𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐: 𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑
"Would you be mad if I said 'yes'?"
PRESENT
THE ONLY WORDS THAT CAME OUT OF PERCY'S MOUTH WAS:
"Um...okay."
Maybe Eris should be worshiping the ground that Artemis walked on like how Grover currently was—
Grover gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so...you're so...Wow!"
Grover was over there acting like Artemis was Jesus Christ himself.
—-but the only thing on Eris's mind was Annabeth. She just hoped she was okay.
Icarus had arrived only two minutes ago to say he couldn't find any trace of Annabeth, Eris almost started another earthquake when he finished his sentence.
But Eris was sure that if she wasn't so worried about Annabeth she'd probably be acting similar to Grover but...not so dramatic.
Back when Eris was at camp she was always in awe when the Hunters visited. They were just so cool, and they were a real family. All Eris had ever wanted was a family. She even considered joining them at one point but she didn't think they would accept someone who was 'crazy' and something about living forever rubbed Eris the wrong way. She didn't want to live forever, she wanted to eventually find peace.
"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped at Grover. "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 them in turns, 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?"
Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.
"Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..." She faltered, looking at the expressions on their faces. "What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."
"You are a half-blood," Zoë Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded old- fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."
"An Olympian...athlete?"
"No," Zoë 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!"
Eris glanced at the now quiet Nico Di'Angelo. She kinda felt bad for him for Bianca snapping at him. Willow had never snapped at her like that growing up, she was a bit more patient but then again Willow was six years older than her and Bianca was only two years older than Nico.
Nico shuffled on his feet and that's when she noticed he was shivering slightly from the cold air.
Eris was never good with kids, they were unpredictable. They made her nervous but even she could admit Nico was adorable.
Eris leaned down towards him, "Are...are you cold?" She asked quietly.
"No," Nico said a bit stubbornly but his shaking shoulders gave it away.
Eris eyed her own jacket. It was really warm and she didn't particularly need it because she was already wearing a thick sweater underneath. She shrugged off her jacket, "Here."
Nico eyed the jacket before taking it and putting it on. The jacket was so big Nico looked like he was drowning in it but at least he wasn't cold anymore. "Thanks," Nico mumbled.
"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," Thalia said but more calmly.
"Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."
Eris flinched. Bianca really had no filter.
"Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."
"Then why won't you let us go look for her?" Percy asked.
"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."
"Do you think," Percy struggled to get the words out, "she maybe be...y'know.."
"She's not dead," Eris blurted out, drawing attraction and made her cringe slightly, "I'm...I'm connected to the Underworld if she was dead I would know it....she's just gone somewhere."
Even if Eris couldn't feel Annabeth dying she knew that Charon probably would have connected her somehow to let her know. But all that matter to Eris was that Annabeth was alive.
"Oo!" Nico raised his jacket covered 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 re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear. Unless you have a weapon like Essence of course."
Eris blinked, "Me? You...you know my name?"
If it was any other person calling her by her full name Eris would've been annoyed but this was Artemis. Artemis was probably the only God Eris liked which was rare because Eris hated the Olympians or any god who had children then abandoned them.
She swore some gods thought appearing in their children's dreams every once in a while meant they were active parents. They were still deadbeats. Eris had to remind Hades of that every time he sent her a later via Salem only to end up throwing them all away after the first time he sent her a letter asking her about her powers.
A small smile graced Artemis's lips, "Why of course," Artemis turned back to the Di'Angelo, "Essence's weapon is made of Stygian Iron, instead of monsters being able to reform, their souls are put into her weapon."
Nico bounced on his feet, "Cool! I want one!"
Eris resisted the urge to look down, "You can't," she told him softly. Nico watched with wide eyes as Eris banged the ground two times with the blade of her spear and the spear turned into a skull necklace. "All demigods can't use Stygian Iron because..." she hesitated. She didn't want their first expression of her as being the daughter of Hades. They'd just be freaked out by her. "Well...it's complicated." She finished off and Nico pouted.
Bianca di Angelo shivered. "Wait...monsters.That explains...Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in D.C.?"
"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," Percy 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.
Bianca looked so stunned Eris wouldn't have been surprised if she fainted.
Eris felt bad for Bianca. Her life had just been turned upside down in one whole day. Eris remembered when she and Willow first found out about being Demigods. Eris was like Nico at the time, she was excited but it wasn't because she was part god she was excited because she was finally leaving her foster home at the time. Willow had reacted like Bianca, uncertain and protective.
"Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."
"Hey, my hooves are clean!"
Eris bit her lip, "Bianca," she said hesitantly, "I...I know this is a lot. And I know we may seem crazy but...I promise we're only here to help you...being a demigod is dangerous and without any training..." she trailed off, "you should come to camp or at least consider it."
"Camp?" Bianca asked.
"Camp Half-Blood," Percy 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," Zoë said.
"No, there isn't!" Thalia said.
Eris didn't know exactly what the hell happened in the past to make Zoë and Thalia hate each other but they looked at each other like someone pissed in their cornflakes.
"Please," Eris said tiredly, "just...don't."
Thalia spared one last glance in Zoë's direction before growling, "Fine."
"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced. "Zoë, 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. Essence I would like to speak to later as well."
Eris choked on her spit, "M-Me?" She asked stuttering for the first time in a while. She mentally kicked herself, she had been trying to kick her stuttering habit and she had been so so well until Artemis caught her off guard.
A seemingly amused look started in Artemis's eyes, "Yes."
"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 favor 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 armor ratings. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp.
Zoë gave Thalia one more evil look, then left to oversee things.
As soon as she was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of those Hunters! They think they're so...Argh!"
Eris didn't understand what Thalia's deal was. The Hunters kind of reminded her of Annabeth, they were cool and pretty...really,really pretty.
Eris shook her head.
"I'm with you," Percy said. "I don't trust—"
"Oh, you're with me?" Thalia turned on me furiously. "What were you thinking back there
in the gym, Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself ? You knew he was a monster!"
Eris could feel a headache coming. "Guys, please don't—"
"I—"
"If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved. Annabeth might still be here. Did you think of that?"
Percy's jaw clenched before he looked at the ground and stared at Annabeth's New York Yankees cap that was left behind.
Tears filled Thalia's eyes and Eris's face softened, "Thalia—"
Thalia didn't say another word. She wiped a tear from her cheek, turned, and marched off.
Eris turned back to Percy, "Percy, she's...she's just um, upset she—"
"What if she's right?" Percy asked, looking up. "Is...is it my fault that Annabeth's gone?"
"I—" Eris hesitated.
Personally, she thought Percy going after the monster alone wasn't the smartest thing. It's not that she thought Percy wasn't capable, she knew he was. It was clear he didn't think his plan through before going after the monster. But Percy wasn't perfect, he made mistakes like all humans did. Eris certainly wasn't perfect either. She still had a lot of growing to do as a person.
It was obvious what the problem with Percy and Thalia was. Percy was insecure because Thalia was threatening to him. Both of them were powerful and members of the Big Three. It didn't help that both of their personalities clashed either. Eris was pretty sure it was because both of them were natural born leaders. Though Eris was a child of the big three she never had that problem because she never cared about being a leader she only cared about getting home alive.
"No," Eris told him, "I...I don't think it's your fault. Annabeth made the decision to get on the manticore...it's not your fault she did that. And...I don't think she expected to fall off the cliff either. I think she would've gotten on the manticore regardless if we had been there earlier or not...I...I don't think you should've attacked the manticore alone but I don't think it's your fault Annabeth fell off the cliff." She explained softly.
Truth be told, Eris kinda blamed the hunters a bit for Annabeth falling off the cliff. They clearly saw her jump onto the manticore yet they still fired. But the hunters were kinda ruthless like that.
"Really?" Percy asked. He stared at her with guilty looking sea green eyes and Eris flushed when she realized she had been staring at him.
Her chest felt funny.
What was going on?
"Really," Eris replied, "Thalia's just...upset. She's known Annabeth all her life..she's grieving...uh,...I'll go talk to her don't worry about it."
ERIS FOUND THALIA PACING IN THE SNOW.
As Eris walked towards her she made sure her footsteps were extra loud so she didn't surprise Thalia. "Um...hi."
Thalia stopped her pacing in looked up. The minute her eyes landed on Eris's face Thalia turned her gaze down towards the ground. "Hey," she said, "Look, if this is about what I said to Kelp Breath I'm not going to apologize—"
"It..it is," Eris cut her off hesitantly, "But, um, I'm not here to try to make you apologize."
Standing next to Thalia made Eris feel a little bit better about her height. Thalia was a couple centimeters taller than Eris. Eris was 5'6 which was average height for most woman but Eris was fourteen, she still had a lot of growing to do. When the Lena and Katherine had taken Eris to the doctor after hearing she had never been to a professional doctor before the doctor that there was a strong possibility for Eris to grow to be 5'10 to 6 feet tall. Eris blamed it on genetics because Willow was tall too standing at 5'11 and if Willow hadn't died while she was still a teenager Eris was sure Willow would've grown to be taller.
Knowing she may grow to be that tall made Eris feel a bit insecure about her height after hearing at school that people didn't like tall girls. When Eris brought it up to Willow all Willow had to say was: "basic bitches are fun-sized, bad bitches are super-sized. Don't worry about it."
Eris didn't think of herself as a 'bad bitch' but she understood what Willow was trying to say.
"I'm...you're, um, hurting," Eris said quietly, "And I understand that...I mean, I don't think what you said to Percy was right but—"
Thalia glared at the ground, "So you're taking his side?" Maybe if it was to anyone else her tone would've been snappy but to Eris it was more sad. Like she was disappointed.
Eris quickly shook her head, "No, no! Not at all...uh...I'm not taking anyone's side! I don't think your completely wrong, I mean, Percy should've gone off without us but I don't think he should've been blamed for Annabeth being gone—"
"I'm not apologizing to him."
"I'm not asking you too," Eris replied. She bit her lip and looked away because—
Thalia was really, really pretty. So, pretty Eris's face felt hot whenever she looked at her. It was the same thing whenever she looked at Percy.
What the hell was happening to her? Eris had never felt these things before. Sure, she knew was someone was cute or handsome but she had never actually been attracted to someone before. Eris blamed it all on puberty because she had never had these kind of thoughts before about boys or girls.
Eris was just so confused by these new feelings. Never in her life had girls or boys seemed so attractive until now. Especially girls. Sure, at school there were a lot of people who she saw that were pretty both girls and boys.
Eris was never someone who paid much attention to gender. She was more of a hearts not parts type of person but these feelings were still so new. But tried not to think too hard about even though she knew she should probably talk to Willow about it.
"Um," Eris kicked the dirt under her feet, "I just, I guess I just came over here to ask if you're okay?"
Thalia looked up, "Really?"
Eris nodded, "Yeah...you seemed really upset. I know you and Annabeth are close. I just wanted to see if you're alright."
Thalia stared at her in slight disbelief before looking away with pink cheeks, "U-Uh, I'm okay...well not really but I'm coping, I guess. What about you."
"I'm not really okay, but I'm coping too," Eris replied honestly.
Truth be told, Eris was never really okay but Thalia or anyone else didn't need to know that.
"T-The earthquake," Thalia started to say, "You do that when you're upset?"
Eris winced, "Yeah, sorry about that I don't really have a good control over emotions, I, um, have a really bad habit of crying a lot b-but I'm trying to break it and—"
"It's fine," Thalia blurted out. "You don't have to apologize about it, it's fine. Really!"
Eris blushed, "Oh..thanks."
"Thanks for checking up on me."
Eris waved her off, "Oh, it's fine," she smiled a bit, "I'm just happy you're okay."
Thalia bit her lip and the corner of her lip twitched.
THE HUNTERS AWED ERIS.
They were just so cool.
The Hunters easily set up their camping site. 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.
One of the wolves tried to lick Eris's hand and Eris jumped so high in the air out surprise someone could have mistaken her as a frog. The Hunters walked among them and fed them treats, completely unafraid. It wasn't until a girl named Phoebe came to Eris and told her it was normal that she calmed down but she did stay a good distance away from them.
In the trees Falcons watched them, their eyes catching everything like they were guards. The weather has lightened up a bit and the snow had stopped falling.
Some time later while Eris sat next to Percy at the camp fire and tried to comfort him Nico came up to her with her vintage aviator jacket in his hand.
"Here," Nico muttered, holding out the jacket. "I'm not cold anymore."
Eris couldn't help but notice the disappointed look on his face as he kept glancing at the jacket. "Do you...do you like the jacket?"
Nico brightened, "Yeah! It's so cool!"
Eris smiled a bit, "Keep it," she said. "It looks better on you anyway."
Maybe if Eris couldn't see Willow as a ghost she would mind giving the jacket away to Nico but right now after a really terrible day of feeling like a failure she wanted to make at least one person happy.
"Really?" Nico asked and Eris nodded. He practically jumped in the air, "Thanks! You know Eris, you're really cool." He said, putting back on the jacket and rummaging through his bag. The Hunters had some how snuck into Westover hall and packed him a bag. Nico laid out some figurines in the snow all of them Greek gods and heroes.
Eris blinked, a bit stunned, "Me?" She choked out. "You're calling me cool?"
Never in her life did she ever think someone would call her cool. She thought most people would call her weird or maybe even a crazy on a bad day but never cool.
Nico nodded excitedly, "Yeah! You were so cool fighting that monster and stuff! You were like 'bam!' Then like 'wham!'! And then you made Icarus appear! Can you summon anyone?"
Eris blinked and coughed, "Uh...no. I can only summon dead Greek heroes from the Elysium. I, uh, can't summon anyone whose alive or isn't a legacy."
"That's still so cool!" Nico bounced on the balls of his feet, "Can you summon someone now like Helen of Troy or Achilles?!"
Eris winced thinking about how draining it would be to summon those two spirits. She had gotten better at summoning her spirits for a longer time after spending sometime gaining muscle weight so she could strong spirits like Hippolyta for at least 15 minutes without being in pain that was how Hippolyta was able to train Eris in the first place but it still caused her to be tired. The more powerful a spirit the more muscle she needed on her body and the more energy it would take out of her. She didn't even want to imagine how tired or how much pain she would be if she summoned a spirit was powerful as Achilles. She didn't even know how long she'd be able to hold Achilles's form but it was probably no where near the 15 minutes she could now use to summon Hippolyta.
"I mean..." Eris rubbed her arm, "I can summon Helen of Troy, I've done it before but not for long. Summoning spirits...it can cause me a lot of pain especially if I summon them for a long time. The stronger the spirit the harder it is for me to hold their form and the more pain I'll be in. I've, um, never tried to summon Achilles before but..." she paused to think, "from what I hear he's pretty powerful so I'd hurt a lot and I probably couldn't hold his form for long. Sorry..."
"Don't say sorry, your powers are still cool!" Nico protested, "Whose your parent?"
Eris squirmed uncomfortably. She didn't want Nico's first impressions of her to be that was the literal daughter of death. Everyone at camp was already slightly uncomfortable around her she didn't want the same for Nico especially when she thought he was sweet.
Eris hated being the daughter Hades. Not because he was the god of death, it was because he was just a shitty father who thought giving her a cat and trying to send her a letter every once and a while (which she always threw away) instead of apologizing for not being there for her was good parenting.
Percy seemed to notice her discomfort because he quickly said, "You have a big collection," he gestured towards Nico's figures.
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.
Eris frowned, "What is it?"
"I forget. That's weird." He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using? Oh, and your spear, Eris! It's super cool!"
Something bursted in Eris's chest because Nico looked at her like she hung the moon and stars. Disappointment rattled in her chest because she knew that once Nico found out she was the daughter of Hades he'd probably be uncomfortable around her too.
Still wanting to making him smile again, Eris showed him her spear while Percy showed him Riptide and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.
"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?"
"Um, well, I don't actually write with it."
"Are you really the son of Poseidon?"
"Well, yeah."
"Can you surf really well, then?"
Eris sniffed a laugh. She never actually thought to ask Percy any of the questions Nico was.
Percy looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Jeez, Nico," he said. "I've never really tried."
"Eris, if you can summon spirits does that mean you can becoming a ghost?" Nico asked, "or like can you fuse your body with your spirits to become stronger and take their powers?"
"Uh," Eris said uneasily, "I don't know, I've never tried."
Nico went on asking questions. Did Percy fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (Percy didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff ? (Eris had to shoot a sharp look in Percy's direction to make sure he didn't get up and try to strangle Nico.) Was Eris his girlfriend? (Eris choked on her spit and denied the question like her life depended on it while Percy looked ready to duck tape his mouth shut.) Can Eris give him locs like hers? (Eris ended up blushing and telling him thank you for thinking her hair was pretty but it wasn't for people with straight hair.) Why doesn't Eris look anyone in the eye? (Eris didn't answer.) Could Eris summon Perseus because Nico really wanted an autograph? (Eris actually considered summoning the spirit just to make Nico happy before saying no.) Would Percy die if he touched Eris's spear? (Percy seemed a bit uneasy when Eris replied honestly by saying 'yes'.)
Percy seemed a bit annoyed but Nico's instant questions but Eris always seemed happy to answer every question Nico gave her. Eris gave Nico her full undivided attention.
Percy watched Eris and Nico go back and forth which Nico asking her a question and a sick feeling bubbled in his stomach. Percy was more annoyed at himself than at Nico, what kind of 14-year-old got mad at a 10-year-old kid? It took Percy a while to get Eris to hold a decently length conversation with him but with Nico something just clicked between them. Percy swallowed and looked away.
"Percy Jackson, Essence Lewis," Zoë Nightshade's voice came from behind them.
Eris turned around. Out of all the hunters Zoë probably had to be the coolest to her.
Zoë was extremely beautiful with dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and her proud expression. If Eris didn't know better she would've thought she was a princess. Zoë's gaze softened slightly when she caught sight of Eris mostly because Eris was a woman but when she saw Percy she looked at him like he was the biggest piece of shit in the world.
"Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."
Nico pouted, "But Eris and I were talking."
Something is Eris's chest felt funny.
Zoë stared at him distastefully but before she could say anything that would probably make Nico cry Eris quickly blurted out, "I'll be right back," she said quickly.
"But, Eris—"
"I promise," Eris told him, "and I never break a promise."
Nico frowned, "Fine."
ZOË LED THEM TO A TENT.
Inside was Bianca who was sitting next Artemis.
Eris could tell it was still hard for Percy to accept that the little girl was Artemis because a constipated look always formed on his face when he looked at her.
Eris looked around in awe.
The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, 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. A deer with glittering fur and silver horns had its head resting contentedly in Artemis's lap.
"Join us, Percy Jackson, Essence Lewis" the goddess said.
"She likes to be called 'Eris'!" Percy blurted out before he could stop himself.
Eris looked at him like he was crazy. Normally, Eris didn't really give a shit about the gods but this was the Artemis. The only Olympian she actually liked. She didn't care if Artemis called her by her first name.
Zoë looked towards Percy like she wanted to slap the shit out of him, "My Lady—"
"Zoë," Artemis said calmly, "it's fine. Thank you for informing me," she told Percy, "Are you surprised by my age?" she asked. She must have noticed the constipated look on Percy's face.
"Uh...a little."
"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."
"Go astray?" Percy asked.
"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."
"Oh."
Zoë sat down at Artemis's right. She glared at Percy as if all the stuff Artemis had just said was his fault, like he had invented the idea of being a guy. Eris nudged Percy to keep him from glaring at her.
"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said to Percy. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp..." She looked at Zoë. "Which one was it?"
"That boy in Colorado," Zoë said. "You turned him into a jackalope."
Eris winced.
"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy, I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of 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."
Percy went on to tell Artemis ever detail he remembered Thorn saying.
When Percy was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."
Zoë sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"
"Yes."
"Um...I'm sorry?" Eris asked hesitantly.
"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten. We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."
"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'" Percy replied
"No, no. After that."
"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me." Zoë's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand. "Go on, Percy," the goddess said.
"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot—"
"Stirring," Bianca corrected.
"Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"
Artemis froze and Eris squirmed uneasily. Something had to be really bad to make a badass goddess like Artemis freeze.
"Uh, I'm sorry but...is...is something wrong?" Eris asked.
Artemis shook her head. "It seems so, Eris Lewis. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."
Zoë looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."
"No, Zoë. 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."
"Will..will you be okay?" Eris asked. She tried to keep her eyes from staring at the ground. She knew she couldn't stare anyone in the eyes but she wanted to stop her habit of looking at the ground.
Artemis's lips twitched a bit like she was trying to refrain from smiling, "I appreciate your concern. I will be fine but I pray the monster I am assuming is wrong."
"Can goddesses pray?" Percy asked.
Artemis didn't answer his question but she did look amused, "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you and Eris Lewis I have an offer."
"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?" Percy asked.
"Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."
"What?" Zoë blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there —"
"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."
Zoë muttered something about foolish campers.
"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," Percy said. "Thinking about what?"
"They...they've invited me to join the Hunt."
"What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."
"It is not the only way for a girl," Zoë said.
"Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and...I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"
"To begin with," Zoë said, "immortality."
Percy turned to Eris, "She's kidding, right?"
Eris shook her head, "She's right."
"Zoë rarely kids about anything," Artemis said. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal...unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."
"What oath?" Percy asked.
"To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."
"Like you?"
The goddess nodded.
"So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods—"
"Not just half-bloods," Zoë interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"
"Which are you, then?"
Anger flashed in Zoë's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."
"Bianca, this is crazy," Percy said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."
"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."
"Hey!" Percy protested.
"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."
"A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility."
"Bianca, you can't do this," Percy said. "It's nuts. Eris, back me up here."
Eris hesitated, "Um..."
Truthfully, Eris didn't know what to say. At the end of the day it was Bianca's choice. Being a hunter did sound like a good offer even if Percy didn't like them. Though, if was Eris taking the place of Bianca she wouldn't join the hunters because it would mean leaving Nico behind. But, Eris was the younger sibling she didn't know what it was like to have to raise your younger siblings. Bianca would probably relate more to Willow than Eris.
From what it seemed like Bianca was joining the hunters to get away the responsibility of taking care of Nico. Bianca was probably under a lot of stress being on twelve years old practically raising her little brother. But Eris thought Bianca should think about her decision a bit longer, Chiron wasn't the best at raising children Eris knew that from experience.
Did Willow feel the same way growing up? Did she hate the fact she had to take care of Eris? Eris felt sick just at the thought.
"I planned to extended the offer to you, Eris Lewis," Artemis cut in.
Eris choked on her spit, "Me?!" She asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"You have shown to be worthy in battle."
"Worthy?" Eris asked, "But I'm worth—"
Willow's voice rang in her ears, "you were never worthless in the first place."
Eris was trying to break out of the mentality that she was worthless. It was hard because for so long that was all Eris thought of herself as. Eris 'Worthless' Lewis. It was getting better but she still had her moments when all she thought of herself was 'worthless. She still had a long way to go but Eris was trying her best.
"I...am worthy," Eris said instead even if she fully didn't believe it. Willow told her that if you say something enough you start to believe it. Eris wanted to believe that she was worthy.
"I saw that you purposely gave the manticore your weapon knowing it would attempt to kill him," Artemis said, "you are a fast thinker. And, your abilities though unpredictable are still extremely powerful. You have immense potential, my hunters and I can show you how to become your best self. We will teach you confidence, sisterhood and battle tactics. Right, Zoë?"
Zoë nodded, "Yes, My Lady."
"And you have some type of training?" Artemis asked. Eris's shock must have shown on her face because Artemis added, "The way you stood when you faced against the manticore, you seem to be trained."
Eris swallowed and nodded, "Um..kinda," she replied.
Eris trained with Hippolyta almost everyday at night in her backyard when Lena and Katherine were asleep. Eris could only summon Hippolyta for fifteen minutes now but Hippolyta made the best of the fifteen minutes. She gave Eris and exercise routine to follow strictly and a diet plan. Eris followed her exercise and diet plans the best that she could and on the days when Hippolyta was there to train her in person Hippolyta mainly focused on basic combat right now and reflexes since it had only been a couple of months of them training together. But still those couple months of training so far had done Eris a lot better than the training at camp. Eris didn't think she had made a lot of progress but Hippolyta said Eris was doing great so far and that her flexibility was useful.
"You would make an excellent hunter," Artemis added, "One of the finest of your generation. I can sense it, you're built for greatness."
Eris's breath hitched, "Uh—"
"Eris, no you can't be serious," Percy blurted out.
"Percy—"
"What about—"
"Percy," Eris raised her voice a bit and he shut his month. She turned back to Artemis and Zoë, "Uh...if you had asked me two years ago I probably would've said 'yes' but now—"
An Asian woman with dark shoulder length hair and dark narrow eyes with a rare smile entered her mind along with an Latina woman with a head full of dark curls and a bright eyes and a kind smile filled her mind.
"—I...I have people at home waiting for me now...so I can't, um, sorry," Eris added, scratching the back of her head shyly. Next to her Percy sighed in relief.
Artemis frowned, "I see, still, take more time to consider my offer," she turned to Bianca, "Bianca?"
Bianca looked at Zoë. "Is it worth it?"
Zoë nodded. "It is."
"What do I have to do?"
"Say this," Zoë 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?"
Zoë 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," Zoë said.
"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."
Percy stared at Bianca like she had grown too heads.
"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."
"Great," Percy said, trying not to sound surly. "How are we supposed to get there?"
Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoë, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."
Zoë didn't look real happy about this idea, but she nodded and told Bianca to follow her. As she was leaving, Bianca paused in front of Percy, "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really, really do."
Then she was gone.
"So," Percy said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"
Artemis's silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo." Artemis turned to Eris, "I think you especially would like to meet him, Eris."
Before Eris could ask why Percy was already dragging her out of the tent.
ERIS LEWIS ANXIOUSLY AT ON A LOG AS SHE SKETCHED IN HER SKETCHBOOK.
The only real thing on Eris's mind was Willow. Did Willow feel like Bianca growing up when she had to raise Eris? Did Willow feel like Eris was a burden on her?
Willow and Bianca were in similar situations. Both young and raising their younger siblings when they were still children themselves and having to take on the responsibility an adult should have. Bianca was leaving Nico because she was tired of the responsibility of taking care of Nico.
Did Willow feel that way? Was Eris a burden to her? If given the chance would Willow had accepted the chance at being a hunter just to get away from Eris.
Eris bit her lip to force herself from breaking her pencil and took a deep breath.
Was there really a chance that Willow—
As if on cue a bright flash of green light appeared and Willow was sitting on the log next to her. "Hello, baby-sister." She said singing the word out lightly.
"Hey," Eris replied back a bit shortly.
Willow frowned but shook her head, "What are you drawing?" She leaned over Eris's shoulder and her eyes widened slightly, "how are you drawing a picture of Aubree?" She asked. "You've never met her."
"What...what are you talking about?" Eris asked, she turned the sketchbook towards Willow. "This is just some random girl."
The girl in the drawing couldn't be older than twenty. She had dark brown skin and short cut tightly coiled hair. Her eyes were slightly upturned and dark, her perfectly trimmed eyebrows were as dark as her hair. She had full looking lips that curved to show pretty white teeth and a beautiful prominent jawline.
Eris definitely thought this was probably the most beautiful woman she had ever drawn and she had drawn a lot of people before.
"No," Willow said raising a brow. She pulled out her wallet from her pocket (Eris didn't even know dead people needed money) and pulled out a small photo. The girl in the photo looked exactly like the one in Eris's drawing except in then photo she seemed to be laughing at something that Willow probably said. "That's Aubree. It's kinda funny that you drew her actually she wanted me to ask you to drop by our place next time your in the Underworld. She wants to meet you."
About a month ago Willow had moved in with Aubree. Eris didn't think much of it, Willow was old enough to make her own decisions. Though Willow never physically aged, biologically she was twenty.
Eris didn't think too much about the fact she had drawn Aubree. She had other things on her mind.
"Oh," Eris muttered.
Willow eyed her, "Okay, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
"Nothing?" Willow asked raising a brow. "Eris, I practically raised you I—"
Eris flinched.
"Okay, seriously. What the fuck is the matter?"
"Do you regret taking care of me?" Eris blurted before she could stop herself.
Willow looked at her like she was stupid. "What?"
"Growing up and stuff...did...did you regret always having to take care of me and stuff? I mean, you practically raised me...didn't you ever get tired of being responsible for me? Was..was I a burden to you?"
Tears prickled Eris's eyes and she rushed to wipe them away. She had gotten better at her crying habit but the idea of being a burden to Willow made her slip up.
"What the hell? What brought this on?"
The words spilled out of Eris's mouth. She went over every little detail about Bianca having to take care of Nico and joining the hunters just to get away from the responsibility of taking care of her brother.
Willow nodded, "Oh," she paused. "I...I don't regret taking care of you and you were never a burden," she told Eris seriously. "And I never once thought about leaving you alone so you can cut that shit out, alright."
Eris nodded and wiped her nose using the sleeve of her sweater.
"I think...I was really young and trying to raise a baby in foster care...it was hard and it was stressful. But you were never once a burden, I chose to take care of you because I love you so damn much," Willow's voice cracked slightly.
"Willow—"
"So, no...I don't regret stepping up and taking care of you," Willow added, "I don't resent you either. The only person I resent is...Alisha."
Eris perked up at the sound of the woman's name. Willow never talked about their biological mother. Eris didn't know much about her. She never asked Hades about her and Willow hated being asked about her. All she knew about her was that Alicia lived in Pennsylvania. Eris hated herself for still carrying around the note that Hades gave her of Alicia's contact information.
"I don't think that woman should've been having any kids especially if she couldn't take care of them," Willow said, "I'm not saying that I regret you or me being born but...she never should've had kids. We were a burden to her and that's how we ended up in foster care.
But you were never once a burden to me, do you understand?"
"I...I understand," Eris choked out feeling a bit emotional. "I love you...so much."
Willow rolled her eyes but Eris couldn't see they were a bit watery, "God, your such a cry baby," Willow said her voice cracking a bit. She smiled a bit, "I love you more."
ERIS WATCHED SADLY OFF ON THE SIDE AS BIANCA TALKED WITH NICO.
Though she couldn't hear the conversation judgment by his gloomy face she could tell Bianca was explaining to him about joining the hunters.
"What do you think?" Percy asked from beside her. He was shivering from the cold unlike the Hunters who were used to the cold already.
"Hmm?"
"About Bianca," Percy added, "you don't think it's kinda selfish her leaving Nico like that?"
"I..." Eris sighed, "I don't know. I mean, I...I don't think she should be leaving Nico but...she's twelve, Percy," she glanced at him, "she's a twelve-year-old raising a ten-year-old...she probably can't handle that kind of responsibility...I...I'm not saying that I agree with what she's doing but...I understand it...kinda."
Percy looked away. "Were you actually thinking about joining the hunt? I saw it on your face you were thinking about it."
Eris blinked feeling a bit taken back, "Uh...well...yeah. Becoming a hunter...it's a good offer but...I have people waiting for me now," it felt good to say that. "Would, um, you be mad if I had said 'yes'?"
Percy kicked the snow, "I don't think I'd be mad. It's hard to be mad at you but...things just aren't the same when you aren't around."
"Are...are you saying you'd miss me?"
"...I guess I am."
Eris suddenly found her shoes interesting as her face felt steaming hot.
It was true. Going months without Eris around just weren't the same to Percy. Food didn't taste as good, the sun wasn't as bright, even happiness didn't feel the same when Eris Lewis wasn't around. He's been feeling that lately after Eris left for good to go New Orleans.
Eris Lewis just made everything seem brighter to Percy. She was the type of girl to him that whenever she walked into a room the whole place lit up. It was weird.
To Percy feelings in general were just weird. He didn't know exactly what he was feeling and he didn't know if he liked it or not.
Eris cleared her throat, a suddenly small boost of confidence going through her, "Who..who wouldn't miss me? I'm amazing...remember?"
"Don't you know that you're amazing?"
Percy coughed, "Yeah...I do.."
"Hey," they turned and saw Thalia and Grover walking up to them. "Tell us everything."
When they finished telling them, Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."
"How'd they even show up here?" Percy wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."
"And Bianca joined them," Thalia said, disgusted. "It's all Zoë's fault. That stuck-up, no good—"
"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?" He heaved a big sigh.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "You satyrs. You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love you back?"
"But she's so...into nature," Grover swooned.
"You're nuts," said Thalia.
"Nuts and berries," Grover said dreamily. "Yeah."
Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."
"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" Percy asked.
"For my brother. Yes."
Artemis glanced at Eris, "I have a feeling you in particular will enjoy his company."
Before Eris could ask what she meant there was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth. "Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."
Parks?
Eris closed her eyes and then the light slowly died. Her eyes fluttered open.
In front of her was a red convertible Maserati Spyder. It glowed like a the hot sun. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle leaving a pat of green grass instead of snow.
The driver got out smiling like the sun. He looked almost twenty. He was tall with sandy blonde hair and a playful smile. The Maserati driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.
If anyone glanced at Artemis and Apollo you don't even be able to tell their twins or related at all. Where Artemis had dark brown skin Apollo had pale skin, where Artemis's hair was dark Apollo's was white, where Artemis's hair was long and straight Apollo's was straight and curly.
Both of them were really—
"Pretty," Eris muttered. "Pretty people."
"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."
"He's the sun god," Percy said.
"That's not what I meant."
"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded them without the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"
"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before. He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically. "Green grass breaks through snow. Artemis pleads for my help. I am so cool."
He grinned at them all, waiting for applause.
Feeling bad for him, Eris awkwardly started to clap but stopped when she got strange looks.
"You!," Apollo dramatically pointed towards Eris.
Eris looked around before realizing he was pointing towards her, "Me?" She asked uneasily.
Apollo turned to Artemis, "So this is the little squirt you were talking about?" He asked. Before Eris could say anything Apollo picked her up by the back of her shirt and held her up until they were face to face. Apollo tilted his head, "she does kinda look like April."
Who the fuck was April?
Eris squirmed around trying to force him to drop her, "Um, let me go please."
"Put her down!" Percy snapped.
Artemis sighed, "Apollo, put the poor girl down."
"Don't worry," Apollo paused to think, "I'm your great-great-great-great grandpa on your moms side of course. I've been keeping tabs on you what's your name uh....Essence Lewis, right?"
"Um, I go by Eris," Eris replied awkwardly, "and...uh, please put me down."
"Who the fuck April?" Grover muttered.
"Oh right," Apollo snapped his fingers, "you're an orphan you wouldn't know who she was."
Eris squirmed around. She really didn't like that he had just exposed to everyone she didn't have her biological mom in her life. Eris was more of a private person. "Uh.."
"April Lewis was my daughter in the 1800s, then she had her daughter Christy who had Miranda who had Jackie who then had—"
"Alicia Lewis," Eris finished breathlessly, "so—"
"We're family," Apollo finished. He smiled again, "It explains the whole you can see-in-the-future thing."
"Huh?"
"Your drawings," Apollo said it like it was obvious, "you can draw certain events of the future, you seriously didn't know that? It makes sense because you know I'm the god of prophecies." He paused for a moment, "Oh and when you get the chance ask one of your spirits about a technique called 'The Ungodly Hour' it's painful as hell but it's pretty—"
Artemis cleared her throat.
"Oh, shit. My bad, we can talk about it later—"
"Please put me down," Eris flatly.
Percy and Grover winced because that was the exact same tone she used when she first met Hades.
The grass where Apollo's car was parked died but he didn't seem to notice.
Eris on the other hand well—
Eris was pissed. Eris didn't get mad often, she tried not too but even she had things that pushed her over the edge. Apollo was no better than Hades. He had known this entire time that Eris was related to him yet he did nothing when she was in foster care, did nothing to help her sister, and did nothing to help her when she was in camp. All this time and—
He had sat by and done nothing.
This man was not family to Eris, he was just like Hades. A stranger.
Apollo didn't seem to notice her tone and sat her back down on the ground, "We can chit-chat about it another day," he turned to Artemis, "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."
"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to them. "Some of Chiron's campers."
"No problem!" Apollo checked them out. "Let's see...Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."
Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"
"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."
"Oh, right." Then he looked at Percy, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"
"Yeah. I mean...yes, sir."
"Well!" Apollo said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."
"Cool car," Nico said.
"Thanks, kid," Apollo said.
"But how will we all fit?"
"Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. His car couldn't fit all twenty of them in there. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose..."
He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp.
For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been
replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like the ones used for school basketball games.
"Right," he said. "Everybody in."
Zoë ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."
Zoë recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.
"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or
flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."
Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
"Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."
"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."
Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"
"No, no! I never mess around."
Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at the hunters. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."
Zoë straightened. "Yes, my lady."
Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found."
She sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.
Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who wants to drive?"
WHILE BIANCA SAT IN THE BACK WITH THE HUNTERS ERIS FOUND HERSELF SITTING IN THE FRONT WITH NICO.
Percy sat on the other side with Grover next to him.
"This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."
"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"
Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun...er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
Nico shook his head. "No."
"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."
"Can I drive?"
"No. Too young."
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked past me and focused on Eris. "My legacy!" He called and Eris flinched, "Wanna take a spin?"
Eris curled up in her seat and quietly shook her head. The reached in her bag and yanked out her sketchbook before aggressively slamming it open.
Apollo frowned before turning his gaze to Thalia, "Daughter of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."
"Oh, no." Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."
"C'mon," Apollo said. "How old are you?"
Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."
Eris looked up from her sketchbook. It was sad but true. When Thalia was turned into a tree she didn't stop aging but she did age at a much slower rate.
Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."
"How do you know that?"
"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."
"That's my birthday! December twenty-second."
"Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"
Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"
"I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."
"That's not what I was going to say."
"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky."
Apollo laughed good-naturedly but no one found the joke funny.
Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. It said WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.
"Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"
"Speed equals heat," Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."
Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick.
"Are...are you okay?" Eris asked.
"Just peachy," Thalia said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."
Eris took sight of Thalia's shaky hands, "Jm, Thalia—"
Thalia pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upward so fast Eris crashed backwards into her seat.
"Slower!" Apollo said.
"Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"
Percy somehow stood and looked out the window, "Thalia," He said, "lighten up on the accelerator."
"I've got it, Percy," she said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.
"Loosen up," Percy told her.
Eris yelped as they almost crashed into a tree.
"I'm loose!" Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.
"We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."
Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw Percy into Grover, who yelped.
"The other left," Apollo suggested.
Eris hesitantly glanced out the window. She swallowed thickly. They were at airplane height now—they were so high the sky had started to look black.
"Ah..." Apollo said sounding forcibly calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."
Shaking her head, Eris looked down at her sketchbook. It was a pretty old drawing to Tyson. But then she looked in the corner of her drawing. Eris made a habit of writing the date on every single piece of art she did.
Eris met Tyson in June...so why the fuck did her book say she drew this picture of Tyson in March? She continued flicking through her book, there was a drawing of Percy dated back to 2005, another drawing of Grover in a wedding dress dated back to April of this year.
Each drawing was of some type of person or moment that was monumental in her life. Could Apollo actually be right? Was Eris some kind of fortune teller?
Her head really hurt just thinking about it. The last thing she needed was more powers she could barely control. At least these ones didn't cause her pain.
Eris's head shot up when Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat.
The bus pitched down and Eris screamed.. Now they were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to their right. And it was getting hot in the bus.
"Thalia stop!" Eris pleaded.
"I-I got this," Thali sputtered out.
Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the rows of seats.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.
"No worries," Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to—WHOA!"
Down below them was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. The snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire. The white people down there started to tan.
"Pull up!" Percy yelled.
There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel, and Percy held on this time. As they zoomed up, Eris screeched so loud she could've broken windows.
"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."
Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. There was Camp Half- Blood: the valley, the woods, the beach.
Out of the corner of her eye Eris could see stumbling between seats, get tossed around like a baseball because of all of the commotion.
"I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control." We were only a few hundred yards away now.
"Brake," Apollo said.
"I can do this."
"BRAKE!"
Just in time for Thalia to slam her door on the break Eris yanked Nico back into her seat and wrapped her arms around him like a shield. The sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five- degree angle, slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a huge FLOOOOOOSH! Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with half- woven wicker baskets.
The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.
"Well," said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"
Thank you so much for reading! Please comment it helps me update faster.
The Tartarus flash backs will be coming I'm just suffering from writers block.
Also, the vintage Aviator jacket that Eris gave Nico is his iconic jacket he starts to wear later in the actual pjo series.
What did you think of this chapter? Is there anything I can improve? I don't know how I feel about this chapter. If you find it boring please let me know.
How do you feel about Eris's character development? If at any time you guys feel like she's becoming different too fast please let me know.
I have so many moments planned for Eris and Bianca and Eris with Nico.
There's an Easter egg in this chapter.
I always planned Eris to be a legacy of Apollo. Apollo is the god of prophecy so he can see what's to come and Eris kind has that power with her drawings. A couple people noticed but in past chapters most of the time when Eris drew something it was of an important future event. For example, in Chapter 1 of Part 2 Eris has a painting of a man in a wedding dress and later on we find out Grover is marrying a Cyclopes.
Eris won't be OP because of her being a legacy of Apollo though, the only power she gets from him is the rare ability to draw the future. Her drawings mainly show important events or moments in her life. For example in chapter 14 of part two she drew a picture of an Asian woman and a Latina woman who looked in love then she went on to meet Katherine and Lena.
Eris powers have improved a bit. She can summon stronger spirits like Hippolyta for a longer amount of time and can summon Icarus for even longer because he's not as strong. The stronger the spirit the more energy is taken away from her and the more muscle mass she needs on her body to keep the spirit in the world. Because she gained muscle weight she can summon Hippolyta longer without pain but if she summons Hippolyta for too long she will be in pain again like in previous chapters in Part 2.
Coming up: Chapter 3: Eris & Nico take over McDonalds
Also coming up: Bonus Chapter: Eris's 14th Birthday
Lupita Nyong'o as Aubree