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Chapter 15: Reunited

I took a deep breath as I stepped outside the camp. "Here we go—"

And just as I said that, everything went black.

"What the Hades—!" I shouted, or at least tried to, but my voice was muffled by the sack someone had shoved over my head. My arms were tied behind my back, and based on the lurching motion, I was being hauled onto a horse like a sack of potatoes. A very unwilling sack of potatoes.

"This is a kidnapping! I have rights! I just booked a flight ticket, do you know how hard it is to get a refund?!" I yelled, thrashing around. Zero effect. These people knew what they were doing.

I don't know how long we rode—it could've been minutes, could've been hours. Time gets weird when you're tied up and stewing in your own frustration. Eventually, someone pulled me off the horse and untied me. Kinda.

"Don't hurt him too much," came a voice that immediately made my stomach drop.

I knew that voice.

When the sack finally came off, my suspicions were confirmed: I was surrounded by teen girls in silver hunting armor, standing in a forest clearing under the moonlight.

Fantastic.

"Pleasure to see you again, Thalia," I said with a dry smile. "Now can somebody *please* tell me WHAT THE HADES IS THIS ALL ABOUT?!"

Thalia crossed her arms, eyebrow raised like she was already regretting this.

"Watch your tone, Aiden," she said. "We might be cool, but some of the girls here don't mind kicking a guy into next week."

"Oh, forgive me. Why in the FLUMMERY did you drag me into the woods and kidnap me? Is that better?"

Someone kicked me lightly in the butt. Not painful, just... humiliating.

Before I could respond, a voice that made my stomach tighten cut through the air. "Glad you made it."

Lady Artemis. The words left my mouth before I could stop them. "Barely," I muttered under my breath, my frustration leaking through. I wiped some dirt off my shirt, trying to act unaffected, but deep down I couldn't help it.

"Would've been nice if someone gave me a heads-up before I got yanked out of camp," I said louder, trying to hide how much the situation bothered me. But Artemis didn't even look like she cared.

"Thalia, if you would," Artemis said.

Thalia smirked. "Sure thing, milady. So here's the deal: we've been keeping tabs on you, Aiden. Quest stuff. Big picture. Front lines."

"Let me guess, your intel source has messy dark hair, seaweed breath, and trouble magnet energy?"

"Classified," Thalia replied with a wink.

She continued, "We heard you were about to head off alone to find some informant."

"Larry Page," I muttered.

"Right. Only problem is, you're not allowed to go solo."

I blinked. "Why not?"

"Because, believe it or not, you're kind of important now," Thalia said. "You getting yourself killed would be... inconvenient."

"So let me guess, I need companions. Which is fine, because I already have people in mind—Juliet, Gary, Will—"

"No," Artemis interrupted, voice calm but firm. "You will travel with three of my Hunters: Thalia, Rey, and Sasha."

My stomach dropped. I looked around at the Hunters, all sharp-eyed and battle-ready.

"Out of everyone, it has to be three Hunters?"

"Afraid of being outclassed?" said a girl with auburn hair—Rey, I guessed.

"Actually," I said, raising a finger, "I'm more afraid of getting accused of kidnapping or inappropriate proximity or... something." That, and being out-sassed to death.

"The Hunters are the best at what they do," Artemis said. "Their skills will keep you alive. Try to appreciate that."

"Fine," I sighed. "But did we really need the whole kidnapping thing?"

"Apollo said it was the only way you'd come willingly," Thalia said, clearly enjoying herself.

Of course it was his idea.

"Alright, alright. I'll go. Anything else I should know?"

"Yes," Artemis said. "You're riding a gryphon."

"Okay, but seriously—wait, did you say—"


"WOOHOO!"

A thousand feet in the air, wind whipping through my hair, I screamed into the night sky with joy. My arms clutched the feathery neck of a freaking GRYPHON. This was the coolest thing that had ever happened to me.

"Keep it down, newbie!" shouted Sasha, blonde and definitely grumpy, flying beside me.

"HOW ARE YOU NOT EXCITED?!" I yelled back.

"We've done this before," Rey called from the other side. "And this isn't a joyride. Try to act like a professional."

Below us, cities became specks of light. Trees looked like patches of moss. The world felt small. Powerful.

"Are we there yet?!" Thalia yelled from behind Sasha, her arms wrapped in a death grip around Sasha's waist and her eyes very shut.

"Come on, Thalia, live a little!" I laughed. "This is fun!"

"I do not consider imminent death by sky-diving to be fun," she snapped.

"You guys know where we're going, right? I don't have a gryphon GPS."

"Don't worry," said Sasha. "We'll be in California soon."

"I still can't believe I'm riding a gryphon," I muttered to myself.

"Keep your mouth shut unless you want a bug buffet," Rey said.

After about two hours of flying (yes, two), we landed in a dense forest to rest.

"That. Was. Awesome!" I shouted as I slid off the gryphon's back.

"Where did you get these things?" I asked, brushing feathers off my shirt.

"Stumbled on a pack a while back," Sasha said casually. "Nature likes us. They were surprisingly chill."

I turned to Thalia. Her face was pale, knees a bit shaky.

"You good?"

"I'll manage," she muttered, patting the ground like it owed her something.

"Quick, set up camp. It'll be dark soon," Thalia ordered. Instantly, the Hunters went into motion, pitching tents like a well-oiled machine.

I stood there for a moment, still in awe of the whole thing. Gryphons. Hunters. Artemis. Thalia. This quest was insane.

But part of me felt... ready.

"Don't just stand there, boy. Set up your tent," Rey snapped.

"Alright, alright. Not all of us have instant IKEA magic tents," I grumbled.

And with that, a new chapter of my life had begun. Just hoping I wouldn't lose another eye this time.

I changed my mind, I feel like I owe 149 of you guys that has been following this story to release all the chapter for this ark today. So here you go.

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