Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the Dresden Files.
Moonlit Meetings
"Talking"
"Thinking
Hank Carpenter liked to think he was a practical sort of kid. He had good parents who did their best to raise him right and siblings who loved him just as much. When his dad suggested he join the Cub Scouts, he found it to be a lot of fun. He still found it fun as a Boy Scout.
It was the skills he had learned as a Scout that guided him now. What had started out as a camping trip quickly turned bad when news circulated of a missing girl. But it wasn't just any missing girl. It was his best friend's sister. Hank was among the first to volunteer.
They had searched throughout the day with no success. As the sun started to set, the search party pulled back. Except for Hank. He was certain that Kelly was close by. He had heard people in the distance and went after it, despite the adults' wishes. He had a walkie-talkie with him to keep in contact.
As he pushed through the forest, Hank heard voices in the distance. Hope pushed through his body, urging him on. The closer he got, the clearer they became. There were multiple voices, all talking over one another. Hank couldn't make out what they were saying but that didn't matter.
He made certain to make noise as he approached. When he stepped out into the clearing, all the eyes were on him. "Hi," he said with a wave.
The first thing he noticed was the fact there were only girls at the campsite. They were about twenty of them, dressed in white clothes. And they were all giving him a very bad stink eye. He gulped without thinking and made sure his hands stayed in plain sight.
One of them marched over to him. She stood out thanks to her black jacket and silver tiara. "Who are you?" she demanded. Her blue eyes reminded him of thunder for some reason.
"I'm Hank, Hank Carpenter," he introduced himself. "And you are?"
"Considering an intruder." Her tone was short, bordering on curt. If he used that tone, his mother would have his hide. She looked past him at the forest. "You made a lot of racket coming in."
"I didn't want to surprise you guys." As she looked back at him, he got to the point. "Have any of you seen a little girl, about ten years old, brown hair and wears glasses? Her name is Kelly?"
Another girl joined them. She was younger, roughly Hank's age, and her pale eyes bore into him. "And what is this girl to you?" she asked. Even though she was younger, she spoke with authority.
The answer was easy enough. "She's my best friend's sister." He looked at everyone. "She went missing earlier today. There's been a search party looking. If you know anything, please tell me."
The younger girl stared at him for a long moment. Hank did his best meet her gaze, but it was hard. There was something about her eyes that made him uneasy. "We have her," she finally said.
"You do?"
She didn't answer him, choosing to walk away. The older girl stopped Hank when he tried to follow. "Artemis will bring her," she said. She caught his hand reaching for his walkie-talkie. "What are you doing?" Her eyes flashed with a warning.
"Just letting my dad know," he answered. "He's close by." When she didn't do anything else, he took that to mean he could use the walkie.
Thalia stayed silent as she watched the kid. If she had to guess, he would've been twelve. Just about the time for monsters to getting his scent. "It's impressive that you were able to find us," she said once he was done.
"Just lucky, really," he said. "I heard voices and thought there was someone else out here." He glanced at the camp again. The other girls were going about their duties, doing their best to ignore him. Yet when one did glance his way, it was with a dirty look. "Uh, why are your friends looking at me like that?" he asked.
She glanced back for a moment. "They don't like boys that much."
That was a little strange. Hank took a second look at the campsite. This time, he saw the weapons, especially the bows, and the wolves. A bad feeling started to crawl his spine. Good thing Uncle Harry taught him a few ways to figure this out. "I didn't know the Girl Scouts were camping in the area," he remarked.
There were a few angry noises and protests. The girl in front of him smirked. "Is that what you think we are?" she asked. "Girl Scouts?"
As much as he would like to believe so, this was starting to feel otherwise. "This is a magic thing, isn't it?" Was he amongst fairies? Before the idea gained ground, he thought about the second girl. Her name stuck out. "Uh, about that other girl. You said her name was Artemis?" He got a short nod. "…I don't suppose she was named after the goddess?"
"She is Artemis."
His shoulders slumped, along with his head. "That's what I thought." And he was in trouble.
Before anything else was said, the aforementioned goddess returned, along with Kelly. Ben's sister smiled once she saw him. "Hi, Hank," she said with a wave.
Hank breathed in relief at the sight of her. "Kelly, there you are. You've got everyone worried sick. What happened?" he asked.
Her smile dimmed a little. "I dunno. I was following everyone on the trail. I saw something interesting and when I looked up, they were all gone."
That made sense. It could've happened to anyone, Hank included. Besides, he wasn't exactly family. He had no right to get mad. Instead, he looked back at the older girls. "Thank you for finding her and keeping her safe," he said with the utmost respect. "Once my dad gets here, we'll take her and go back to our campsite."
Kelly frowned. "But Hank, I don't wanna go back." She grabbed hold of Artemis's hand. "I wanna stay here, with the Hunters!"
"What?"
"Yeah, they offered me a spot. It's really fun! They do all this great stuff, like shooting a bow and camping." She was all but quivering with excitement. "I was even shown a few tricks. Please, I wanna stay."
Hank took a moment. As much as he wanted to yell at her for such a stupid idea, he couldn't. "Kelly," he asked, doing his best to keep his voice restrained, "Your parents gave you the 'don't take candy from strangers' speech, right?"
She blinked, unsure about what he meant. "Yeah?"
He pointed at the goddess and the campsite. "Strangers."
The older girl was ready to say something, only to stop and consider him. "You know, he's got a point," she told Artemis.
"It does not matter," she replied before looking at Hank. "It is Kelly's decision if she wants to join us or not." Her eyes watched his every move.
"She's…I'm sorry, but you are the goddess Artemis, right?"
She nodded. "I am."
"Is there's any chance you can make yourself older?" The question made her pause. She wasn't the only one. "It's just hard to consider you as in charge when she's taller," he said, gesturing to the second girl.
In a single moment, Artemis became an adult. "Better?" she asked, looking down at him.
He nodded. "Yes. As I was saying, she's ten." The now adult goddess simply stared at him. "It's a bit young?" He couldn't help how that sounded like a question.
"She might become one of my younger Hunters, but she'll fit in. That's all that matters."
"And what about her family?" Hank's dad asked as he walked into the clearing. He came to his son's side, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Do they not matter?"
Kelly smiled up at him. "Hi, Mr. Carpenter."
"Hello, Kelly. I'm glad to see you're okay." He looked at the goddess. "Lady Artemis," he said with polite respect.
She considered him. Unlike Hank, her eyes were curious as they searched him. "I know you," she finally said.
"We fought together against two hellhounds, some twenty-five years ago." He tapped the side of his face. "I was clean-shaven then."
The goddess's eyes widened and then focused in realization. Hank didn't know what she was looking for, but it seemed she couldn't find it. "You don't carry your blade."
Michael shook his head with a sad smile. "My time has come and gone. As a Knight, I've retired. Now I can be what I always wanted to be: a father." The smile faded as his eyes turned resolute. "And it is because I am a father that I insist Kelly comes with us."
Neither the goddess nor the girl said anything. Kelly did, though. "But Mr. Carpenter, I want to stay." She looked back at the campsite with longing. "They're so much fun and exciting."
"I'm sure they are. But what about your family, Kelly?" She froze and looked back at him. "They think you're missing. Your mother is scared. So is your father. And your brother is blaming himself." His eyes were gentle but pointed. "What happened?"
Kelly couldn't look at those eyes, not when the memory of yesterday was still fresh. "We had a fight." Her voice was quiet, only heard between the five of them. "I told him I hated him, and he said the same." The more she thought about it, the more she saw the fight had been so stupid. And she felt ashamed because of it.
"Is that how you want to leave things with him?" he asked. "Because if you go with Lady Artemis, you will not be able to see your family again."
That got her attention. First her gaze went to him, then to Artemis. The goddess regarded her look with a calm expression. "The Oath is for life, Kelly. You will become one of my Hunters and leave your old life behind."
"And it will affect your family too," Michael added with a quiet expression.
Artemis looked to him. "Be careful, Knight," she warned with a stern expression. "How would you know what happens?"
"Because I have seen it before." He looked past her to the campsite, to one Hunter in particular. "Hello, Betheny."
The Hunter in question froze and then looked back. She was puzzled as she approached. "How do you know my name?" she asked Michael, staring up at him. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she couldn't place it.
"Because you used to babysit me."
It was a simple sentence, yet it made her stop short. She looked at him again and gasped. "Mikey?"
While Artemis and the other girl looked at her, Hank looked at his dad. "You know her?" he asked.
"Yes. Her little brother was my best friend. Betheny was five years older than us. We thought the world of her. Then she disappeared without a trace. Everyone looked but we couldn't find her. In the end, she was declared dead." When his eyes found his old babysitter, they were hard. "Your father drank himself to death because of his guilt. Your mother blamed herself for what happened and always insisted that you were still alive, even when no one else believed her. And Josh always wondered what happened to his big sister, growing angry when he never got a good answer."
Her eyes fell to the ground. They stayed there, unable to look the man in the eyes. "Half-brother and stepmother." she mumbled.
"They were still your family," he retorted. "And you didn't even say goodbye."
"Enough," Artemis declared. There was authority in the word, the kind where Hank started to wonder if he was in trouble.
But his father weathered it all the same before looking at Kelly. "Is that you want, Kelly?" he asked. "Do you want to leave your family behind?"
She shook her head fast, blurring her scared expression. "No, no, I don't." She looked up at Artemis. "Sorry, but I have to go home."
This was the moment Hank was sure things were going to take a turn for the worse. But the goddess simply nodded. "Of course. It was nice to meet you, Kelly. Have a good life."
Kelly walked over to Hank's side, taking hold of his hand. Michael nodded in thanks to Artemis. "Thank you. Have a good night and may God go with you."
"Wait," Betheny said, stopping them. "Mikey, about Joey—?"
Somber eyes greeted her as he shook his head. "I haven't seen him since his family moved away." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she nodded in thanks.
Thalia and Artemis watched as the three mortals walked back into the forest amidst the setting sun. Thalia wasn't too upset they lost a potential recruit. It was sheer luck she stumbled across them, and it was clear she had family.
The one thing she was surprised was that the boy had lasted as long as he did. "I would've thought you'd turn the boy into a jackalope when he stumbled into camp," she told Artemis.
"I had tried," the goddess admitted. "But I was rebuffed, quite sternly." It had been a surprise, which was why she had come over in the first place.
Thalia glanced at her and then back at the forest. "I thought he was a mortal. How could he have that kind of power to stop you?"
"It wasn't him. I would say it was because of his father. He must've been given some special aide after he stopped being a Knight."
She heard the capitalization in the word. And there was also the fact he had fought alongside her lady and lived afterwards. "Who is he?" she asked, her curiosity urging her on.
"You heard him, Thalia. He is a father."
Okay, it was going to be one of those things. "Then what was he?"
Artemis considered the forest again, this time with a small smile. "A man of God, who wielded one of three special swords."
"Which god?" Thalia had a tough time trying to figure out the answer. There wasn't much to go on, especially without a name.
Her goddess simply laughed. "Perhaps this phrase will help you understand, Thalia. In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti." The Latin stumbled out of her mouth without grace. As it would, since she was Greek at the moment.
It still was enough for her Hunter. The second she heard the phrase; her eyes went wide. Distant memories of her life as a child returned, of infrequent trips to church. She didn't remember that much, but that phrase stuck out. "You mean—"
Artemis nodded. "Yes."
"…He actually exists?"
"Why is that surprising, Thalia? After all, I exist, don't I?"
"Well yeah, but…" No matter what she thought, words failed her. "It's a lot to process."
Artemis turned around, putting the forest behind her. "Acknowledge it, but don't give it any further thought. There are a few times our world cross paths but beyond that, it is none of our business."
Thalia knew that tone. Her lady had given no orders, but the tone had commanded her to drop it. "As you say, Lady Artemis," she said. The two of them walked back into their camp, already going back to their own world.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
I'm not entirely sure where this story came from. Maybe it was because I wanted to see what would've happened if someone rejected the Hunters' offer, or because I thought it would be interesting for the Hunters to run into a polite man.
If anyone has read the Dresden Files, you know who Michael Carpenter is. To say he is a good man is an understatement. When he and Artemis fought together, he was still polite and respectful to her. That might've thrown her for a brief loop, since it was an adult man who didn't think lowly of her because she was a woman.
That being said, I believe Michael would have a sore spot about how a Hunter could be recruited. Bethany might've had issues growing up, being a demigod and all (not sure who her father would be, so I left it vague). Having the chance to join the Hunters might've been a lifeline she found and didn't want to let go. But in her excitement, or her eagerness, she didn't think to say goodbye to her family. I'd be willing to bet that thought never crossed her mind until she was called out on it.
Thinking about it, that's gotta be a hard thing for the newer Hunters. Their families are moving on, growing older, while they stay the same age. A Hunter seeing their sibling all grown up must come as a shock every time. Maybe that's a reason why they always stay out in nature: to avoid such things happening all the time.
I'll see you all next chapter!
