[1] something new | pjo

iii. three

DAPHNE WOULD LIKE TO THANKED HER FATHER FOR HER POWERS. 

She summoned weapon underground and launched it at the monster the same time with a few silver arrows shot from the woods. She slipped to stand next to Percy unnoticed. Her power was drained because of her attack. She slightly annoyed at the Hunter that came to 'steal her glory' to defeat the monster.

The manticore pulled the arrow and a dagger out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," another girl said. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Thalia, Daphne and Percy, knowing they were weak and dazed.

"No.'" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoe ordered.

"No!" Percy screamed.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before they could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness. Everything seemed to just pass by Daphne in a blur and before she can grasp anything the girl with auburn hair—that Daphne has a hunch that she was not human—advanced towards them while tried to stop Percy jumped off the cliff.

"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.

"Let me go!" Percy demanded. "Who do you think you are?"

Zoe stepped forward as if to smack him.

"No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."

The young girl looked at Percy, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."

After the shock run off, Daphne tried to find Percy that has been summoned to the goddess tent. She heck her jeans pocket and feel her gold charm bracelet is already there. It's like Percy sword—riptide that can turned into a pen, so does her bracelet. A gift from Ares. She just need to flick one of the charm from the bracelet if she needs a sword, a dagger, or maybe a shield.

"It's not your fault you know," said Daphne while sit next to Percy even though she practically freezing in this weather.

After his meeting with the goddess his face looked so sour. Daphne knows he blame himself about Annabeth. And Thalia not helping either with her accusation about Percy stupidity face the manticore alone when it should be also part of Daphne fault. She's the one that forced Percy to find the Angelo siblings without notify the rest of them.