Silver Arrows - A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

6 - Okay, so Magical Wolves are Contraband

It was Lina who had yelled. She, Claire and Millie sprinted into the clearing with weapons drawn.

Lina was at the front. She stared down Aaron, and he took his foot off me, glaring at them. 'She was going to hurt someone.'
'I... wasn't.' I coughed, and Claire picked me up - which was quite annoying, a reminder of how small I was.
'You do not look okay.'
Millie frowned. 'What have I told you about stating the obvious?'
'And what have I told you about timing your words correctly? We have other problems.'

'Don't... move...' Lina hissed, pointing her bow at Aaron. 'We're escorting both of you back to camp.'
'You Hunters, you're only concerned about girls. She was attacking a girl, her name was Daisy...'
'I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT. We are going back to the camp, and you can explain yourself there.'

The meeting that followed was awkward, to say the least. I didn't have anyone else to tell my side of the story - even the Hunters were trying to remain neutral, having seen nothing. My voice was shaky at best and barely above a whisper at worst. Since they couldn't prove much, the only real consequence was surveillance - the other campers would have to keep checking on Aaron, Daisy and myself to make sure everything was okay. If they showed even the smallest sign of aggression, then they would receive "some form of punishment." So they couldn't hurt me until the surveillance ended, which I figured would be soon.

And so I started to consider leaving.

Stupid, I know - to want my old life back. To want to go home to a family that I didn't belong in, to leave behind the Apollo cabin, who were as close to friends as I'd ever had. But I didn't feel like there was any better option. There was, though. Two days later, Thalia offered to let me join the Hunters, as long as Artemis accepted.
'I know the things other campers say about us, but it's a good place to be. You're not stuck in camp. Everyone gets along pretty well - we kind of have to, since we're around each other all the time. We're kind of like a family, I guess...'

'You don't age,' I added.
'Is that all you care about? Then yeah, that. But don't forget: you have to swear off men forever. That's okay with you, right?'

I thought about Daisy and Aaron, how she tricked and manipulated him into almost killing me. I didn't want someone to do that to me.
'Yep.'

It was that easy. When they left camp the next day, they took me with them, and I got to meet Artemis, which was incredible, even though she looked younger than me. I hadn't met any of the twelve Olympians before, just the Muses.
'Lady Artemis, this is Erasmia,' Lina said. 'She was having a hard time at camp, and her stepbrother was very cruel to her.'
Rowena added at least ten different words to describe Kyle that I don't want to repeat.

Artemis didn't seem to care. 'I've heard mention of you. Why do you have purple eyes?'
I smiled awkwardly. 'Um, my mother is Clio. And she has purple eyes.'
'Oh.' Artemis frowned. 'Yes, I think one of her... other children had those eyes. You want to join us, correct? Have the others taught you the pledge?'

'I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.' I got the words out as quickly as possible. I wanted to join while I still could. I didn't know how long the offer would be open to me.
Artemis nodded. 'You seem eager. I accept. But you must understand, now it is binding. Break your oath, and you will have to leave, which...'

To be completely honest, I stopped listening. I was busy enjoying the new feeling I had. It was difficult to describe - more stable, as if I'd been anchored down to the Hunt and to the earth, but in a good way. Stronger. More alive, like when you drive to the country and the air is so much crisper and fresher. And at peace.

Not entirely, though. I felt a calling, a need to fight monsters and destroy the unrest they created. Artemis finished speaking and left the tent. I was put in a tent with Nerita, who fixed my dark hair into something called a "half-crown braid." And I haven't changed it since.

All these memories, everything good and bad about Camp Half-Blood and my old home and the Hunters, were flooding over me on the three-day trek to the forest. It was overwhelming. As a result, I didn't talk much, and spent most of my time looking after the wolves. Thalia was pretty quiet, too, which would make sense - she doesn't exactly have good memories of the place, given she actually died there once. (Long story.)

Once we finally caught sight of Thalia's pine tree (again, long story), Artemis waved us farewell.
'Be brave - don't let the campers bully you. I'm going to try my hardest to solve this threat while I can. If anything happens, make sure I hear about it.'
She declared that she was handing control over to Thalia, hugged poor Lexi, kissed Naomi on the forehead and... left. Just like that, our leader, a freaking goddess, walked away from us.

There were no smiles as we walked into Camp Half-Blood. Not from us, and certainly not from the campers. For one thing, the wolves couldn't getting past the border, and no one would let us invite them in. They just hung around outside, looking dejected but eventually running off, probably to kill off some of the forest's monsters.

We met with Chiron almost as soon as we arrived.
'We believe the threat to be... Nyx.' Rowena spoke her name without fear, but there were gasps and mutters around the rest of the room.
'She is amassing an army against Zeus, and includes many of her children, like Eris and the... Keres? Is that how you pronounce it? Anyway, Eris offered to give Artemis a place among them.'

Chiron frowned. 'What happened next? You arrived alone, so I hope she didn't...'
'No, Artemis shot her.' Lina narrowed her eyes. 'How could you even think that she'd join them? She's out there right now, trying to stop them.'
'I meant no disrespect.'

Avery put her hand on Lina's shoulder. 'We can't start a fight. We want their help.'
'We don't NEED it, though.'
Sighing, Avery tucked her moss-stained hair behind one ear. 'Anyway, Artemis wanted us to stay here while she sorted things out. We are going to try our very hardest to get along with the others...'
'But if they flirt with us, if they try to harm us, then we won't hold back.' Nerita frowned at him, her green eyes as cold and intense as the ocean itself.

All the old myths describe the Hunters as being beautiful, but that hardly does them justice.
Some of them - the oldest, clearly not me - are like forces of nature. They're fierce, sure, but effortlessly so. Their beauty is not in looks, but in calmness and confidence, while I charge into battle screaming like a banshee, tripping over and barely ninja-rolling out of the way in time to avoid being skewered.

Chiron sighed and, reluctantly, nodded. 'Your demands are fair. But remember, do not let them drive you away. Cabin 8 is, and always will be, yours. Rest now, and tomorrow we'll have a friendly game of capture-the-flag.'