I mean, yeah, the camp is an option. Probably the best option for me, to be honest. Definitely the safest option. And I'll probably even make friends there, too. But at the same time, I don't know how well I'd fit in there. My fire powers aren't exactly seen in the best light according to Elena's notebook.
"And on top of that, I don't even know who my godly parent is. That means they'll probably stick me in the cabin with the rest of the kids who don't know who they are. Just another one of The Forgotten."
"Why not ask Lady Artemis to join the Hunt?" she asked.
"I thought about that," I admitted, shaking my head. "Even told uncle Joe that I would. He told me I'd be a 'poor fit'."
"Well," Hunter said, her eyes hardening. "Lucky for you, that's not a decision for him to make. Come on, I'll teach you the oath and you can ask Lady Artemis yourself."
She grabbed my hand and started pulling me, half dragging me, along back into the main sitting area. We found Artemis and Zoë Nightshade sitting at a table separate from the rest of the group enjoying a glass bottle of orange soda.
"My lady," Hunter said, pushing me forward. "Penny has something to say."
I gave Hunter a quick glare before turning to face the goddess and her lieutenant. Nervous, I wiped my hands on my legs and closed my eyes to steel my nerves before speaking; "I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of m-..."
I stopped as I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I saw the goddess shake her head with a sad smile.
"I cannot accept your oath," she said.
"What? But, why not?" I asked. "Am I not good enough?"
"That is not the reason," Zoë said, gently. "You are strong, and if circumstances were different, you would be a great addition to the Hunt. Milady cannot accept your oath because you yourself cannot accept the oath."
"But, then..."
"I will still welcome you in our company as a friend of the Hunt," the goddess said. "Even if you are not a full member."
"Milady?" Hunter asked, uncertainly
"It is a rare honor, to be sure, but not unheard of," Zoë said. "Hippolytus, Daphnis, and even Daniel Boone. All were male," the word almost sounded like a curse in her voice, "yet all were at one time welcomed among our number. Why, then, should it come as a surprise that we would also welcome a girl in the same way?"
"You mean I can come with you? I won't have to go to the camp when uncle Joe leaves for his sister?" My heart, which had sunk to my stomach, now seemed to soar to the heavens themselves.
"There are conditions," Artemis said. "First, while not a member of the Hunt, you will conduct yourself in a manner befitting a member. While you travel with us, your behavior will reflect on the other girls as well as myself. If you prove to be a disruptive force, you will be banished."
I gulped, "I understand."
"Second," she went on, "and perhaps most importantly. You will do nothing to lead my girls astray or in any way tempt them into breaking their oaths. To do so is to court a slow death. Am I understood."
"Y-yes, Lady Artemis," I said.
She said nothing for a moment, her silver eyes showing no hint of warmth as she stared me down. Flashes of the stories Hunter had told me about the different ways the goddess had punished those who had wronged her now ran through my mind. Acteon and his dogs. Atalanta and the bear. Chione's tongue being shot off for her boastfulness. Adonis... Niobe... Aura... Callisto... Male or female, it didn't matter. To wrong the goddess was to take your life in your own hands. I felt myself sag with relief when the goddess finally released me from her intense eye contact.
"Very well," the goddess continued. "As you are not an oath bound member of the Hunt, you can not carry my full blessing. This will put you at a disadvantage among the Hunters. I will give you a minor blessing to aid you in our travels. Know that I can also revoke this blessing if I feel at any time you are not holding to these terms."
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"Very well," she smiled, and I couldn't help but picture the bright moon coming out from behind dark, heavy clouds. "We will be in the area for another few days - a week at most. I expect you to be ready to go then, and be aware that we will not return to the city until Winter Solstice."
"I... Th-thank you, my lady," I said, stammering.
The goddess dismissed me and I practically dragged Hunter away with me. There was so much to get ready, and so little time to get ready in. I frowned for a moment thinking about what I would wear. City clothes would absolutely not stand up to wilderness travel. I almost snorted out loud at the thought of tramping through the woods in that dress uncle Joe bought for me. No, I would most likely need a complete overhaul of my wardrobe. First things first, however, I had to let uncle Joe know what I was up to.