Arriving at the campsite with Artemis in tow, seemingly asleep for real this time, Percy looked around as the Hunt looked more like a ghost town than anything else.

Percy could see a light dust cloud linger over the ground.

There was not a single soul to be seen. Everywhere he looked, it was empty.

Where did everyone go?

Perhaps monsters attacked?

But, there were no markings to indicate that such an event happened.

No tracks on the ground besides the ones made by the same boot prints that all the girls wore, himself included.

All of the tents and makeshift facilities set up were also too intact for a monster attack.

He checked the time of day.

It was approximately half past 7 in the afternoon, which could mean that they were out hunting for dinner, but again it was too empty to say that it was the case.

Usually, there would be a few girls left behind to watch over the camp, but today there was nobody.

Were they looking for us?

By us, he meant Artemis because they probably didn't care if he was away or not. As sad as it was, Percy wasn't that close to many of them, which partly, could be his fault, since he never thought to start up any conversations with any of them.

The only people he regularly talked to were Artemis and Eviane, which in retrospect was kind of sad that he only had two people to talk to.

Most of them just built a tolerance to his existence, which didn't exactly mean that they were jumping for joy at the thought of having a conversation with him.

If anything, he felt like they would rather not have anything to do with him.

It was only recently that Percy that the girls were kind of fun to tease. And by girls, he only meant Alexie.

Speaking of Alexie, she wasn't exactly the most receptive person toward his arrival.

When he first saw Alexie, she matched the description Artemis said about what a "stuck up" person was.

It was rude to think about her in that manner, but to be fair she did play the part from what he saw, which admittedly wasn't very much.

Percy didn't know what had changed between now and then, but he didn't mind it.

There was only one thing that was bugging him.

Alexie and Eviane didn't seem to have the best relationship, which were arguably the two closest people to him besides Artemis.

Eviane was his friend, and Alexie was technically his student since he agreed to teach her.

There was an existing hostility between Alexie and Eviane, more-so on the side of Alexie rather than Eviane, that the other girls didn't want to be apart of.

It seemed like nobody wanted to involve themselves in their dispute.

Perhaps because they considered themselves sisters and didn't want to favor one side or other, which could be why nobody took any action to support either person.

If the other girls knew about it, then Artemis most likely knew about it too.

However, she too hasn't intervened, leaving the two girls to settle it by themselves.

Percy didn't want these two girls to have bad blood because he knew that deep inside they were both good people.

Percy's ears perked up to the sound of clanging nearby.

It sounded like the sound was coming from the kitchen, which was part of a larger tent used as a cafeteria. The tent was made of a waterproof canvas, and had wooden flooring.

His legs slowed down as he made sure that his steps were as light as possible.

He continued to hug Artemis, who was as light as a feather.

Pots and pans clattered to the ground, followed by what sounded like metal screeching.

Quietly entering the cafeteria tent, he maneuvered around the wooden benches and tables. Usually, the walls of the tent were detached because the girls enjoyed the nature breeze as they ate. But today, the beige windowless canvas walls were attached, which normally wouldn't be a big deal if not for this strange situation.

The kitchen was located at the back of the tent as its own little room. There was only one window in the entire tent, which was a small plastic window located between the kitchen and the dining area, however, it was blocked by the inside curtain, which made him suspicious.

As he got closer, the sounds got quieter, perhaps aware of his presence.

Although the floor was made of wood, it was of extraordinary quality and well-maintained, which would've made it impossible for them hear him from the creaking of the wooden floorboards.

Percy stealthily leaned against the door to the kitchen, pressing his ear against its painted surface.

It was a door without a handle, so it would only take a small push to make the door swing open.

All the noise halted, and it was completely silent inside.

Suspicious...

It was extremely suspicious.

Percy was ready to swing the door wide open with his fingertips positioned.

On the count of three.

One...

Two...

Three...

He pushed with a force that was completely unnecessary, making the door groan from its metal hinges.

The person inside was surprised by the sudden sound, and let out a feminine scream.

As for the person... He recognized them.

"Eviane? Why are you so loud?"

She was glued against the back wall with a shocked expression.

"You!"

As soon as she locked eyes with him, her visage warped into anger.

Storming up to him, she angrily said, "What the hell is wrong with you!"

It looked like she was about to saying something, but then she noticed a particular person resting in his arms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here."

The raven-haired girl said through her grit teeth, "You're so so sooo lucky, Jackson."

She began to pinch his arm with an excessive amount of force.

"Ah. Ouch! Eviane. Wait. I- Ow. That's not- Fair. Oww."

She glared at him with her red eyes.

"Ow, ow, ow. I can't- defend myself- that's not- fair."

"What? I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Eviane huffed, "You're such an idiot."

"That hurt..."

Percy couldn't rub the sore spots that littered his arm.

"Hmph. Good."

Only Artemis could heal his pain, Percy thought to himself as he stroked her hair.

"Percy." Eviane said sternly. "What are you doing."

"She's curing me."

"Stop touching Mistress! Why is she in your arms in the first place? Wait. Did you drug her?"

Percy couldn't help, but make a dumbfounded look on his face at her baseless accusations.

"What! No! I would never do that to Artemis!"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Did you just say her name?"

"??? What? What's wrong with that?"

"You aren't allowed to do that! Good thing you knocked her out because she would kill you if she knew."

"I didn't..."

His protests landed on deaf ears because Eviane continued talking.

"But besides that, give her to me. If she wakes up to find a male holding her, even if you are technically her "guardian", she will actually kill you. Or turn you into a deer. Or chop off your arms. Actually! Just don't even think about it and hand her over quickly."

Her face as she said that was so serious that Percy almost handed her over to Eviane.

Eviane went to go grab Artemis away, but Percy swiveled his body like he was playing keep away.

"What are you-"

"Eviane, its alright."

"...?"

"Artemis is a heavy sleeper, so its okay."

"Are you serious? So, you really did drug her! I can't believe you're like the rest of them!"

"Wait, wait! No, I didn't! I did not drug her. I wouldn't be standing here if I did."

Eviane looked slightly unconvinced, but remained silent to hear the rest of his explanation.

"If I really did drug her, would it make any sense to go directly into the enemy base, where I'd know that her most loyal followers were located, and do whatever I wanted with her? Does that make any sense?"

"Reverse psychology?" Eviane tilted her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Percy continued, "With Artemis's exceptional senses as a hunter, are you saying that she wouldn't know that I am the one that's holding her?"

"Well, most people wouldn't know if they were being carried if they were unconscious."

"Artemis is a god."

"What's the difference between an unconscious mortal and an unconscious god?."

"You're still implying that I forcefully drugged her, which is impossible for me to do. Because, if I did, then Artemis would know right away and kill me before I could even blink. Do you think its possible for me to do drug a god and get away completely unscathed without a single hint of resistance? No scratches, no signs of struggle, no wounds, no nothing?"

"Well, maybe you found a drug that was completely odorless, tasteless, and could incapacitate a god in a millisecond, allowing you to come here?"

"You are unbearable."

"Sorry. I believed you a little while ago. I thought it would be kind of funny if I kept going."

"I dislike you. Immensely."

"Sorry, I'm sorry your feelings got hurt."

Eviane rubbed his arms, which by now stopped hurting, but started to irritate him again from her messing around.

"Stop that."

"But, I do have a question..."

"Ask."

"Why are you calling her by her name?"

"? Is that a problem?"

Eviane opened her mouth to say something, thought about it, then she said, "I guess not? If Mistress allowed you to touch her, which I kind of still doubt, then her name wouldn't really matter. But, is there something between you two? I don't want to be that person, but..."

"Uh. I guess?"

"What do you mean I guess?"

"Well, we are-... L- L- L#... L. Cough."

Inexplicably, the words that Percy wanted to say couldn't come out of his mouth, like they were physically stuck in his throat.

"L?"

Eviane looked at him strangely like she was looking at an idiot.

Since Percy couldn't say it, he only had one option!

...

Evade the question!

"Ahem. Ask Artemis later if you're really interested."

Percy looked away in embarrassment.

"Uh. Ok?" Eviane responded, visibly confused.

Wanting to change the subject quickly, Percy asked, "So where did everyone go? I didn't see anyone at camp."

"Oh! I forgot about that! They all went to look for Jayda."

"Jayda? Why?"

"I'm not too sure on the details, but I think she ran away? For some reason? Again, I don't really know the specifics."

To desert the camp for one person?

Percy thought it was strange that the entire camp was away.

It did not sit well with him.

Pursing his lips, Percy pondered his next choice of words. Jayda was only one person, and yet the entire Hunt was out looking for her.

Why did she run away in the first place?

It didn't seem right to him.

"This place is part of Artemis's domain, so she would know if any intruders entered."

"Eviane. Was there anything that might've indicated Jayda running away?"

"Anything weird? No, I don't think so."

"I see..."

Percy moved to the small window that overlooked the dining area, and pulled the curtains up.

"Say Eviane, what were you doing in here?"

"I was going to make dinner for myself..."

Eviane grabbed the pan that was on the ground to put it in the sink, but she accidentally dropped it on the floor, making a loud clanging sound.

"But, this kept happening."

Percy had only noticed now, but her right hand was twitching incessantly.

Now that he thought about it, Eviane used solely her left hand to pinch him.

"You... Let me do the cooking."

Percy sat Artemis down on a nearby chair.

Turning to Eviane, he said, "You also take a seat. Over training can be detrimental."

The glance toward her hand didn't go unnoticed as she quickly hid it behind her back.

"I-"

"Shush, and relax. I will do the cooking."