A/N: I am not good at writing. Advice/constructive critism is welcomed.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rick Riordan except Evelyn the Eagle.
Thalia walked out of her tent and took a deep breath. New day. New beginnings. Artemis would be up already. As the goddess's lieutenant, Thalia was supposed to meet her and discuss plans for the day. And so she would do that.
The silver curtains of Artemis's tent were closed, but there was light inside.
"My lady?" Thalia called out.
Artemis opened the curtains. She was wearing her curly auburn hair in a ponytail, and she had her usual moon tiara on her head.
"Good morning, lieutenant." The goddess greeted her. "Come inside."
_.oOo._
"Harpy hunting. Sounds easy." Reyna mused.
Thalia had just come back from the talk with Artemis. Apparently some harpies escaped from Camp Half-Blood, got out of control, and started causing trouble all over the eastern U.S. Chiron had asked for help because, well, the Hunters were the best at these things. The Hunters are the best at everything.
"I assure you, Rey, it's not going to be easy. Would be fun, though. I'll get back at them for trying to eat us."
A bell rang, signaling the beginning of the morning meeting of Artemis's close companions. They were the ones who usually accompanied the goddess. The rest of the Hunt have other activities at the camp.
The meeting basically discusses the schedule for the day, which Thalia always knows beforehand. Nevertheless, she sat down at the clearing in the middle of the camp. Meetings were always held there.
When everyone settled down, Artemis announced: "Good morning, sisters. Today, our friend Chiron has asked for our help to hunt down a few harpies. We cannot kill them, of course – They are prophesied to die at the hands of the Boreads – but we should be able to scare them away to somewhere far." There were excited murmurings from the crowd. They hadn't gotten specific assignments in a while, and everyone was looking forward to it.
The moon goddess smiled knowingly. "I know you are all eager. I appreciate that. However, today is Monday, which means battle training in the morning." The group collectively sighed. "Now, find a partner or a small group, and start practicing your fighting moves. Remember, your main jobs are to hunt, but keeping your body fit and being ready for monsters is important too!"
_.oOo._
Thalia was sweating heavily when Artemis called: "Everyone who's going harpy hunting, put away whatever you don't need. We'll set out in five minutes. And Iphigenia, dear sister, bring Evelyn, please." Evelyn was the eagle rescued by Naomi on a mission years ago. Ever since then, Evelyn had helped with hunting.
"About time!" Exclaimed Reyna as the group of girls left their camp. "The harpies won't stand a chance."
Thalia nodded. "Demon bird spirits, here we come."
_.oOo._
They didn't have to walk too far. About twenty minutes after they had left camp, Evelyn, who was scouting ahead, flew back. Seeing the eagle, Artemis ordered the Hunt to stop and gather in a circle.
Evelyn landed on Artemis's shoulder and said something Thalia didn't catch. Artemis nodded. The goddess announced: "Evelyn has told me that she has seen our targets, which are half a mile, or about one kilometer away. They have not detected our presence. The harpies are beside a lake, presumably resting, but they might leave at any time. We must hurry."
_.oOo._
They were here. It was a huge lake, its surface shimmering. Artemis gave the signal to stay low. Thalia crouched behind the bush close to Artemis and observed. There were four harpies, eating fruits from a tree. Despite Thalia's assumptions, it looked like it was going to be an easy catch.
"Permission to fire, my lady?" Whispered the lieutenant. Artemis nodded.
Thalia willed her bow and arrows to appear. Immediately, she felt the familiar weight of the quiver on her back, and the silver bow was in her hand. She drew her bow and fired an arrow without even needing to think. And following her, a rain of shining arrows flew from the Hunt, who now all stood upright, their expressions determined.
The harpies dropped the fruits they were eating and soared into the air. Arrows started getting knocked out of their path. Right. They can control air. Thalia remembered. The harpies seemed to think that if they kept staying here, the Hunters would leave. No way. Thalia fired another arrow, and another, her gaze following one single target.
After a while, the harpies finally seemed to have given up. With a signal from the one who seemed to be the leader, they all flew away, flapping their wings. Don't even think about coming back, Thalia thought.
Artemis clapped her hands twice, and all the Hunters turned to focus on their leader.
The goddess smiled, her silver eyes shining. "That, was impressive work, my dear companions. The harpies won't come back anywhere near in a few centuries. We have proven ourselves as fierce and capable warriors, united in sisterhood. And now, we go home."
_.oOo._
"Hey, we did great today, didn't we." Thalia grinned at Reyna.
Night had fallen, and all of the Hunt were gathered around their campfire. The Hunters who had stayed in camp had hunted plenty of prey – normal prey that would not vaporize, so that everyone could have food. Artemis also created some bread and vegetables out of thin air in order to give the Hunt a healthy diet.
"Sure we did." The ex-praetor grinned back.
Artemis told everyone the story of Kallisto again. Kallisto was a Hunter who lived long ago. She had unintentionally attracted the attention of Zeus, and when she got pregnant, Artemis turned her into a bear because of how she broke her vow and did not report the truth. The goddess looked sad whenever she talked about Kallisto, but at the end of the story, she always said, "Remember, if you have a problem, come and communicate with me. We are sisters. I will always be here. I don't want to lose another friend like that again."
The story was sad, but Thalia had heard it so many times that it didn't affect her anymore. When Artemis finished her story, the Hunt enjoyed their meal in comfortable silence.
Thalia watched the flames flicker and thought about everything she'd been through. She had lived on the streets. She had been turned into a tree. She had gone on dangerous quests. But here with her sisters-in-arms, she was safe and free. At last.