Rachel Elizabeth Dare a.k.a. RED.
A character that entered the first Percy Jackson series halfway in, and grabbed the readers' attention by the balls.
Being a mortal in a world of magic wasn't just boring, it was annoying. They were a liability. The escort quest if they need to be in the plot.
But Rachel? Nah, she saw gods and monsters and decided Old Man Henderson was her role model. Girl literally saved the world by smack the King of the Titans in the face with a brush. ...Or lead to the series of events that helped save the world. The memes were strong.
"I have so many questions!" And apparently she's way too hyped up due to being exposed to Nasu Lore shit. Well Tsunoverse, but anyways! "First, is there a Holy Grail War going around? Who's whose Servant? Also what is this place? It seem like a very big cave?" She gasped. "Waitaminute! I read theories about this. Since you said you're the original Asterios from our world, not an alternate one, does that mean this is the Lab—"
"Stop!" I called out with a hand raised up. Wow. Literally just met her for ten seconds and already I have to use the Power Voice to get her to stop and listen. This bodes well for the future I'm sure. "Look... Rachel? Or does you name start with an 'R'?" I asked, feinting ignorance, but this is literally the first time we met.
"It's Rachel. Rachel Elizabeth Dare!" She replied with a shit eating grin. "As if you didn't know that Mr. Akai Tsuno-san."
"'San' is a prefix that's used for 'Mister'." I said back feeling my eyebrow twitch a bit.
"But I'm right that you are 'Akai Tsuno', right?" Rachel grinned eagerly. "It's been like the biggest theory that Asterios Alter was basically an author insert, of the head writer, since he made his pseudonym based off of him." She looked at my red horns with a smile. "Although not as much pseudonym in this case."
"Yes, but really, not important right now." I began, about to make an argument for Rachel to leave right away, because this wasn't the time nor place for a quiet chat with a big battle coming up.
"Who's the twerp and why does she look familiar?" Thalia asked with narrowed eyes.
"How are you here?" Annabeth spoke up. "Actually how did she get here? Why is she here?" She looked at me.
I asked the Labyrinth.
Its answer was an empathetic shrug of "I dunno".
"The Labyrinth is expanding again, so likely opened a door at her basement where she lived by accident." I offered an explanation.
"We don't have a basement." Rachel scrunched her eyebrows. "I live on the 30th floor."
...Okay, what?
People looked at me and I just shurgged.
Once more I asked the Labyrinth.
Yo Labrys, what's up?
The Labyrinth explained that, as it ruled between the Underworld and the Surface, if its a place upon the Surface, it can make an entrance there.
Even on different floors of a building but not the basement?
The answer I got was the equivalent of "It's on the Surface, isn't it?"
Wow. Surprise Labyrinth entrance. Well that's not fucking horrifying at all. You go to the toilet and—bam, you're in a monster fighting arena.
Haha, yeah, no. It's just keep it street level please.
An idle intrusive thought arose.
Since Olympus is "on" the Surface, and it is part of the Greek Texture, technically, doesn't that mean an entrance could be—
I cut off that thought and immediately pulled back the Labyrinth, halting its expansion before it could even think to act on its curiosity of that thought.
Oh yeah, let's just pop an door at Mount Olympus—Fuck no!
Yet the question was there, and there was this feeling that it was... possible?
NO.
I commanded. Not even the start of an attempt to satisfy a curiosity.
We are not poking that anthill.
"Regardless," Zoe spoke up. "Annabeth, you seem to know this young girl, who is she?"
"Now I remember." Thalia snapped her fingers. "The redhead from the Fate game. Bull Dude, who's she?"
"Bull Dude?" I raised an eyebrow. Thalia just crossed her arms and raised and eyebrow back. Who's this sassy brat? "Also, I'll say it again, Fate/Téras Konístra does not translate to the real world one to one. Yes, this girl is named 'Rachel' and is a redhead, but I don't know how accurate the game is to real life." I naturally lied. I knew how much was real and how much was false.
"So she's not a demigod?" Percy asked.
"I would definitely do all the things game me would have done in her circumstances." Rachel crossed her arms and nodded to herself. She then looked at Percy smiling. "Huh, you're cuter in real life."
"I, err, what? Thanks?" Percy was thrown off.
"And 'demigod'?" Rachel asked all of us.
"It means a child to one of the gods. Half-mortal, half-god." Artemis stepped in. "You are in a dangerous place child, you should walk back to your home."
"Huh." Rachel nodded after processing that answer. "Okay, and cool horns." She said back.
"Thanks?" That was a random comment.
"Err, not you. I guess I should have said, cool antlers." Rachel said towards Artemis who blinked in confusion.
"What's she talking about?" Annabeth frowned at the seeming non-sequitur while worried this mortal girl might have offended the goddess.
"Sick vines. The flowers are a nice touch, but why add pink flowers with the blue and black?" Rachel asked, her eyes slowly narrowing at the goddess as if trying to see more.
At that point Artemis' eyes widened as understanding lit up in them.
"Ah, I see, don't worry about it." The goddess let out a small smile. "You're Clear-Sighted, young Rachel." She said with quiet interest. Uh huh, no.
"What's 'Clear-Sighted'?" Percy whisper asked Annabeth, who began to explain what that was.
"I suggest your don't focus on looking at me for too long, lest you lose your eyesight." Artemis said.
"What?" Rachel blinked, frowning a little, wondering what set the other girl off. Although her tone sounded like she was giving her advise rather than threatening her.
"Rachel, that is the goddess Artemis. You know, from Greek Mythology?" I explained. "Seeing her true form usually causes people, I.E. mortals to die. Thus the warning.
"Oooh! Got it! Nice to meet'cha." She and Artemis shook hands. Rachel stepped back and seemed to stop focusing her eyes, like she looking at the background rather than Artemis herself. "You know, my other name Ellywar means—"
My eyes widened immediately at what this horny idiot was likely to do.
"'Torch' or 'Oath of God'." I said quickly, making Rachel look to me.
"Huh?" Rachel said.
"'Elly' in Ellywar is for 'Torch' or 'Oath of God'. No 'Moon'." I emphasized.
"...Ah!" Rachel nodded in understanding.
Artemis just looked at us with a raised eyebrow. She looked confused, but didn't ask what were we talking about. Did she really not get it? Or maybe Rachel's too young for the goddess to get what the girl was going to attempt to do.
"So, where's Fafnir? I want my Shota Dragon Prince!" Rachel said with a laugh.
"Alright that's enough. Show's over. Kid, you got the meet and greet with demigods and gods. Now go back up the way you came. It's dangerous here." Thalia cut in the conversation, getting into Rachel's face.
"And who the heck are you?" Rachel said back defiantly. She jumped back when electricity sparked around Thalia's hair.
"Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. You understand what that means?" Thalia said with a menacing smile.
"...Oh my god, you're Jason's sister!" Rachel said with wide-eyes. "Holy crap there are so many theories about you. I can't believe I get to meet you. So that's what you look like! Badass Tomboy Punk. Were you ever stuck in the Underworld? That's been a pretty big thing people believe."
Thalia was stunned by the reply as she remembered, how the prophetic game talked about her brother being alive.
"What theories?" Percy asked.
"Delta Maze Gaming has a very popular forum site, where people discussion movies, games and stuff, but mainly the Fate/Téras Konístra game, and the setting its in." Annabeth said back.
"Is this game really so important, to cause this much of a ruckus?" Zoe wondered. Also 'ruckus'? What are you, an old granny? I mean, she is two thousand plus years old but still.
"No." Thalia growled as she grinned, before turning to me. "Been stuck as a tree to avoid the Underworld though. Speaking of which, where the fuck is my brother, Asterios!?"
"Okay! Everyone chill!" I called out, making the group fall into blissful silence for a moment, as they waited for my reply. "First, Rachel. Real people, not video game characters." I said with a pointed stare.
Rachel blinked, before her eyes widened, as if just waking up and realizing what she did.
"Oh fuck. Crap, I'm so sorry, I was just so excited to meet you, I didn't think about how that sounded." Rachel said with such earnestness, that Thalia's restrained angry expression softened.
"Tis fine. Forget it." Thalia said and waved her off.
"Thalia, the game doesn't translate to real life one to one. We made notes on where your characters was, so I can reverse that, and theorize on where your brother is." I said, and she grunted in acknowledgement.
"Finally, Rachel, yes, you're in the Labyrinth, and look, it's dangerous here. So please go back through the door you came in. I'll remove the entrance once you live, so you or someone else doesn't end up here by accident, and meets a monster or something." I said, best to move this along, so Rachel can meet or talk to Percy and everyone else later. The Fates would ensure it anyways.
"What, no. I wanna help out with what this is. Even if FTK isn't real, if I'm anywhere close to what myself in the game was like, then I'm definitely needed on your side in the Grail War." Rachel argued.
"There is no Grail War. There are no Holy Grail, Servants, Master, Heroic Spirits—" Annabeth began to say.
"But that's what Servants are."
"—No it's not. They are a container for an expression of the whole of the Heroic Spirit." Annabeth stopped and took a breath, eyes closed in annoyance, before opening them and continuing. "Point is, all of us here are not normal humans, Lady Artemis isn't human at all, and we going into a dangerous situation soon. We don't have time to sit down and explain everything to you."
Rachel frowned, not liking how Annabeth was talking to her.
"You are way more prickly than Annabelle."
"Annabeth." She snapped back, before smiling frustratingly. "My name is Annabeth Chase. Not Annabelle Chaser."
"My name is Percy Jackson." Percy added, raising a hand. "Percy for Perseus, not Percival. Also, why Percival?" He said to me.
Before I could answer, Rachel did.
"He's one of King Arthurs, Knights of the Round Table." She explained. "Also, while Perseus would have worked way better thematically in game, you're a Greek Demigod and you're name is 'Perseus'? Isn't that bad luck?"
"Why? My mom thought it would be good luck, because Perseus is one of the few heroes who had a happy ending and died a peaceful death in old age." Percy explained.
"Oh." Rachel awww'd. "That's actually pretty sweet."
"Yeah, I know, thanks." Percy smiled back, much to Annabeth's annoyance.
"So Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, I'm guess it's not Byanka for you?" Rachel asked Bianca.
"It's... Byanka but with an 'I' and a 'C'." Bianca admitted.
"Wow. They really weren't trying with the names, were they?" Rachel blink in surprise at that.
"In my defense none of the kids knew the characters they made, had names near identical to real people. And I made mine on a dare, and for a lulz." Bianca explained.
"Wait," Rachel's eyes widened. "That whole thing about the 'child labor' wasn't a conspiracy? It's real?!" She cried out.
"It was honestly just a school project... that everyone from grade seven to twelve worked on." Bianca embarrassingly admitted.
"He's making millions! That's basically exploitation!" She said gesturing to me.
"Wait, million? Huh. Maybe I should have taken those royalty checks." Percy said to himself.
"Wait, he's not paying you!?" Rachel said, looking at all the demigods who had a game character based off them.
"I'm a Hunter of Artemis, I don't need money." Annabeth said.
"My dad is Hades, I'm already the richest person on earth automatically." Bianca said back.
The group began to talk, as Rachel would ask more and more about the mythic world and the similarities or differences to the Fate game setting.
I rubbed my temples in irritation, as while normally this would be a fun talk, we don't have the time for it. I was close to just ordering Rachel to leave forcibly, but I really didn't want to be the asshole. Also Artemis might use this chance to lure another girl into her cult.
"Asterios." My mother spoke softly from next to me. "In social situation you are better with a calm mind." She advised.
I nodded. Taking a deep breath, I focused on the present moment. There is no rush, we still got time, and let's just gently solve this.
If not, I could always pick Rachel up and throw her out of the Labyrinth.
"Rachel." I called out.
"Yes, Bull Daddy?"
"Never call me that again." I immediately said, pointing a finger warningly at her.
"But that's your fan nickname!" She exclaimed.
"...What the fuck is happening in those forums?" I muttered and heard a certain Discord Goddess chuckling. "Anyways! Look, you ever watch spy movies, or fantasy movies that start out with a simple plot. A murder mystery, or a macguffin quest, but then it escalates into this big stupid end of the world stuff, where the heroes have to stop the doomsday device. A nuke or a bioweapon for the spy movie, or some world change, ending, or portal making for a hell world macguffin that's about to activate. You know how those things are?"
"Oh yeah, I love those. Watched movies like those dozens of times." Rachel nodded.
"And you know how in those movies, the spy world or the magic world is a secret from normal people and all that, which would serve as a way to introduce it to the main character the enters it?"
"Yep!" She said, grinned and getting excited thinking I'm talking about her.
"Now, imagine in the climax of the spy movie where the bomb or thing has a five minutes on the countdown clock. Or the macguffin thing is nearing activation, and suddenly... some normal person that doesn't know about the secret spy world, or the masquerade appears and asks what's going on."
Rachel frowned in extreme annoyance.
"That is stupid." She said. "That would be really annoying. What kinda hack writing is that? I mean, that completely breaks the flow of—Oooooooh!" Rachel's eyes widened and she gave me a slow nod. "I'm the normie that crashed in on the climax of the plot."
"Yep." I nodded.
"...Okay. She lives." Eris said in my mind.
Wait, what? When was killing her an option?
"So, I'm guess I interrupted something important?" Rachel said, looking around before her eyes landed on Percy.
"Yep." He nodded. "We're about to fight a titan to save the world, otherwise the sky will fall and crush us and the west coast."
"...I'll go back and try not to have a panic attack, or nightmares about that." Rachel said back.
"Fear not, Rachel Elizabeth Dare." Artemis spoke up, reassuring the young girl. "While the battle may seem tough, you do not need to catastrophize like the bull monster is doing."
...Oh fuck you. Are you using me to butter her up to you?
"Nah, if this secret magic world always existed and there were always dangers in it, then the fact that the world is still standing means they are people protecting it. So it's all good." Rachel shrugged with a smile.
"That is a positive outlook." Artemis smiled. "You know if you wish to be part of that force that protects the world, we could talk about it further."
Rachel suddenly had a faraway look in her eyes.
"...The Hunters of Artemis." She whispered before shaking her head.
Artemis' eyes widened in recognition, before she adopted a more neutral tone.
"Yes, exactly. It seems your Sight views things further than mere the present truth." The goddess commented with a smile. "Me and my Hunters go around and actively hunt down the greatest of monsters."
"Also you have to live in the wilderness without any TV or A/C." I said drily.
Artemis scowled at me, while Rachel blinked and hummed.
"Do you like adventures? You will gain great power and skill with bows and arrows to hunt down any monster that threaten the mortal world." Artemis said, before looking right at me. "No matter their stature or power."
Back off.
She didn't say it. She didn't telepathically communicate it. But I felt that's what she wanted to say.
"You'd also cut off any communication with any male figures in your life, due to peer pressure from those who might have been hurt by guys, and then use that experience, as a cudgel for any argument as to why men are the devil." I said meeting Artemis's gaze. "Do you love your family? Is it a good home or an abusive one?"
Fuck off, is what I wanted to say back.
"Wha? No! I love my parents! We're a bit distance because of their job, but that's normal." Rachel said, looking more and more uncomfortable and worried.
"You would be free to communicate to your family whenever you wish. None of my girls are prohibited from doing so." Artemis said back. "You do not need to be listen to this fearmongering of a blind bovine."
"When you take the Hunter's Oath, you'll be stuck at the age you take it, till you either quit or worse. Everyone you know and love will age out, while you stay the same." For this next part, I'm betting that RED's personality is like her game self. "Also all romantic love is prohibited in the Hunters. It's not some paradise of Yuri, and of course no relationship with boys, beyond strictly necessarily. I.E. helping in a life or death battle."
"What!? No, I want my destined harem!" Rachel exclaimed passionately.
"Huh?" Thalia said with a disgruntled look of disbelief.
"By Artemis there's always a fool per era." Zoe muttered and facepalmed.
"Damn f$%& Aphrodite." Artemis facepalmed.
"Again. That word came up. What the hell is a 'Harem'?" Percy asked.
"Don't worry about it, it's not important." Annabeth hastily replied.
Bianca snorted and covered her face with her hand, and she giggled.
"How do you not know what a harem is, when you're consistently have the highest number of being in one in FTK?" Rachel cried out.
"I didn't even know about this game until a few days ago. Only Annabeth and Thalia played it, and only Annabeth finished it." Percy argued back.
"Ooooh!" Rachel said, before looking at Annabeth for a moment.
Annabeth stared wide-eyed in a "deer in headlight" look. Rachel grinned. Annabeth blushed back.
"It's just a game, it's not real." Annabeth said.
"Uh huh." Rachel nodded, not believing her. Then she turned to me with an accusatory look. "Hey, why isn't there a Percabelle Route?"
I sighed. "We thought it was too obvious, so we subverted expectations."
"Fuck subverting expectation! Who ever came up with that idea should sit on a pineapple!" RED said with all her heart.
In her Temple on Olympus, Aphrodite suddenly sat up.
"What is it, my lady?" One of the numerous nymphs acting as her maids asked.
"I suddenly felt that there's a mortal somewhere that resonates with me so deeply that I must adopt them." Aphrodite declared.
"Pardon?" The nymph blinked in confusion.
"It is of no matter." Aphrodite waved her nymph away. "Regardless, hello Eris. Is there a reason for this sudden visit?"
"Hello Aphrodite," Eris in one of her Aspects appeared in Aphrodite's temple. This was her Aspect as Chaos, in politics, in discussions, in conflicts. This Aspect, this Title was one that even Aphrodite had trouble reading the emotions of. "I thought I'd come by for a visit, I suppose."
The two talked about nothing in particular. Seemingly just passing the time.
Interacting with this Eris was difficult. She couldn't read her nor could she influence her.
Aphrodite really did like Eris, since her actions can make love stories just that extra hint exciting with drama if done right. But it can all so easily turn out wrong, or a tragedy. It was like a gamble. Mostly loses, but the times where love wins, then it was all the more rewarding.
Shame that she's still bitter about her Apple.
"Say, do you remember Fate/Téras Konístra?" Eris asked with a grin.
"Of course I did! Apollo couldn't stop talking about it, so I had to see it. The drama, the action, the lore, the love." Aphrodite pouted. "Honestly I still can't believe there's no Percy X Annabelle Route just to subvert expectation." She frowned, saying the words like a curse.
"Yeah, I'm more glad for my favorite character, RED. She was an absolute mess, but fun to watch." Eris laughed.
"Oh, she's my second favorite!" Aphrodite said in delight. "Harem endings are just so much fun to watch and speculate on how it will happen, or work, but she just bullzones right through and accomplishes it. Why if she existed she would have surely been my child." Aphrodite hummed thoughtfully. "No, she already likely does. I wonder where she is now?"
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Currently being recruited by Artemis into the Hunters." Eris said with eyes closed, casually spitting a nectar the nymph maid handed her.
Everything stopped, as all the handmaidens and servants within the Aphrodite palace felt the shift in their goddess's mood.
Aphrodite wasn't an idiot. She may act like a ditzy bimbo, she may look like just a vapid beauty, but she knew when she was being played.
She understood that Eris was meeting her like this, talking to her about FTK, even casually bringing up one of her favorite characters like this was for a purpose.
However!
Eris of Chaos opened her eyes, stared at Aphrodite who was full of turmoil, and drank her hot nectar.
Sluuuuuuurp.
"ABSO! LUTELY! NOT!" Aphrodite raged. Moving with desire and purpose to stop this atrocity from happening.
The Goddess of Love exploded into her Divine Form, moving like a hurricane out of her temple and through Olympus to her goal.
"Oh no." Eris said in the driest voice possible. "Lady Aphrodite has went berserk again. Would somebody do something. She might even interrupt the current quest and break the Ancient Laws."
Thus the gods of Olympus were busy trying to contain and calm down the raging, hysterical Aphrodite.
You will owe me one for this Eris. Also, I WILL NOT HAVE MY HAREM MAKER PUT IN A CHASTITY BELT!
For some reason Rachel felt like there was a force in the universe out there that agreed with her.
Bianca burst out laughing.
"Bianca?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the extreme reaction.
"I'm sorry, what she said is almost word for word what Aphrodite once said on the subject." Bianca said struggling to regain her breath.
"Based." Rachel nodded.
"Enough about the Tartarus damned harlot, and her quest to degrade every single maiden and lead them astray!" Artemis said out loud, actually appearing angry now.
She looking at Rachel while saying this, but it felt like she wasn't talking to Rachel. Still, it was the look of an angry goddess and it was in Rachel's general direction. That was enough to frighten the young girl making her take a step back.
I stepped up in front of Rachel into Artemis' view. I'd take brunt of Artemis' irritation, whatever it may be. I think I can survive that.
"Lady Artemis, she's just a child and that's how they jest at times. She didn't say it in opposition to yourself, or your role." Bianca said from the side, but that was a mistake. At least Artemis didn't direct her anger at Bianca for this.
"And then there's you, a brilliant young girl who could become so great, yet chained by Aphrodite's curse to desire this bull monster." Artemis accused, making Bianca's eyes widen.
"Wait, wha..." Percy started to shout, before feeling the gravity of the situation and letting his voice trail of.
"What are you—" Bianca started to say.
"I'm a goddess, Bianca di Angelo, do you think I can not hear when a maiden is being charmed and seduced." Artemis looked up at me and glared. "Especially when it's by a monsters who became such a wordsmith as to lure everyone into his sway."
"Lady Artemis with all due respect my love life is my own, and I make my choices in it. Aphrodite has no say in it, and has not even known about it when I met her. The feelings I have, have existed long before I met Aphrodite." Bianca said with quiet resolve, shocking those present.
"The Dream Route is real!" Rachel whispered in awed, excited hype, a hand covering her mouth.
"Of course, you'd think that. Even fool blinded my 'love' thinks that." Artemis shook her head, looking bitterly wistful." Thinking about it, this whole plan with Atlas is insane. What if it doesn't work? What if the Tower failed to absorb his essence or failed to contain it? What happens then? The sky still falls." She turned to me with sharp eyes.
"It will not, and if anything wrong happens I will carry the responsibility. I swear on the Styx I would carry even the sky itself for eternity should this fail and there's no other option." I said, and thunder rumbled, startling Rachel. The oath taken.
I gestured for mom to calm down, and mentally asked her to shield Rachel from any fall out.
That didn't dissuade Artemis however.
"Oh wow, look at the monster swearing at the Styx left and right." Artemis cried out, gritting her teeth. "Do you think this changes what you are? Two maidens lead astery, and because of you!" She said.
Bianca wanted protest, but a look at my hand, gesturing for her to stay back clicked her mouth shut. Rachel wanted to say something, but looked at Pasiphaë and froze. Another vision coming to her.
"Labrys awakening nears." Rachel muttered.
Pasiphaë seemed to have also had the same vision, as she shook her head, and gave some advise to Rachel I didn't hear.
"You call it being 'lead astray'. Adults call it 'growing up and living'. You can't shut down a whole experience of human life, of any sapient living being, and then act like you've become wiser for it." I said back.
"Do you think you have suddenly became a hero now?" Artemis spoke, and a cold fear, an old anger, and a growing spite formed within me. "That everyone forgot that you're the Minotaur?"
Don't. Stop. Get back. The thoughts echoed in my head. Don't step over that line, Artemis.
"My lady—" Zoe began, trying to be peace maker.
"No, Zoë Nightshade!" Artemis pointed for her lieutenant to keep quiet, without taking her spiteful eyes off of me. "Circumstances may make for odd alliances, but it doesn't change the past. It doesn't change that only until recently, whether by an act of the Moirai, or your mother's witchcraft, you had been the monster the feasted on children of the gods. Hunted them down, ripped them from their peaceful lives, slayed and ate them!" She said getting in my face, her body morphing to look like an adult so she was closer to eye level with me. The adult that Aura mocked and suffered for it. A beauty that I was too enraged to even notice. "The same exact monster, that has never changed, all the way back when children were thrown as offerings in your maze." She growled. "Your new form, your new mind, can never wash away that blood, Minotaur."
The name felt like a strike at my core. The monster side of me, felt empowered, invigorated... and overwhelmed by the emotions of the other two sides of me. Asterios and the human felt equal parts shame, guilt and wrathful spite. The Minotaur quieten down.
Silence overtook the area. Even the ever talkative Percy or Rachel felt like the tension was as dangerous as a landmine. One wrong move would make it explode.
"Rachel." I spoke, never taking my eyes from Artemis's own. My quiet, cold fury, meeting her blazing constrained rage. "Go back up the door you came. You can comeback a week or so later if the Labyrinth make another entrance, or if any of the demigods here contact you from Camp Half-Blood, so you guys can meet and talk. Sorry, but right now we have a world saving thing to deal with. So please go."
"O-Oh... oka—" Rachel said hesitantly. Too shocked by this sudden escalating argument between a monster and a goddess, that suddenly erupted.
"You do not have to listen to him, Rachel Elizabeth Dare." Artemis said back hotly, freezing Rachel in place. "As the Goddess of Maidens, no monster can dare command you in my presence." She said, flaring her divinity of that Domain for everyone, and especially me to behold. To dare oppose.
I broke eye contact, to address Rachel directly.
"Rachel," I said gently. "You are a mortal. You do not have to involve yourself in our world and the stuff within it. Right now, we're going into a battle so dangerous, that not even the Goddess of Maidens would want you in it." I said, giving Artemis a side eye.
The goddess flinched back, yet glared harder.
"Um..." She looked between me and Artemis unsure of what to do.
"At the end of the day, this is a goddess." Pasiphaë spoke, gently guiding Rachel. "Be polite, say your goodbyes, and head back home. To safety, dear Rachel." She instructed, while placing a small piece of paper in Rachel's hand.
Rachel looked at my mom with her reassuring smile once more, and nodded.
"Lady Artemis, I am thankful for your invitation, but I do not think the Hunters is the place for me, but thank you for considering me." Rachel said, before addressing everyone else. "Girls, Percy, it was really fun to meet you, I really wanna talk a lot more later."
"Y-Yeah, see you later." Percy waved.
"Bye. Don't worry, we'll talk later." Bianca said.
Others made similar goodbyes.
Rachel tentatively walked toward the exit. She looked back to see me and the goddess still facing each other. She seemed like she wanted to go back, and protest, or stand up to Artemis and defend me.
I shook my head, a gently smile on my face, saying: "I'll be fine. I'll handle it. Go."
Rachel mouth "good luck" in lieu of anything else, and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. The door vanished after her.
I turned back to Artemis, glaring and giving her my full attention.
"Okay," I nodded and stepped back, beginning to pace a bit. "You wanna go there? Alright. Fine." I said, feeling my anger let out like slowly building steam through a whistle. "Tell me something Goddess of Maidens."
"Oh what? What lies or illusions will you conjure up with your silver tongue now, bull?" Artemis mockingly smirked.
"Why were there kids allowed in my prison?" I asked.
Artemis smirk fell.
"What?"
"I asked you," I growled. "Why were there children in my Labyrinth, Artemis Paidotrophos?!"
AN: Okay, two chapters left. Starting from now. 80% sure. ...70~65%