Hey guys! We are back to Thalia's POV for this chapter. If you didn't get my message, I just want to say thank you all for 2,000 reads! I really appreciate all of your support. I had a bit of writer's block, so this chapter did not get up as soon as I wanted, but here it is. There is a lot of fluff lol. Keep writing.
-Karazorel257
Thalia's POV
Thalia and Zoe did not always see eye-to-eye, but that did not mean she wasn't thrilled to see her again. How am I going to tell Artemis? Thalia thought as they walked back to camp. She had told the huntresses to gather their things so they could meet Artemis back at the Lansing portal.
Zoe and Artemis had been friends for hundreds of years. Artemis had taken her loss very hard, and sometimes Thalia would catch her looking at Zoe's constellation with a sad gaze. Could Zoe stay with them? Technically, she was dead, but here she was.
Zoe and Laelaps seemed to have a bond of some sorts, so that helped with their mission. Zoe was talking with Reyna, exchanging stories about their greyhounds. Laelaps, Aurum, and Argentum frolicked around in the snow together, Laelaps making huge footprints for the two automatons to step into.
Once they got to camp, the girls easily packed up. Thalia went to her tent and tapped it to turn it back into a handkerchief and placed it in her pack. Zoe left Reyna's side and came up to Thalia. Thalia was surprised when Zoe wrapped her arms around her warmly.
"Thank you for taking care of them, Thalia." She squeezed her tighter. Zoe didn't say anything more, putting all her gratitude into the hug.
"The hunt has been a great home for me." Thalia let go of Zoe. There was no avoiding Zoe's reunion with Artemis. It would happen, and hopefully the Goddess would take it well. Perhaps she should call Apollo for back-up now that he was a God again, but what would she say to him?
Oh Lord Apollo, your sister is probably going to have an emotional breakdown because we accidentally summoned her best friend from the constellations. Got any advice?
"Sky!" She yelled. "Fly on ahead and make sure the path to the portal is clear." Sky nodded to her lieutenant and flew off. Thalia could not predict how Artemis would react, so instead she focused on what she could control.
Thalia figured that Zoe would go and catch up with her old friends, but she stayed by Thalia's side.
"Is Mia thy second-in-command?" Zoe asked her as the girls started their trek back to the tree portal.
"Well, no." Thalia said. "When you, umm, died, Mia didn't speak for months. She was completely heartbroken. I chose Sandy to be my Second."
Zoe frowned and looked down. "Sandy is a great huntress. I'm sure she has done well."
"Zoe, I'm sure this must be hard for you, but I am happy you're here." Thalia put an arm around her. "Mia may have been sad, we all were, but what happened was meant to happen, and now you're here again."
Zoe looked at Thalia grimly. "Many of my old friends have passed on. I visit them in Elysium, and they are the same. But what if my friends who remain are different? What if they find it strange being around me? What if Artemis does?"
"Zoe, you are still the same awesome, tough, badass woman you have always been." Thalia said. Zoe grinned at her widely.
"The girls are happy you're here. I'm sure they're a little confused, but they're happy. I haven't seen Mia smile so much since you've died. Artemis will be happy to see you too. You're home now in some weird miracle way, so enjoy being home." Thalia assured her.
"When did thou get so wise, Thalia?" Zoe shoved her playfully. "Has being Lieutenant made you more confident in thy words?" Zoe giggled.
Zoe meant it as a joke, Thalia was sure. But it made her wonder. Has being Lieutenant made her more confident? More understanding? She was already a good leader before she joined the hunt, it came naturally to her. But Thalia used to be hot-tempered, and not the easiest person to talk to. Was she really so different now that she had all these girls to look after? She was sure of it. Just a few hours ago, Reyna had opened up to her about her feelings of Jason being gone. Would I have been that easy to open up to back then?
"Yes." Thalia walked with a new found stride. "I think I am, but in a good way."
Zoe's eyes shone with warmth. "Maybe we have all changed, but in a good way, as thou says."
"Go talk to them Zoe." Thalia told her seriously. Sky had returned from scouting, nodding at Thalia that the path was all clear. The other girls were attempting to ride on Laelaps' back, while Reyna rolled her eyes and scolded them to get down. "You're still their sister, and they still love you like one."
Zoe nodded gratefully and left to help Reyna get the girls off of Laelaps' back.
"Girls! Laelaps is a dog. Not a horse!"
Thalia laughed. She whistled for her wolf, Luna. The she-wolf's wounds from the werewolf battle were healing well and she no longer limped.
"How ya doin' girl?" Thalia scratched behind her ears. Luna couldn't talk, but since she was bonded to Thalia, Thalia could understand her telepathically. All hunters could have a wolf bonded to them if they wished.
I am okay. Luna spoke in her mind. She fell into step beside Thalia, her paws only slightly sinking into the snow.
My pack grieves for the wolves we lost in the werewolf ambush. I lost my sister. Luna's tail drooped and her ears went down.
"Oh Luna, I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Thalia knelt and gave her a hug. "Are you going to be alright?"
She is with my ancestors now. I will feel her every time my pack howls at night. She will be with us.
"I'm here for you if you need to talk or something. I kind of know how you feel."
Thank you my friend. I will miss her dearly, and I am glad to still have a sister in you.
"Awww, Lu! I love you too." Thalia patted Luna on the head.
"Thalia! The portal is just up ahead!" Reyna yelled to her and pointed to the dead tree.
The girls ran through the snow to the tree, stopping just at its roots.
"Permission to enter, Lieutenant?" Callie asked eagerly.
"Actually, first there is something I need to go over. Zoe?" Thalia locked eyes with the former huntress.
"I want to break this to Artemis slowly." Thalia explained. "I will tell her you have returned. Until then, I need you girls to hide her. Seriously, hide her. Put up a tent or something and don't let Artemis see her until I've had a chance to explain. Everyone clear?"
"Yes Lieutenant!" The huntresses shouted. Nalani got out her handkerchief/tent from her pack and held it ready in her hands. One by one, the girls went through the portal, Zoe going last.
When the girls, wolves, and greyhounds were through, the huntresses crowded around Zoe in a panic. Lani threw her handkerchief to the ground frantically, and Sandy shoved Zoe into the tent. The other girls surrounded the tent in a group and attempted to act casual.
Artemis's tent was set up right outside the portal waiting for them to return. She must have heard the huntresses come through the portal, and stepped out of her tent.
"Girls! You're back!" Artemis breathed with relief. "You have no idea how worried I was. Not being able to see you all the way in Alaska, it was terrifying. Did everything go as planned?" Artemis smiled, but had clearly worried herself sick.
"Umm, well, we summoned Laelaps, as you can see." Thalia gestured to the huge dog. "And ummm, well, there was uhh, an unexpected turn of events." Thalia tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.
"Thalia, what's going on? You're speaking strangely. You do that when you are nervous." Artemis narrowed her eyes.
"Me? Nervous? No-No I am totally not nervous." Thalia rubbed her hands together. "It's just that, well, we might have-" Thalia swallowed and took a deep breath.
"Oh Gods. What did you do?" Artemis crossed her arms.
"You assume that I did something bad. But it was totally fine. Everything is completely under control!" Thalia's voice grew higher in pitch. "It's just, we might have accidentally summoned Zoe Nightshade from the stars while we were summoning Laelaps and she might be kind of alive now and that's great! Everything's great. Isn't that great?" Thalia forced a laugh.
Reyna smacked her across the head. "Thalia! That's not how I would have explained it!"
"I'm sorry! It just sort of came out!"
"Wait- hold on. Did you say that Zoe- she's, she's-" Artemis's voice broke, and it was softer than Thalia had heard it in a long time. "She's-"
Zoe took that moment to step out from the tent and shove her way through the other huntresses.
"My Lady." Zoe bowed her head.
Artemis gasped and fell to the ground, her eyes welled up with tears and she began to breathe heavily.
"Z-Zoe? I-Is that really you, my brave one?" Tears began to fall down Artemis's cheeks. Zoe lunged forward and fell to her knees in front of Artemis, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Artemis clung to Zoe and sobbed into her shoulder.
"Do not cry for me, My Lady." Zoe soothed. "Please, do not cry."
"Y-You're really here. How is this possible?" Artemis reluctantly let go of Zoe and wiped her tears.
"The girls summoned me by accident." Zoe laughed. "It seems not everything has changed." Zoe looked back at the others knowingly.
"Hey! Magic is unpredictable." Helena pouted.
"It doesn't matter." Artemis beamed. "You are home now. I'm never letting you go again." Artemis pulled Zoe in for another hug.
The huntresses smiled at each other. Artemis doesn't always show her emotions, but when she does, they know she's either really sad and needs a hug, or really happy. This was definitely happiness.
"Come along girls, let's give Zoe and Artemis some time to talk alone." Thalia gestured with her head to a clear spot within the trees. The huntresses followed her, giving Artemis and Zoe some space.
The girls sat together in a circle on the forest floor, their wolves getting into their laps asking for belly rubs. Reyna sat on a stump, her greyhounds sat in front of her, still as statues, while Laelaps plopped down behind her, making the ground shake.
"Alright girls." Thalia addressed them. "Once we get Laelaps to track the fox, we can send them both back to the stars. But now we have a new issue. Zoe can't be anywhere near that ritual, or she might be sent back to the stars too."
The huntresses gasped. "We've got to!" Helena said. "I mean, I'm sure she would want to stay here with us."
"I will make sure she will be far away from it." Mia piped up. "In fact, I will even keep her in another state."
"Actually Mia, that's not a bad idea." Thalia said. "We could-"
"Umm, Thalia?" Reyna interrupted her. "Sorry to interrupt, but-" Reyna pointed at something behind Thalia.
Thalia got up in surprise and grinned. An Iris message had appeared in the air behind her. A familiar blonde sat at the other end.
"Oh my Gods, Annabeth! It's so good to see you! Is everything all right?" Thalia hadn't realized how much she missed her old friend. Annabeth's gray eyes were filled with concern, her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
"It's great to see you too, Thalia." Annabeth gave her a small smile. "I wish I was calling under better circumstances, but I just had to warn you."
Thalia frowned. "What's wrong?"
"It's Rachel Dare, our Oracle." Annabeth explained. "I'm so worried about her. She's been having these awful flashes and visions of this horrible creature, and she's painting it all over the walls of her cave, along with pictures of, well, you."
"Me? Is Rachel seeing the Teumessian Fox in her dreams?" Thalia asked. "I could draw a picture of it."
"It doesn't look like a fox." Annabeth frowned and held up a small canvas. "Here, this is one of Rachel's portraits. Gods, she hasn't slept in days, Thalia. Whatever this is, it's bad. Have you seen a creature like this?"
The portrait held a creature that Thalia had never seen before. It was long and black, with a snout like an alligator with rows of white teeth. It's back was covered in blue spots, and it's tail curved across the painting. But the worst part was its eyes. Its sockets held nothing but glowing light, no eyes, yet it seemed to stare right into her.
"W-What is that thing?" Thalia asked her.
"I have no idea, I was hoping you'd tell me. I really want to help Rachel, but I can't get her to rest. She is just constantly painting this creature, and it's always surrounded by lightning, like yours. And once, she painted Reyna too. The both of you were fighting it." Annabeth let out a breath. "I just wanted to warn you. This creature, whatever it is, Rachel says it's super dangerous, but the thing is, she can't interpret her dreams that well, they are just flashes. I was hoping you'd come to camp so we could fill in some pieces."
"The huntresses always help young maidens-in-need above all things. If you need us at camp, Annabeth, we will come." Thalia sighed. "But we are so close to stopping the T-Fox from destroying any more towns now, and I don't think we can bring Laelaps to camp..."
"Thalia, this is important! You and Reyna's life could be in danger! You should go." Sandy urged her.
"Who's life is in danger?" Artemis and Zoe stepped into their little gathering. Their eyes were red from crying, but they both looked joyful.
"Annabeth Chase is calling from Camp Half-Blood, My Lady." Reyna told Artemis. "She says that the Oracle of Delphi is seeing Thalia and I in a vision with a strange looking creature. It does not look of Roman or Greek myth."
Artemis peered at the painting Annabeth held up. "I have never seen such a thing, and I have hunted monsters for thousands of years. Thalia, you and Reyna should head to Camp Half-Blood and find out why the Oracle dreams of you. It could be another world-ending Tuesday."
Reyna sighed and her shoulders sagged. Thalia felt bad for Reyna, she had just gotten out of a world-ending Tuesday.
"But, My Lady, the hunt for the Fox-"
"Will still be done. We will follow the plan. There are plenty of huntresses here to track the Fox down with Laelaps and all we really need is Helena's magic to send it back, so we should be just fine." Artemis was not taking no for an answer.
"And besides, someone should be with Zoe, far away from the ritual. Take her with you." Artemis ordered.
"What?!" Zoe looked hurt. "But I just got back! I don't want to leave thou. Or the hunt."
"I know, my lucky star. But I want you far away from this ritual. As you said, you just got back. I don't want to lose you again. We will meet you at camp once the hunt is finished." Artemis placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do this for me, sister."
"Yes, My Lady. If that is thy wish." Zoe looked down.
"Miss Chase, I thank you for the warning. My Lieutenant, Reyna, and Zoe will be arriving at camp soon. Prepare for their arrival." Artemis told Annabeth in the Iris message.
"Of course, My Lady. I- wait. Did you say Zoe?"
"Oh Gods. We are going to have a lot of explaining to do."