The hunters filed into the van first, cramming into the back so they could be separated from Apollo and the campers. Bianca followed suit, leaving Nico behind which Evangeline was a little worried about but Nico didn't seem to mind.
"This is so cool!" Nico jumped up and down in his seat, a wide smile visible. "Is this really the sun? But isn't Helios and Selena the sun and moon gods, if so why is it sometimes you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing," Apollo shrugged.
Evangeline turned back to the other three who were giving her looks. "What?" She asked.
Grover laughed. "Evangeline, since when did you even start flirting with people."
"I wanted to see if he would blush," she said. "and he did so that means I'm awesome."
Meanwhile Apollo was still ranting to Nico. "Blah, blah, blah. That's why I'm awesome. Make sense?"
The younger boy shook his head. "No."
"Of course it does," Apollo grinned to himself.
"Can I drive?"
"No. Too young."
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry."
"Daughter of Zeus!" Apollo cried. "Perfect for driving!"
"Oh, no," Thalia shook her hands quickly. "No, thanks I'm good."
"C'mon," Apollo gave her a sweet smile. "How old are you?"
The raven-haired girl hesitated. "I-I don't know."
The sun god tapped his finger against his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."
Thalia froze. "How did 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!"
"Uh-"
"I know what you're going to say." Apollo held his hand over his eyes dramatically. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."
"That's not what I was going to say."
Evangeline did not trust the girl who was a tree not even a year ago to drive them safely back to camp.
"Don't sweat it!" Apollo beamed at the former tree, his eyes twinkling. "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, so he's not going to blast you out of the sky."
Thalia attempted to continue protesting, but the god had already hit a button on the dashboard as a sign popped up in the windshield. "Take it away!"
Finally, the raven-haired girl sat down as Evangeline clenched her jaw, preparing herself for the worst.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked as he made his way towards Thalia.
"Nothing," Thalia spoke shakily. "N-nothing is wrong," she pulled back on the wheel causing the bus to lurch upward, sending the son of Poseidon crashing into the brunette.
"Slower!" Apollo yelled, a nervous smile forming.
"Sorry," Thalia quickly apologized. "I've got it under control!"
"Thalia," Percy called. "You need to loosen up."
"I've got it, Percy," the girl gritted her teeth as she floored it.
"Loosen up,"
"I'm loose!"
"We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo instructed distracting the two from their argument momentarily. "Hang a left."
Thalia did as she was told, jerking the wheel to the left which caused Percy to crash into Evangeline again and onto the floor. Evangeline managed to stand up and yanked Percy down into a seat with her.
"Ah," Apollo lightly scratched his head, looking as if he was attempting to stay calm and not panic at the girl. "A little lower, sweetheart, Cape Cod is freezing over."
The daughter of Zeus tilted the wheel, her face as white as a chalk stick with sweat rolling down her forehead. "Thalia," the god spoke again. "You need to calm down."
The bus pitched down suddenly, hunters screaming as they were thrown up into the air. Percy wasn't safe from the action as his legs left the seat, he was immediately pulled back down by the brunette but Evangeline was thrown onto the floor and into the back crashing into Apollo who gave her a dazzling smile as he caught her.
"She needs to get her license revoked," Evangeline mumbled, as she got to her feet. She looked out the window only to see the vast water they were heading towards. "Oh, gods."
Apollo pushed past her, making his way back to Thalia's side.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged, holding onto Nico who held a wide smile.
Evangeline made her way back into a seat, a small New England town coming into view as the snow began melting off the trees, roofs, and lawns. "Pull up!" She yelled at the tree after becoming aware Thalia would burn the town to the ground if she didn't.
A wild light appeared in the older girl's eyes, she quickly yanked on the wheel while Nico was thrown and caught by Grover.
"There!" Apollo pointed to a blob in the distance. "Long Island, dead ahead so let's slow down dear. Dead, is only an expression."
But Thalia didn't, she continued flooring it towards the coastline of Long Island. She drove by Camp, the valleys, the woods, and the beach. "I'm under control," the daughter of Zeus muttered, though everyone else was having a hard time believing it.
"Brake," Apollo instructed.
"I can do this."
"Brake!"
Percy realized where they were headed and yelled. "Thalia!"
Thalia slammed into the camp's canoe lake with a loud splash. The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized melted canoes.
"Well," Apollo spoke with a smile as water started filling the floor of the bus. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control, now let's go see if we boiled anyone important."
"Whoa," Nico voiced his amazement as he took a look around the camp. "Is that a climbing wall?"
"Yes, it is."
"Why is there lave pouring down it?"
"Little extra challenge."
Percy sent the boy a smile, "Come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoë, you have to meet-"
"I know," Zoë said stiffly, shooting Thalia a glare of her own. "Tell him we will be in cabin eight, hunters follow me."
"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.
"We know the way."
"Oh, really, it's not trouble. It's easy to get lost here if you don't-" Evangeline covered her mouth, preventing her laughter from escaping as she witnessed the satyr fall over a canoe before quickly shooting right back up. "-Like my old daddy, goat used to say!" he continued. "Come on!"
The Nightshade girl rolled her eyes, before commanding her hunters to follow after the satyr.
"Take care, sweethearts!" The sun god called after the immortal hunters, earning various glares to be shot his way. "And Percy," Apollo winked at the demigod with glee. "Watch out for those prophecies, I'll see you soon."
"What do you mean?"
The god didn't answer, instead, he made his way back inside the bus. "Later, Thalia," he gave her a wicked smile as he hung onto the bus railing, causing the girl to blush. "And uh, be good!"
"Evangeline Merlyn," the god's smile was directed to her as he gave her a mock bow. "I'll see you again some other day sweetheart."
She smirked, quickly shielding her eyes as Apollo took off in a blast of heat which left the lake steaming. The god's laughter could be heard as his now-transformed red Maserati soared over the woods, disappearing into the sun.
"Who's Chiron?" Nico asked.
"Our activities director," she explained. "You'll see."
"If those hunters don't like him," Nico crossed his arms as he grumbled. "That's good enough for me, let's go."
Nico looked at Evangeline, "Can I get a piggyback? I think that car ride broke three of my ribs."
"Sure," Evangeline said, so she crouched down as the boy hopped onto her back, wrapping his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist. "Come on."
Soon, the demigods made their way to the big house. They saw Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin stoking the forge outside the camp armory. Landon, Travis, and Conner were picking the lock on the camp store.
A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. Although Evangeline didn't see Clarisse anywhere.
The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth.
The air smelled like hot chocolate. Mr. D and Chiron were playing a quiet game ofcards in the parlor. Chiron's brown beard was shaggier for the winter. His curly hair had grown a little longer. He wasn't posing as a teacher this year, so she guessed he could afford to be casual.
He wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost hid his wheelchair completely.
He smiled when he saw them. "Percy! Evangeline! Thalia! Ah, and this must be--"
"Nico di Angelo," Evangeline said as Nico slid down her back. "He and his sister are half-bloods."
Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."
"Well..."
His smile melted. "What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"
"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice, "Not another one lost."
Mr. D was in a neon orange leopard skin warm-up suit and his purple running shoes. A golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly black hair, which must've meant he'd won the last hand of cards.
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"
Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and redlines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"
Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." He glanced at Nico. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."
"But... Oh, right. Yes, sir."
"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"
"It's PG-13," Grover said.
"Cool!" Nico happily followed him out of the room.
"Now," Chiron said to the children of the Big Three, "perhaps you three should sit down and tell us the whole story."
When they were done, Chiron turned to Mr D. "We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately."
"I'll go," The three demigods said at the same time.
Mr. D sniffed. "Certainly not!"
Thalia and Percy started complaining, but the god held up his hand. He had that purplish angry fire in his eyes that usually meant something bad and godly was going to happen if they didn't shut up.
"From what you have told," Mr. D said, " we have broken even on this escapade. We have, ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell—"
"Annabeth," Evangeline corrected.
"Yes, yes, Elizabeth," he said. "And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that his Anni girl is dead."
"My ears didn't ring," Evangeline crossed her arms raising a brow.
The god rolled his eyes. "Maybe they did, child."
"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron said, but she could tell he was having trouble sounding upbeat. He'd practically raised Annabeth all those years she was a year-round camper before she'd given living with her dad and stepmom a second try. "She's very bright. If... if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."
"That's right," Thalia said. "Luke would want her alive."
"In which case," said Mr. D, "I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."
Percy got up from the table but Evangeline took his hand and pulled him down.
"You're glad to lose another camper," Percy said. "You'd like it if we all disappeared!"
Mr. D. stifled a yawn. "You have a point?"
"Yeah," The boy growled. "Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!"
For a second, there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. The light reflected in Mr. D's eyes, giving him a sinister look. He opened his mouth to say something—probably a curse that would blast Percy to smithereens—when Nico burst into the room, followed by Grover.
"SO COOL!" Nico yelled, holding his hands out to Chiron. "You're... you're a centaur!"
Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."
"And, whoa!" He looked at Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!"
Mr. D turned his eyes away from Percy and gave the boy a look of loathing. Before he glanced at the brunette. "Would you look at that, Evelyn brought a mini her."
"You're Dionysus, right?" Nico asked. "Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."
"My figurine."
"In my game, Mythomagic. And a Holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"
"Ah." Mr. D seemed truly perplexed, which probably saved Percy's life. "Well, that's...gratifying."
"Percy," Chiron said quickly, "you, Evangeline, and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."
"Capture the flag?" Percy asked. "But we don't have enough—"
"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."
"Yeah," Thalia muttered. "I bet it's real friendly."
Chiron jerked his head toward Mr. D, who was still frowning as Nico talked about how many defense points all the gods had in his game. "Run along now," Chiron told us.
"Oh, right," Thalia said. "Come on."
Before she could haul them out Mr. D snapped his fingers, he made a tsk-tsk sound. He pointed to the brunette. "You stay here, we need a third player, no offense my dear centaur but I'm getting bored of beating you."
Evangeline glanced at the children of Zeus and Poseidon before she went and sat back down on the chair.
Percy looked at her and was about to say something but this time Thalia dragged him out of the Big House before Dionysus could remember that he wanted to kill the son of Poseidon.
The next day, Evangeline woke up around six thirty and continued her painting as she was still holding onto a piece of hope that Annabeth was out there somewhere.
She then got ready and went to the pavilion for breakfast and she went on about her day then a capture the flag game was to be held between the campers and the hunters after dinner that night.
The campers team was filled with three Hephaestus boys, including Charles Beckendrof, a newcomer. There were a few from Ares cabin, with the Stoll brothers, Landon, Evangeline, Silena Beauregard, Nico, and a few other Aphrodite demigods.
Evangeline was, down in front of Nico as she helped him put his armor on.
"Do I look cool?" Nico asked with a toothy smile.
"You look awesome," she said as she tightened the straps on Nico's armor.
Nico's smile widened. "Now, remember, don't let anyone get you, and don't stab yourself." She instructed him as she stood up.
Nico gave her a mock salute. "Wait, can I stab people?" he asked.
"Sure,"
"No," Percy said making his way next to her.
"Don't stab anyone, Nico," Percy told him.
"You can stab anyone," Evangeline whispered.
Percy shot her a disappointed look. "Don't listen to her."
"I can help him."
"Get to your position," Percy sighed.
"You're not the leader," She pointed out.
"So," Nico spoke up. "Can I stab people?"
"Yes,"
"No." Percy's voice overlapped Evangeline's.
Evangeline watched as Percy was pushed into the creek while Thalia began apologizing. A wave suddenly erupted from the creek, swirling into the air as it blasted the daughter of Zeus.
Percy stood up, completely dry while Thalia had been soaked. "Yeah," the son of Poseidon growled. "I didn't mean to either."
"Enough!" Chiron ordered, his gaze flickering between the children of the big three who shook with rage.
But Thalia didn't listen, her spear was pointed outwards towards the raven-haired boy. "You want some," she growled. "Waterboy?"
The daughter of Zeus using that nickname offended him. Percy didn't like the way it sounded when she said it, much rather preferring only Evangeline to be the one who gets to call him that. It just sounded right when she and only her said it.
"You don't get to call me that!" He snapped.
"Why not? I think I will." She challenged
"Bring it on," Percy raised riptide while glaring at her. "Pinecone face!"
"Are you gonna join too?" Travis asked the brunette.
Evangeline snapped her head in his direction. "What?"
"You know, they're fighting like their dads, and you're watching from the sidelines like your dad."
"That's not—
A shot of lightning slammed against Percy's chest, sending the boy toward the ground as his clothes began burning.
Something set the brunette off, she didn't know why she interfered. Evangeline flicked her wrist and a tendril of shadows knocked Thalia off her feet and slammed her to the ground. "Not so powerful now are you, spark plug?" she taunted.
The daughter of Zeus growled as she zapped an arc of electricity at her but the brunette sent black flames toward Thalia and the electricity and hellfire caused a small explosion between them.
Thalia got to her feet, quickly recovering from the attack as she willed lightning to her aid. Thalia shot a blast of lightning towards Evangeline once more.
The brunette dodged and used her hand, clenching it into a fist, making Thalia's knees buckle. The daughter of Zeus winced as the faint sound of the cracking of bones could be heard.
"Evangeline!" Chiron pleaded.
Like the cheater she was, Thalia managed to use her hand and blasted a powerful wind at Evangeline, the brunette stumbled back and Thalia zapped an arc of electricity at her.
Evangeline yelped as the lightning hit her wrist, she clutched her wrist as she glared at the daughter of Zeus while the cold temperature started dropping to the point of hypothermia.
Thalia prepared for another strike when Percy rose to his feet, the creek's water began swirling around him as a tornado made entirely out of water was created.
Percy's arm was out, a glare directed towards Thalia.
"Percy! Evangeline!" Chiron pleaded again, his tone hopeless. "Thalia!"
The tornado dropped suddenly, water flowing down in waves. The boy's gaze was locked somewhere. Evangeline turned her head towards where she saw someone or rather something shrouded in green mist approach the campers and hunters. "This is impossible," Chiron mumbled once he was able to get a better look. "It... she has never left the attic, never."
But he had been proven wrong, the oracle now stood in the middle of the group. Its voice seeped into Evangeline's mind as she quickly clutched her ears, attempting to rid the horrid voice that breached her head.
"I am the spirit of Delphi." The Oracle spoke. "Speaker of prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python."
The mummy had turned in the direction of Zoë and began speaking again. "Approach, Seeker, and ask."
The Huntress swallowed, glancing around at her fellow hunters before asking her question. "What must I do to help my goddess?"
A green mist began pouring from the Oracle's mouth as a vision was being shown. Evangeline was able to make out Artemis, wrapped in chains and imprisoned to rocks. She was on her knees, but her hands were above her head like she had been holding something. And then, the mummy began speaking.
"Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The Titans Curse must one withstand,
And one shall perish by a parent's hand."
The mist creating the vision swirled, retreating into the Oracle's mouth as the mummy sat on a rock, becoming still as she once was in the attic.
Everyone stood there in silence until Nico's voice broke it. "That was awesome!" He smiled while he jumped up and down. "You guys should do the whole fighting thing again!"
Nobody paid much attention to the di Angelo boy.
Evangeline felt Percy place a hand on hers. She turned to meet his gaze.
"You okay?" He asked as he looked at the wrist which was smoking. "You're not hurt or anything, right?"
"I'm fine," She assured. "I'm the one who should be asking you that, your clothes are practically on fire."
A council meeting between the cabin leaders had been called, Dionysus and Chiron leading the meeting as they took their places at on end of the table. Zoë and Bianca took the other end, while, Beckendorf, Silena, and the Stoll brothers along with Evangeline sat on the left as representatives for their cabins.
Percy, Thalia, and Grover quickly filled the right side, as per request by Chiron. "This is pointless," Zoë snapped, starting the meeting.
"There is no time for talk," the huntress continued with a scowl. "Our goddess needs us, the hunters must leave immediately."
"And go where?" Chiron questioned.
"West!" Bianca answered.
"You head the prophecy," Bianca reasoned. "Six shall go west to the goddess in chains, we can get six hunters and go."
"Yes," Zoë agreed with her. "Artemis is being held hostage, we must find her and free her!"
"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia grumbled. "Campers and hunters combined prevail, we're supposed to do this together."
"No," Zoë shook her head. "The hunters do not need thy help."
"Your," Thalia corrected, a sigh escaping. "Nobody has said thy in like, three hundred years. Get with the times Zoë"
"Yerrr," the hunter attempted, her eyebrows furrowed. "We do not need yerrr help."
The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Forget it."
"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."
"Or do they?" Dionysus mused, swirling his Diet Coke. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"
"Dionysus," the centaur sighed. "With all due respect, whose side are you on?"
The god raised his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."
"We're supposed to work together," Thalia mumbled. "I don't like it either, Zoë, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"
"We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday, this very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."
"Oh, joy." The god of wine muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."
"Artemis must be present at the solstice." Zoë reasoned. "She has been the most vocal council arguing for action against Kronos' minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."
"Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus asked, his eyes slightly narrowing.
"Yes, Lord Dionysus."
The god nodded. "Just checking. You're right, of course, carry on."
"I must agree with Zoë," Chiron said. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We only have a week to find her, and possibly even more important, to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."
"Three and three," Percy explained, "We're supposed to have six. Three hunters, three from camp. Half and half, that's fair."
Thalia and Zoë exchanged looks, and a mutual agreement was made. "I would prefer to take all the hunters," The huntress mumbled. "We will need strength of numbers."
"You'll be retracing the Goddess' path." Chiron reminded her. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it was, she moved west. You will have to do the same, the prophecy was clear and the bane of Olympus will show the trail. What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."
"The monster, bane of Olympus," Zoë picked up a ping pong racket and began analyzing it. "I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."
Everyone turned to Dionysus, but the god seemed to not care as he continued flipping through his magazine. "Don't look at me, I'm a young god remember?" He mumbled, turning a page. "I don't keep up with ancient monsters and Titans, terrible for party conversations."
Evangeline zoned out, she tended to do that in boring conversations.
"Percy is right," Silena stated giving the son of Poseidon a smile. "Three campers should go."
"Oh, I see," Zoë rolled her eyes at the girl. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"
The girl waved her hands, her cheeks flushed red. "I'm not going anywhere with the hunters so don't look at me."
"A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at." Zoë scoffed. "What would thy mother say?"
Silena's eyes narrowed, and her chair was pushed away from the table as she started to get up. But Charles had quickly grabbed her arm, tugging her back down while shooting Zoë a warning look of his own.
"Stop it," Beckendorf scowled. "Let's start with the hunters, which three of you will go?"
Zoë stood. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."
"The big girl," Travis asked. "Who likes to hit people on the head?"
The hunter nodded.
"The one who put the arrows in my helmet?" Conner added.
"Yes," Zoë snapped. "Why?"
"Oh, nothing. "Travis said, a smile curling on his lips. "Just that we have a t-shirt for her from the camp store."
Conner held up a silver t-shirt that read Artemis the moon goddess, fall hunting tour 2002, along with a list of nation parks underneath. "It's a collector's item," the youngest Stoll grinned. "She was admiring it, could you give it to her?"
The brunette smirked at the Stoll brother's antics she knew Phoebe wasn't going to have a good gift. Conner noticed the smirk and gave her a wink. Evangeline shook her head while she managed to hide her smirk.
The huntress sighed, snatching the shirt from the son of Hermes. "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe and wish for Bianca to go."
"Me? But..." Bianca looked stunned, her mouth slightly dropped. "I'm so new, I wouldn't be any good."
"You will do fine," Zoë insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."
"And for campers?" Chiron asked.
"Me!" Grover stood to his feet, bumping into the table on his way up. "Anything to help Artemis!"
"I think not, satyr," Zoë's nose scrunched up. "You are not even half-blood."
"But he is a camper," Evangeline reasoned. "And he's got satyr senses along with woodland magic, can't you play a tracker's song too, Grover?"
"Absolutely!"
"Very well," Zoë wavered. "And the second camper?"
"I'll go," Thalia said, standing up and looking around the table as if daring anyone to challenge her.
"I'll be the third," Percy stood to his feet as well.
"No," Zoë immediately disagreed.
"I'm going," Evangeline spoke earning her attention. "Annabeth's my friend I have to go."
Zoë thought about it and then said. "Very well, you can go with us."
"Wait, wait, wait," Percy held up a hand. "I want to go too."
"Oh," Grover was the first to speak after a moment of silence as he had finally realized the problem. "Percy has to go, I didn't mean... I'll stay, he should go in my place."
"He cannot," Zoë stated. "He is a boy. I won't have the hunters traveling with a boy."
"You traveled here with me." Percy reminded her.
"That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the Goddess. I will not go across the country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."
"What about Grover?" He asked.
"He does not count," Zoë explained. "He's a satyr, not technically a boy."
"Hey!" Grover protested.
"I have to go," Percy argued. "I need to be on this quest."
"Why?" Zoë asked. "Because of thy friend Annabeth?"
"No," he paused. "I mean partly. I... I just feel like I'm supposed to go!"
Thalia and Grover shared a look while Evangeline just sighed, she heard a faint creak and turned her head towards the door and got a glimpse of Nico, who hid once he saw her. The brunette turned her attention back to the meeting sparing Bianca a glance.
"No," the huntress said flatly. "I insist upon this. I will take the satyr if I must, but no male hero."
Chiron sighed. "The quest is for Artemis, therefore the hunters should be allowed to approve their companions."
Wordlessly, Percy sat back down. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked like a child. Evangeline smiled once she caught sight of his frown.
"So be it." The centaur said. "Thalia, Evangeline, and Grover will accompany Zoë, Bianca, and Pheobe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods-" he glanced at Dionysus. "Present company included, we hope, be with you."
With a hit to the table, the meeting had officially ended and what had been discussed was no longer up for debate.
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