The Warfighter, the Storm, and the Moon

Chapter 17: Heat

Birds of a feather stick together? Ugh, too on the nose.

"Lieutenant!" someone called suddenly, revealing herself to be none other than Lady Diana. "We shall be leaving soon."

"Wait, what?" I asked, jarred from my thoughts as I stood from my place on Artemis Cabin's front steps. "Just like that?"

"Well, yes. There appears to be hunting opportunities on the western side of the... US of A, I believe it's called. A province—no, state—by the name of Nee-Vah-Day."

"Er... Nevada?"

"Pluto's helm, I don't know anything because of that blasted woman! Artemis, you imbecile!" Diana growled, tapping her own head before wincing in pain. "I don't believe I thought that through. We shall leave in an hour's time."

"Er... in the daylight?"

"Well, I was thinking of asking Apollo for some transportation."

"Wait, are you serious?" I exclaimed. "You're asking your brother... for help."

"Yes, why not? I've done it plenty of times."

"Milady, your... other self despised the idea of asking your brother for help."

"Thalia Grace... be honest with me, has Artemis been making my brother's life miserable?"

"Well..." I thought over my words before taking a leap of faith. "She's been making everyone's lives miserable."

"I surmised as much... stupid bitch!" she hissed before she gasped. "Wait, I said it correctly, did I not?"

"... yeah, 'bitch' is right."

"Excellent! Inform the girls!" she said with a smile before turning around and walking back to the Big House, a slight... was that a skip in her step?

"About us moving out or you cussing correctly?" I called after her.

"The former, Lieutenant! The former!"

Huh, I think I just might like this goddess.

Following orders, I informed the rest of the Hunt, eliciting several noises of excitement with a few of confusion, with a decent bit of both turning to discontent when I dropped Apollo's name. But I suppose that was to be expected from this band of weirdos, to say the least.

I quickly went over to the dining pavilion, where the Little Three were sitting and discussing plans for the upcoming school semester. After saying some quick goodbyes, I began jogging back to Artemis Cabin before realizing that I still had to say goodbye to Percy. Even if it was annoying that he wouldn't get out of my head, I did throw a fit at his disappearance and sudden reappearance, so I was obligated to practice what I preached.

"Say, Jason? Have you seen Percy?" I asked as I arrived back at the pavilion.

"Uh, I think he and some Ares and Hermes guys went to the beach. Something about a bachelor party," he replied after a moment of thought.

Makes sense. Good way to beat the heat, I suppose.

Thanking him, I began the jog to the beach. What my eyes beheld there, right on the sands of Long Island Sound, was something I felt I shouldn't have been watching, but I couldn't pull my eyes from.

It was a bunch of half-naked sons of Ares and Hermes—including Chris Rodriguez, the groom of the apparently upcoming wedding—playing football along the beach while music similar to what they used last night blared from a speaker further nearby (AC/DC, I think). If that weren't weird enough, it seemed like both teams were simultaneously playing offensive and defensive with two balls at the same time. And as much as I was supposed to swear off the company of men, I couldn't exactly deny... something within me was duly impressed by what I saw. Not just at the sheer speed and aggressiveness at which they played, but the way they looked too.