chapter forty-seven
─── i barter with a goddess and an immortal huntress
𝕸ost people thought, as a twenty year old demigod, nothing really shocked me any more and I had a lot of life experience. They weren't entirely wrong.
I had known my father was a god since I was very young, my mother was ill, I'd been on the run since I was seven, I'd watched Thalia die at fourteen, I'd failed my quest at sixteen, I'd almost joined Kronos at eighteen and Thalia had then been resurrected when I was nineteen. All in all, you would think that nothing would shake me.
However, watching Andromeda and Annabeth, two of the people closest to me, fall off a cliff was worse than anything I'd seen before. Worse that being bitten by a dragon and having to live with the scars. Maybe, to the others, I looked like a picture of calm, but I was a mess underneath it all.
Grover was grovelling to the right of me, whilst Thalia was glaring down some Huntresses and the two di Angelo siblings looked extremely out of place.
"Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so...you're so...Wow!"
"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"
"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out." Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of us in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who... who are you people?"
Artemis's expression softened. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you! Who are your parents?"
"They're unclaimed," I cut in, turning my head away from them so that Artemis and Zoe could hear me. "Grover found them, called us in. Andi and I were only there to supervise but, as you can see, things took a little turn. They don't know yet, so I need to get them back to camp first."
"I see," Artemis muttered as Zoe nodded.
"Look, our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..." She faltered. I guess she could tell from our faces that we didn't believe her. "What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."
"You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said and I prayed that she'd be gentle when breaking the news. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."
"So, we're telling them now, I see," I muttered.
"An Olympian...athlete?"
"No," Zoe said. "One of the gods."
"Cool!" said Nico.
"No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"
Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage ? Does he get extra movement points for— "
"Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"
Thalia answered before I could. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well...Our lives are dangerous."
"Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girls who fell."
I clenched my jaw, taking a deep breath in through my nose as I tried not to think about the trouble that Andi and Annabeth, could be in.
"Do not despair for them," the goddess turned to me. "They are brave maidens. If they can be found, I shall find her."
"Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"
"He was a manticore," Artemis said. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They reform over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."
"Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.
Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains...Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in DC?"
"And that bus driver," Nico said. "The one with the ram's horns. I told you that was real."
"That's why Grover has been watching you," I said. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."
"Grover?" Bianca stared at him. "You're a demigod?"
"Well, a satyr, actually." He kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves. I thought Bianca was going to faint right there, which wouldn't have been the first time something like that had happened.
"Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."
"Hey, my hooves are clean!"
"Bianca," I said, "we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. There's a camp where most of the children train at."
"Camp?" she asked.
"Camp Half-Blood," I said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."
"Sweet, let's go!" said Nico.
"Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't—"
"There is another option," Zoe said. I turned to her, shaking my head. "What?"
"Let's get them both to camp first before we discuss the other option," I said quietly, as Artemis nodded. "I would prefer not to split the siblings up until they've both settled in at camp."
"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced, agreeing with me. "Zoe, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."
"Yes, my lady."
"And, Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you."
"What about me?" Nico asked.
Artemis considered the boy. "Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while...as a favour to me?"
Grover just about tripped over himself getting up. "You bet! Come on, Nico!"
Nico and Grover walked off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armour ratings and a bunch of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp.
Thalia stomped her foot beside me, turning to glare at me.
"What? So you're friends with the Hunters now as well? What else happened in those six years, huh?"
"Thalia," I turned, glaring down at her. "My girlfriend and younger sister have both been kidnapped and I'm really not in the mood for this right now. The Hunters and I know each other from camp, so stop trying to turn everything into a fight."
"Me? Turning everything into a fight?"
"Yes. We're not arguing her or now." I shook my head. "Just stop it."
I turned away, my jaw clenched before I looked down and saw Annabeth's New York Yankees baseball cap. I picked it up, dusting it off as I put it in my back pocket and walked away from Thalia. I hated arguing with her, but I couldn't keep letting her cause fights with people I knew and cared for.
The Hunters set up their camping site in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods. They began circling the camp like guard dogs.
Falcons watched us from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight, and I got the feeling they were on guard duty, too. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the wind died down and the snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant sitting by the fire.
Zoe sat next to me, handing me a plate of food as we watched the fire.
"I'm sorry that they went over the cliff," She muttered. "But they were brave."
"Even if they got in the way of your shot?"
"Even if they got in the way of my shot," She chuckled, leaning her bow against the log as I took a bite of food. "My Lady is right. She shall get them back, Luke Castellan."
"You could just call me Luke, everyone else does."
"But there is no fun in that,"
We fell back into silence as I ate the food in front of me.
"The other girl you were arguing with, Thalia, she is the one who was a tree?" I nodded.
"That's her."
Nearly seven years ago, Thalia had been turned into a pine tree by her father, to prevent her from dying. She'd only been back as a human for a few months now, and it seemed she hadn't lost her courage to stand against any enemy. But that was what got her killed last time and I couldn't see her die again.
Finally, one of the Hunters brought me my backpack. Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and Grover helped me fix up my bruised ribs. Zoe had disappeared to Artemis' side once more.
"It's green!" Nico said with delight.
"Hold still," Grover told me. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."
I winced as he dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped. It tasted like homemade peanut butter and jam sandwiches that my mum made but it didn't comfort me, just made me more quiet.
Nico rummaged through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him, though how they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen, I didn't know. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. I recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his sun chariot.
"That's a big collection," I said, watching him do it. I was angry, angry with Kronos and the gods for letting Andi and Annabeth fall of the cliff, and angry with Puck, but Nico was a kid and I had a job as the camp leader and the previous cabin councillor for Eleven.
Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."
"You've been playing this game a long time?"
"Just this year. Before that..." He knit his eyebrows.
"What?" I asked.
"I forget. That's weird." He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using?"
I showed him Backbiter, letting him try and pick it up (though it was too heavy for him to lift, and had a balance more suited for me).
He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I laughed that one off.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (I shrugged.) If Andi was a daughter of Poseidon, did that mean that she could have willed the water to rise and save her? (I pointed out that Andi was injured). Was Andi my girlfriend? (Yes.)
Zoe returned before Nico could pry any more into my love life.
"Luke," It seemed to pain her to only say my first name. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."
"You," I reminded her.
"Lady Artemis wishes to speak with you," The other reason the Hunters and I got on so well is that I kept them up to date with modern time stuff and let me tell you, teaching someone, who's been alive for 3,000 years, modern day talk is no easy feat.
Zoe led me to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved me inside. Bianca di Angelo was seated next to Artemis.
The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the centre, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't recognize. Andi would have made a joke about an animal rights activist if she was here.
"Join us, Luke Castellan," the goddess said. I bowed my head, before sitting down and crossing my legs like I was a kid in school again. Not that I ever went to school really. Being a demigod with ADHD, dyslexia and a mentally ill mother and then being on the run doesn't really allow for an education.
"Thank you for setting this up."
"You're welcome," Artemis nodded. "I asked you here because I need some more information on the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the...mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."
And so I told her what I knew, what Andi had told Grover through the empathy link and what the villain had monologued about before taking a nose dive with my girlfriend and sister.
When I was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."
Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"
"Yes."
"What scent?" I asked.
"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten." She stared at me intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."
"Something about a General," I wracked my brain. "Maybe something about a great stirring? I can't truly remember all of it."
"Thank you," Artemis shook her head. "I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."
Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."
"No, Zoe. I must do this alone."
"But, Artemis—"
"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."
"As... as you wish, my lady."
I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."
"You know what the monster is?" I asked.
Artemis gripped her bow. "Let us pray I am wrong."
"Well, this is comforting," I muttered. "If the Hunters are not coming with you, do you want me to take them back to camp?"
"We can make our own way," Zoe muttered. "We're not twelve."
"Could have fooled me," I shot her a somewhat teasing grin, though it didn't meet my eyes.
"We shall see who reigns supreme in Capture the Flag," Zoe huffed.
"Oh, you still owe me money from that bet last time. I haven't forgotten," Artemis chuckled, before shaking her head.
"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca. "Have you made up your mind, my girl?"
Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."
"Wait," I said. "Thinking about what?"
"They...they've invited me to join the Hunt."
"I thought we agreed to let them get to camp first before talking about this."
"I never agreed to it," Gods and their inability to be helpful, ladies and gents.
"Bianca, if you do this then you're leaving Nico alone," I reminded her, shaking my head at the two immortal Hunters in the tent. "He won't be able to come with you, he won't truly be able to talk to you, he'll die and you'll live on far longer than he ever will. But if this is what you want and you've thought of the consequences, then on your head be it."
"You are a pessimist."
"Just making sure she has all the facts," I countered Zoe's point, daring her to argue. "I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying make an informed decision and maybe come and see camp before you swear it off, alright?"
"A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility."
"Well, she can have fun telling Nico, cause that's not going to be my job," I reminded Artemis, though Bianca ignored me.
She looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it?"
Zoe nodded. "It is."
"What do I have to do?"
"Say this," Zoe told her," 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"
"I...I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."
"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"
Bianca repeated the lines. "That's it?"
Zoe nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."
"I accept it," Artemis said.
The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel stronger."
"Welcome, sister," Zoe said.
"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."
I sighed, running a hand down my face.
"Do not despair, Luke Castellan," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."
"Great. How are we getting there?"
Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."
"I really, really want to do this," Bianca told me as she stood to follow Zoe out.
"I know, but I just hope you know how to break it to your brother that his only other family is abandoning him," I shrugged, as Bianca left the tent and I was left with the goddess.
"That was rude, Luke Castellan,"
"I'm not in a great mood," I replied. "My girlfriend and sister fell off a cliff, I've had no sleep and I've probably got to go and break it to a little twelve year old out there that his sister's leaving him forever. To top that off, I've got to go and talk with your brother."
"I suppose that constitutes having a bad day," Apollo and I had met before, but I didn't truly like him. Mainly because he was spouting haikus at around five in the morning, so I wasn't exactly excited for this trip.
∘☽༓☾∘
Hiya,
Luke calling Annabeth his little sister for this chapter melts my heart. Luke and Zoe are just funny and he's having an argument with Thalia, so that should be fun.
Let me know what you think,
Love Li xx