"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when we are far away, we must make them believe we are near"
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Aiden POV.
I walked nonchalantly in the direction that the punk girl walked in. It was as clear as the day to anyone that what she needed to the most at this moment was space, something I wouldn't give her by talking to her.
This plan of mine could backfire if I messed up my cards either at the beginning, midway or even at the end.
Each step I took had to remain within my calculations, mistakes were unfounded and frowned upon and I would do my upmost best to avoid saying or doing anything which could cause the upcoming conversation to fail.
There was a good reason why I was headed towards the punk girl, that sole reason being information.
I could talk to Percy who was clearly much nicer and less heated than her, but he seemed to not know nearly as much as her.
Regardless of her personality, if I can extract the most out of her, I will use her.
There's no need to settle for less when the most is right before you now is there?
I continued walking, the snow crunched under my boots, alerting the punk girl of my presence as I spotted her leaning on a tree trying her hardest to mask the sadness which seeped out of her very body.
Her care for Annabeth was one I understood yet knew absolutely nothing about. I had never cared for someone enough to incite a single lash out of me, not in the slightest.
Maybe I simply lacked what was necessary to bring such emotions out of me, or perhaps I lacked having ever had such a person in the first place.
Regardless, It didn't matter currently because this conversation with this girl is what I needed to focus on.
There was a lot I understood from the little conversations that had transpired a few seconds ago.
The conversations with Artemis, Grover, Percy, and Bianca all told me several things, all of which pertained to the characters themselves, either their personalities or their abilities.
Although I learnt of this girl's personality by merely watching her, it wasn't enough to get a full gauge on her and I knew absolutely nothing about her aside from the little things I could deduce from her most recent actions.
Either way, she was clearly the oldest out of all of us here, bar the hunters, she was also the strongest, which was something I noticed during the battle against the manticore named Dr. Thorn. She lasted longer against him although she ended up in a pathetic state by the end, but I wasn't the type to overlook effort.
Regardless of her loss, she was useful.
"Excuse me." Noticing that she refrained from turning to me, I spoke hoping to catch her attention.
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed before she turned to me.
"What is it? Aiden, right?" She questioned, her tone was wary and her facial expression was guarded.
Rightfully so.
"Yes, I have a few questions and you seem to be the most experienced here so I couldn't help but want to ask you uhh…." I spoke trailing off.
"Thalia." She responded before she sighed and turned to me.
No last name?
She didn't look convinced when Bianca and I said we were orphans so there's no doubt that she has and knows her family. So either she's renounced her name or she's merely keeping it hidden for certain reasons.
Perhaps her name was quite recognizable? Or perhaps this was just her being wary of me?
Regardless.
"Okay, what questions do you have?" She asked.
"First of all about camp Half-Blood." I began. Although I was more curious about her interaction with the Zoe girl, it wouldn't do me any good to agitate her more than she already was now.
"I'm assuming there are other demigods there right? What do they learn there?" I asked.
I assumed previously that I would be able to learn more about my heritage from that place, but if it was just a place that taught you how to survive and lacked precise information enough to increase my fundamental understanding of my abilities then I didn't need to go there.
"Well, the camp's directed by Chiron, someone who is known across Greek Mythology as the one who trains heroes so he teaches us how to survive in this world. Also, there are a lot of demigods, you might have a good number of siblings to your surprise who can teach you more about your parent god once you're claimed…. If you're claimed." She looked down solemnly as she muttered the last words, as if trying to let them fade into the soft cold wind that flowed around us.
But I heard her completely.
"Claimed? What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"To be claimed means to be accepted by your godly parent. Only when you're claimed can you be certain of who your parent god is." Thalia explained.
I wasn't sure what use being claimed was, perhaps some kids out there longed for acknowledgement from their parents. In that case, getting claimed may seem special, but that's only for them.
I couldn't care less about my parents were, not in the slightest.
So what point was there in getting claimed?
Although, her words about siblings did strike me as important, perhaps getting claimed would allow me to know who exactly my siblings were and understand my powers much more properly.
Currently I have these weird powers which I've chalked up to calling magic, but there's no confirmation that they're actually magic in the slightest.
Artemis was able to use magic and yet I've never heard her being called the goddess of magic, meaning that most if not all gods could use magic but Hecate was simply the greatest when it came to it and therefore took the title as goddess of magic all to herself.
Regardless of my proficiency in it, it didn't cement the fact that I was her son due to this information so in a way getting claimed would be important for me as well.
"Is the camp sorted? I surmise that the demigods can be differed using the information gotten from being " claimed", but do they all live in a single cabin together? Or perhaps are there multiple cabins with multiple in each?" I asked.
This would allow me to discern how the camp is sectioned and perhaps its maximum possible population if I dig deeper into it.
"The camp is sorted yes, each god…. Well not all of them but those respected on Mount Olympus have a cabin as a sign of respect which their kids use." Thaila explained.
Her words caused me to raise an eyebrow, she stated that only those respected meaning that even among the Olympians, if they harbored gods with miniature or unapproved roles they wouldn't have cabins dedicated to them.
Goddesses like Artemis, Athena and Hestia who are all considered virgin goddesses probably have cabins due to how well known they are.
No, not Hestia.
Although she's well known she has little to no contribution in the actual Myth. Of course there's a chance that I'm wrong, it's not like I'm completely knowledgeable on the Greek Mythology itself, but compared to those two goddesses, Hestia lacks recognition.
I would assume someone like Hades as well who while is known isn't liked wouldn't have a cabin as well due to this.
Maybe I could be looking too into all of this actually.
"I see, thank you." I stopped things there.
A silence enveloped us for a moment before the exact thing I wanted to happen, happened.
"Say Aiden right? You seemed pretty capable back there." Thalia suddenly mentioned.
It didn't take a genius to figure out she meant in the battle with Dr. Thorn.
"Thanks. I've had my fair share of experiences with monsters. You guys didn't seem bad at all too." I stated.
Thalia chuckled but I could tell it was sarcastic, she totally thought they had botched it.
Probably because they lost someone in the end.
"Well, yeah. It's do or die out here for demigods. We have to at least be able to fight back… so what's your story? You're not the typical new half-blood." Thalia commented.
I pondered what I should reveal to her and how much, but it didn't matter since I already knew what to say before I even approached her.
"Like I said to goddess Artemis, I grew up in an orphanage, everyone treated me weirdly because I was different. I pointed out one eyed men, saw women with wings and the disasters that followed me because of those monsters caused people to avoid me. Ever since I was four I've been fighting all alone against the monsters who were always able to find me and ruin everything for me." I sighed.
There was a silence which followed, and as I glanced at Thalia's eyes I could see some form of recognition.
She didn't seem shocked by my statement in the slightest, maybe it was because she had already heard it once before, but the look on her face spoke of understanding.
Thalia Grace had surely at least once been forced to fend for herself against monsters when she was younger.
"I get that. It's tough, having to be on your own." She said.
I kept quiet, allowing her words to sink in and give her ample time to collect her thoughts. I would like to question her subtly about her past, but there was a chance that it could turn her thoughts back to Annabeth and crumble all of the work I did to give her a moment of distraction towards the demise of her friend.
It wasn't time to mention her yet.
"I saw how you fought, you're powerful and seem to be a natural born leader." I commented, breaking the silence.
"Thanks. I've had to be like that. So what's your plan now? You coming with us to camp?" She questioned.
I shrugged.
"Yeah, it's the best option for me now. There's a lot I don't know and a lot I can learn." I answered.
Thalia nodded, a faint smile on her lips.
"Yeah, that's a smart choice." She said.
Now.
"About that blonde girl, Annabeth right? I apologize for not acting sooner. I believed the hunters would take care of it." I stated.
Whether my apology was genuine or not couldn't matter any less at this point.
Whether I was remorseful or not, Annabeth wouldn't come back from wherever she currently was, it wouldn't turn back time and surely it wouldn't fix anything.
Regardless, this was something Thalia needed to hear.
Thalia grimaced.
"Thanks… it's a harsh world for demigods, and I also saw you deflect that arrow with your wind sword… thanks, those would've hurt her." She said.
I didn't know she had noticed that it seemed Thalia was much more perceptive than I had initially believed, or perhaps because she was no longer in the heat of battle and had calmed down a little that she was thinking clearly.
"It's fine. But know that I don't believe she died." I stated garnering her attention.
Thalia sighed, but I could tell that she was desperate for some sort of hope.
Hope I was willing to give no matter how fake it was.
"Remember that after the monster fell the helicopter still attacked us?" I questioned.
Thalia said nothing but she nodded, essentially letting me know that she was at least listening.
"Normally you would think that once the leader crumbles the soldiers die down as well don't you? Instead they responded with vigor and began shooting, almost as if now that Dr. Thorn was down, they had gotten rid of some sort of competitor and could reap the benefit for themselves. This tells us several things. One, Thorn is not the leader of the group and could be someone that was merely working with them, a mere colleague. This would mean that something else was happening behind the scenes, something more serious. The second would be that Thorn is not dead and they know this. While this is less likely due to circumstances, it was without a doubt that he fell off a cliff and no one except those in the helicopter saw what happened. The goddess herself acknowledged that she couldn't sense her due to some magic meaning that there's a chance Annabeth was taken away somewhere instead of having died, meaning there's a still a chance to save her." I explained.
Why was I doing this?
Why was I showing her my analytical side?
Why was I giving her a glimpse into my thought process?
The reason was simple.
"You… you're really smart aren't you?" Thalia looked at me in disbelief but that faint smile was still on her lips.
It was to garner her interest.
Now in her eyes I wasn't just some clueless demigod who happened to get lucky and wield his power, no.
Now in her eyes I was someone smart, understanding, and analytical, someone who clearly survived for years on his own, someone who she'd have no doubt that I was indeed capable of singlehandedly growing my power to the extent she witnessed.
And what would follow next would be curiosity.
"Survival tends to force you to develop your brain, I feel like you understand that more than others." I said.
Thalia's smile widened slightly, her expression brightened a bit as well and I knew that even if it was subtle, our shared experience had created a connection between on us, no matter how small it was, it was still a connection.
"You're right, I do understand that." She nodded.
"Thank you Aiden." She said, her eyes renewed with the faintest of hopes.
"You're welcome, if I ever deduce more, I'll let you know first." I said.
"I'll hold you onto that." She said.
We stood silently for a moment, both of us simply taking in what we've learnt today.
Despite how she spoke, I could tell Thalia was assessing me, and I knew she could tell I was doing the same.
Showing her my analytical side was basically saying "I know that we're both thinking the same thing of each other, but I want you to know that I have no intention to cause harm"
Me exposing myself would be in her mind, some sort of sign of trust.
Even though it was all fake.
"Another thing, your reaction with the hunters spoke volumes, can I know why you distrust them so much?" I asked with a bit of hesitation. Unlike the previous times I was blatantly asking her something personal.
Thalia took a moment, perhaps wondering if she should reveal her thoughts and if so how much should she reveal.
In the end she sighed and began to speak.
"I guess I can tell you..." She responded, her voice trailing off a little.
It was her way of telling me that since I exposed my analytical nature to her, she would at least mirror my action to not be unfair.
I already knew she was the type of person to do this, she cared greatly for new demigods evident of that way she treated Bianca and how worried she seemed for her.
"But first, why do you want to know?" She questioned.
She wanted me to reveal more of my thoughts before she revealed hers.
It was an unfair exchange, but one I wasn't opposed to.
It wouldn't be a threat to me if I revealed it to her anyways.
"Information. Understanding and carefully wrapping my head on everything around me is crucial to survive." I stated making emphasis on the "crucial to survive" since I knew it'd resonate with her.
Thalia gave me a slight smirk.
"You're smart. Way too smart for your own good. You could convince me that you're related to Athena with how direct and smart you are." She chuckled lightly.
I would like to chuckle to keep up the mood, but unfortunately I wasn't capable of faking one even if I tried.
"Maybe I'm related to her, who knows? But still please answer the question. I find it hard to trust them because I noticed they had been glaring at me the whole time I was around them." I said.
Thalia gave a light laugh.
"Yeah, they hate men a lot." She stated.
I wanted to ask why, but she continued to speak.
"I met them once, they tried to force me into something I didn't want and ever since then I can't help but hate them each time I see them. They're annoying, conceited and so damn arrogant that it pisses me off. I know what they want to tell Bianca but I can't do anything because unfortunately we can't beat them." Thalia sighed.
I listened to her words diligently, I could tell she was still cautious of me with the way she spoke, revealing little yet still answering my question.
It showed she wasn't an idiot and I respected that.
"I see, thanks for the insight Thalia, I hope we can become friends or at least get to know each other better." I said as I reached out for a handshake.
She gave me a faint smile.
"I feel the same way Aiden. Although I can never tell whether you're truthful or not because your face doesn't change, you don't seem to be a bad guy. One day I'd like to see some expression on your face." She said as she shook my hand.
"That would be a long time, or maybe if you end up becoming something special to me." I answered honestly without thinking about my words.
"Huh? Are you… flirting with me?" She questioned.
I almost questioned what she meant before I recalled my last words and understood that despite my monotone voice, it might give her such an idea.
"No, my bad." I sighed.
"I'm just messing with you." She chuckled as she elbowed my stomach lightly.
No matter how guarded we were with each other we had gotten closer even if it was just a little bit. I had maneuvered the conversation just as I had wanted, distracting her from Annabeth's fate at the start, reminding her once again later but not giving her time to sulk and finally, leaving her with hope.
As long as I kept this same dynamic, Thalia would be my ally.
Thalia and I talked for a bit more, getting to know each other with each passing second. We shared battle strategies, thoughts on the Thorn battle and some more.
We never went into anything personal again though, but I was fine with it.
I had learnt more than enough.
Suddenly the sound of crunching snow filled out ears. Thalia and I turned to the sound cautiously only to see Zoe approaching us which caused Thalia to glare at her.
"You again?" She questioned.
Zoe scoffed.
"I'm not here for thee." She stated in her oldish accent before she turned to me, her eyes filled with disdain as if she'd rather shoot me with an arrow than look in my direction.
"Aiden, Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee." She said.
Thalia looked skeptical before she sighed.
I turned to her and nodded, signaling my leave.
"See you later I guess." She shrugged.
Somehow I appreciated how causal and direct she was with me, a direct contrast to anyone I had ever met before.
"See ya."
With those final words, I walked away from her, following Zoe who led me out of the forest into their camp which I remembered that Artemis had ordered to set up.
These people were really fast huh?
I noticed Grover and Nico playing, I couldn't see Percy anywhere.
I also noticed a few wolves that seemed to patrol the surroundings with some of the hunters around, each of which looked at me disdainfully.
This hatred of men thing must be really serious because I could've sworn I've never even met these people before.
This hatred was completely unwarranted in my opinion.
We walked past a few tents, until we reached the very last tent which didn't look any different from the other ones. Either Artemis just didn't want to make it known that this was her tent, a proper way to hide amongst her hunters which would explain her childlike appearance or perhaps there was something else here at play? Perhaps preference? Or perhaps efficiency so that her tent could be taken down just as quickly as any other during emergencies.
Regardless, I walked into the tent with Zoe after she waved me inside. Inside, Bianca di Angelo and Percy were seated next to Artemis who remained in her child like form.
The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. I could sense magical energy from it, it was undoubtedly magic, but it wasn't hers.
How weird.
Either way, behind her on a polished oak display stand, was a huge bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with several animal pelts: black bear, tiger and several others.
I also noticed a live deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting on her lap.
Was that a divine dear?
"Join us Aiden." Artemis said as she motioned for me to sit on Bianca's left, in contrast to Percy who sat on her right.
I calmly took a seat, Bianca who seemed to be lost in thought noticed me and sent a wave my way, one which I responded to diligently.
"Tell me, are you two surprised by my age?" She questioned.
"Uh… a little." Percy admitted.
I shook my head.
"Not at all." I stated.
It was mere shapeshifting, what was there to be surprised about?
"Oh? Interesting, although by the look on your face I can tell you aren't impressed by much." She commented.
Was that an insult to my ever not-so changing face?
I remained quiet.
"Well, I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray." Artemis explained.
"Go astray?" Percy asked the exact same question I had in mind.
"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves." She stated.
"Oh." Percy spoke in understanding but I didn't get it.
Twelve year-olds don't even truly know what they want in life not to talk about knowing themselves.
I heard people at seventeen are still trying their hardest to understand who they were, so how was a twelve year old supposed to forget themselves when they weren't even at the age to properly understand themselves?
I remained quiet.
Zoe took a seat at Artemis' right. She made sure to make Percy and I know how unwelcomed we were by glaring at us without hiding it in the slightest.
"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you." Artemis said.
If? I wanted to ask but remained quiet.
"It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…" She trailed off before she turned to Zoe.
"Which one was it?" She asked her.
"That boy in Colorado. You turned him into a jackalope." Zoe reminded.
"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded seemingly satisfied at the memory of doing such a thing.
I couldn't judge her for it, I wasn't some dictator of truth or some sort of superhero.
It's rather obvious that gods would have morals different from humans after all, so even if I might be somehow offended at the way she treated human life, which I was not in the slightest, it simply didn't matter.
"I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, first Percy. I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the…mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you." Artemis said.
Percy began to talk, he spoke clearly revealing everything he knew until he was done and exhaled.
Artemis put her had thoughtfully on her silver bow while I kept all the information filed to the back of my head, readily analyzing it while making sure to keep track of everything around me in case more was revealed.
"I feared this was the answer." Artemis sighed.
Zoe sat forward at her words with a worried expression on her face.
"The scent, my lady?" She questioned.
"Yes." Artemis responded.
"What scent?" Percy asked the same question I had in mind.
Somehow this guy knew my exact thoughts.
Or maybe it was because we were both clueless?
"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia." Artemis muttered.
It seems things were much more dangerous that I had previously anticipated.
"Prey so old I have nearly forgotten." She stated.
Artemis stared at Percy intently.
"We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again exactly what Dr. Thorn said." Artemis urged.
"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'" Percy repeated.
"No, no. After that." Artemis sighed.
"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."
As Percy spoke I noticed Zoe's face pale.
Two things were confirmed here.
One, I was right that Thorn wasn't the one that the humans in the helicopter worked for, something else here was at play. Two, Zoe had an idea of what was happening and by extension, Artemis should have one too.
I watched Artemis stop Zoe from speaking before she could with a hand gesture before she turned back to Percy.
"Go on, Percy." Artemis said.
"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot—"
"Stirring." Bianca corrected with a sigh.
"Yeah, and he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus." Percy stated and I couldn't help but wonder why the hell Thorn would reveal all of this to him? Was he that confident he would win?
My eyes fell on Artemis who remained as still as a statue.
I had no idea what the details were, but whatever it was, the sound of Olympus falling was pretty serious.
"Maybe he was lying." Percy interjected after noticing her reaction.
But it was likely he wasn't lying.
"No. He was not. I've been to slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster." Artemis shook her head as she spoke.
Zoe seemed to be trying hard to mask her fear, something she couldn't hide very well from anyone in this room.
"We will leave right away my lady." She nodded.
"No Zoe, I must do this alone." Artemis' words shattered her false confidence and her worry began to seep out uncontrollably.
"But Artemis—"
"The task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me." Artemis cut her off.
It was clear that there was something going on here, but I had no information in order to start putting whatever it was that was happening together.
This was a puzzle with as little pieces as possible.
But it wasn't unsolvable.
"As… you wish my lady." Zoe nodded.
"I will find this creature. And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be a proof I need to convince the Council of Gods of how much danger we are in." She vowed.
Why Winter Solstice specifically? Was it a special day for the gods? A gathering or something?
"You know what the monster is?" Percy asked.
Artemis gripped her brow, a solemn look on her face.
"Let us pray I am wrong." She stated.
"Can a goddess pray? Percy asked and I somehow found myself wondering that as well.
If they could, would they pray to higher beings? Were there even higher beings? Titans maybe? That's as far as my deity knowledge goes, I have a lot to learn.
Surprisingly a flicker of a smile played across our resident man-hating goddess' lips.
"Before I go, Percy Jackson and you Aiden. I have a small task for you two." She said.
"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?" Percy grimaced as he questioned.
I found myself wondering if I'd even be offended if I was turned into one, it would certainly help me figure our how she does it much faster if she just turned me into one.
At some point in time I should be able to turn back, I hope.
"Sadly, no. I want you two to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there safely until I return." She said.
"What?!" Zoe blurted out.
"Huh? I understand Percy, but why me? I'm new to this." I stated.
Artemis turned to me.
"Yet you're able to conjure magic strong enough to injure Thorn and strong enough to deflect an arrow from my Hunters. At first I thought they had missed but after that rambling from that boy, I finally understood." She stated.
I sighed, she essentially wanted to make sure the hunters would be able to see more of my capabilities.
She wanted to discern whether I was a friend or foe, or well foe or not.
Can't be friends if they hate men.
"But Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there—"
"Yes, I know." Artemis cut Zoe off with a sigh.
"But I'm sure Dionysius will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins your burned down." Artemis finished.
They burnt down cabins?
Is going there really safe?
"Foolish campers." Zoe muttered.
"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis said as she turned to Bianca who had remained strangely quiet during this whole ordeal, granted she most likely didn't know half of what was being talked about but still.
"Have you made up your mind, my girl?" Artemis asked her.
"I'm still thinking about it." Bianca hesitated.
"Wait, thinking about what?" Percy questioned.
"They... they've invited me to join the Hunt." She stated.
I had an idea that that's what it was.
She most likely has to pick between abandoning Nico and joining a place where she could have a real family instead of an annoying and naïve little brother.
But Nico was still a kid so he couldn't be blamed but I couldn't help but wonder why she even needed to think of this.
I thought they were close but it seems like she had no problem leaving her younger brother with a bunch of strangers.
Or maybe I'm the weird one here? Never had siblings before but according to Thalia I probably have some at the Camp they keep hyping up, so while I might have some, I've never met them.
So sibling dynamics are a bit finicky to me.
Regardless, Bianca was twelve and while Artemis believed twelve year-olds knew themselves for some reason, I on the other hand knew that if Bianca decided to go with them, then she was merely a confused child in my eyes as opposed to being failure of an older sister in the eyes of someone like Nico.
"But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive." Percy interjected.
"It's not the only way for a girl." Zoe retorted.
I understood that Percy was desperate, most likely trying to make sure that Annabeth's sacrifice wasn't in vain, but I had to agree with Zoe here. These hunters were young but they seemed plenty capable already.
"Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a Pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and… I mean what do you get by joining the Hunters?" He questioned.
"To begin with, Immortality." Zoe responded.
Excuse me? That was a tempting offer.
You know what I couldn't blame Bianca for going to them in the slightest.
….
Wait a minute, then how old were these supposedly young girls?
Were all these twelve year old looking kids actually like a hundred years old?
Alright I take my statement back, if I'm stuck in a kid's body my whole life, immortality is meaningless.
"She's kidding right?" Percy questioned as he stared at Artemis who shook her head.
"Zoe rarely kids about anything. My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath." Artemis said.
Unlikely? I find that hard to believe unless she personally joined in on every hunt they had, which seemed rather unlikely since she couldn't save Annabeth.
Granted Annabeth wasn't part of her group so who knows?
"What oath?" I decided to speak up, why? Not sure.
Artemis turned to me.
"To forswear romantic love forever. To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally." She responded.
Oh so they could be friends with guys? Then I guess hating men was just something the girls here liked to do instead of actually having to do it.
"Like you?" Percy asked and she nodded.
"So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods—"
"Not just half-bloods. Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"
"What are you, then?" Percy cut her off.
Zoe seemed angry at his question.
That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice." Zoe emphasized.
I appreciated when they had such informative conversations, it allowed me to learn a lot and enough.
But my efficiency in magic was enough to tell me that Zoe was not part human, so what was she? A nymph? Something else maybe?
What even was a nymph?
Unfortunately I couldn't discern godly power so I couldn't lock down a certain god for her. I'd only ever met Artemis and to me she just radiates power and that's it.
I could tell she wasn't human though, because I needed to use magic to discern whether one was human or not to avoid the monsters that were exceptionally good at shapeshifting.
"Bianca, this is crazy! What about your brother? Nico can't be a hunter." Percy said, using what I would like to call the "Nico" card to bring her to his side.
"Certainly not. He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do." Artemis said.
"Hey!" Percy protested.
I simply shrugged, what's there to getting offended? I don't need to make cheap contracts to be strong, I was more than capable on my own.
Can't say the same for the girls here.
Okay maybe I was a little offended.
"You can see him from time to time." Artemis assured Bianca.
"But you will be free of responsibility. He will have camp counsellors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us." Artemis stated.
"A new family… free of responsibility." Bianca repeated dreamily as if she were in some sort of trance.
"Bianca, you can't do this, it's nuts!" Percy said.
Bianca turned to Zoe.
"Is it worth it?" She asked.
"It is." Zoe affirmed.
Like what else would she have said? No? She's a proud member of the group.
"What… do I have to do?" Bianca asked.
"Say this. I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis." Zoe began.
Bianca opened her mouth, but suddenly she turned to me with distraught eyes.
"Aiden… what do you think?" As a fellow orphan it seemed she wanted my opinion on this.
Zoe sneered as Bianca addressed me, she probably thought I would influence her to pick otherwise.
Unfortunately that wasn't part of my plan.
"You should go for it." I said.
"What?!" Percy looked at me shocked.
"What?" Zoe as well was shocked.
"Hmm." Artemis merely hummed.
"W-what, are you sure? B-but Nic—"
"I can tell you want to discover who you are, what you want in life and what you can do. It seems being Nico's babysitter is tying you down. I understand your need to free yourself of responsibility and to look for your own path so I cannot stop you. Just make sure to always visit him when you can. Hunter or not, he's still your own blood brother." I said to her.
Bianca's eyes glistened with tears and she nodded.
"Yeah… thanks." She said.
"Anytime." I responded.
Bianca wiped her tears and turned to Artemis with a fiery resolve in her eyes.
"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis." Bianca began.
"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt." Zoe continued.
"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt." Bianca repeated.
"That's it?" She then asked.
"If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding." Zoe explained.
"I accept it." Artemis said.
The flames in the brazier brightened casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but the aura around her was certainly different.
Bianca had gotten stronger.
"I feel… stronger." She exhaled.
"Welcome sister." Zoe said.
"Remember your pledge. It is now your life." Artemis said.
I turned to Percy wondering what he was doing. He looked onto the ground, his eyes wide with despair. I could tell he felt like a complete failure, perhaps he felt he hadn't lived to Annabeth's sacrifice, despite what she had done at the cost of her life, he could only save one demigod.
"Do not despair, Percy Jackson. You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And If Nico so chooses, he can stay there." Artemis stated.
"Great. How are we supposed to get there?" Percy spoke, trying his hardest not to sound sultry but to no avail.
"Dawn is approaching." Artemis closed her eyes.
"Zoe, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother." Artemis said.
Her brother? I was gonna meet another god so soon after meeting one?
I wondered how many gods Percy had seen already, because it seemed like just being involved with Camp Half-Blood allowed you to see multiple of them in short succession.
Zoe sighed, she was clearly unhappy with the situation but was unable to do anything about it. She simply nodded and told Bianca to follow her.
Bianca stood up to leave and paused as she glanced at Percy.
"I'm sorry Percy. But I want this. I really, really do." She said before she turned to me and gave me a small smile.
"Thank you again." She said before she left.
Despite her new status as a person in the no boys squad, Bianca and I had once again gotten closer.
"So, we're going to get a ride from your brother huh?" Percy sounded grumpy.
Seems like someone can't take a loss.
"Yes boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother. It's time for you two to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo." Artemis' eyes gleamed.
Author note: I'm done with chapter 1, I hope you all enjoy. I'm not really good at interactions so I hope I didn't deviate from character personalities here or too much at least. I appreciate the comments, no matter how small they're still really helpful so, thank you.