Chapter Three

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The conch shell. Artemis could imagine the swirls patterned on its side, the breath whistling through it, giving it life and making one sorrowful cry. It marked one thing: food. Artemis was starving, she'd eaten hardly anything all day. She fell into line and they marched up to the tables. Not sure of herself, or where to go, she followed Percy to one of the furthest and sat with him. They were joined by a blonde, athletic girl who introduced herself immediately to Artemis.

"Hey, Artemis right?" Artemis nodded.

"I'm Annabeth and you've already met Seaweed Brain." Percy rolled his eyes and motioned for Annabeth to sit in the empty space next to him. Campers were giving their table weird looks and Artemis was sure others would have joined them if she wasn't sitting there too. Shyly she sank into her seat and wished she wasn't there.

They were hard to ignore. To give herself something to do she studied the surrounding area. In the distance she could see a farmhouse, and beyond that the cabins. A strolling path led down the gently sloping hill towards the horizon and out of sight. The sea sparkled slightly, winking at her across the area that seperated them. Glaring at her was probably what it was actuall doing, Artemis thought glumly and turned her head away. Trees encroached on their seating area and then grew thicker the further away they were until it became a dense forest. Artemis thought she saw something moving within their leafy branches - it could have been her imagination, but considering the nymphs she'd seen earlier she didn't dispute the notion that many more creatures lived there too.

Percy and Annabeth were in deep conversation - well, not really that deep, but she still felt too out of place to join in the converstaion, or even ask what lay beyond the murky shadows. Slumped in her seat she gave off an aura of boredom and arrogance. She often had that effect on people, in truth she was just shy and wished she wasn't there. Noticing her discomfort, Percy asked her a question in a bid to make her feel welcome; but the conch shell sang again.

~~~

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