The Hunt for Life (Fem Percy Guardian of the Hunt)

Chapter Four

"Wake up." Pain shot through my leg.

I shot up, blinking rapidly in the bright morning light. Before I could register what was going on, my hand was on my sword. As my fingers wrapped the hilt, a jolt of wrongness flickered through me. That's- It's not Riptide. I peered up at the shadowed figure before me. Artemis, I realized upon seeing the glowing silver-yellow eyes. The tension disappeared, and I stood, brushing leaves from my clothes.

"I killed two monsters last night, presumably they were going to kill your lieutenant.."

"I noticed." Her gaze slid to the weapons on the ground, a club and a dagger. Artemis threw something at me. It hit my chest, and I caught it. "Eat. We're moving camp."

"Do you make it a habit to throw food at people?" I asked, staring down at the paper-wrapped bar. She didn't answer, so I unwrapped it and took a hesitant bite.

She groaned. "Just eat it. I'm not going to poison you. My father would never allow me to hear the end of it." She looked out over her Hunters as they did a last second sweep of the area.

"I was just wondering where you got it from."

"We make them," she forced out between gritted teeth. I suppressed a laugh.

"Where did it come from though? Nothing you have on has pockets. And honestly, you don't seem the type of goddess to waste power on something so trivial." The smirk falling onto my face was natural, mocking, even if I knew Artemis likely couldn't see it. "So where did it come from?"

Faster than I could blink, my back slammed against the rough bark of the tree. It creaked and groaned at the sudden force. My eyes were wide. My hands curled along with fear in my chest. The razor edge of an arrow pressed against my throat. As I swallowed, burning spread where it scraped.

"Watch it, Guardian." said Artemis. "I may not know who you are, but you do not speak to me, to gods, in that manner. I should kill you for this insolence."

I snorted. "Do it." For that brief second, I thought she would. All it would take, a simple flick of the wrist and she'd have sliced my throat. But she didn't. A shame really, it would have saved me so much trouble. But I guess the gods never have been good at doing things demigods want. She released my shirt and slipped the arrow back into her quiver.

"I only spare you because my father assigned you."

"Lucky me."

I grabbed my backpack and swung it over my shoulder. Artemis gave orders to the Hunters, ones I didn't care enough to know, before taking off into the woods. The others followed, leaving me to debate on if I could just disappear and get killed. For some reason, I didn't think it would be as easy as that, and I followed after the girls. I kept a few yards between me and the group. It was enough to discourage most of them from talking to me.

Most.

Thalia dropped back, before falling into pace beside me. "You have a death wish," she said.

"And what if I do?" I vaulted over a fallen log. Water and mud splashed into the air. My feet pulled free with a loud 'schluck'. Thalia never answered my question, if she even took it as one, and sped up to reclaim her place. Sunlight dappled the silver coats most of them had tied around their waists. It made it hard to take my eyes off of them.

My legs ached and my lungs burned. On and on we ran. There was no concept of time, none at all, and the Hunters seemed more than okay with this. They were singing. Full blown singing as we ran through the woods, and none of them ever seemed to stumble or miss a step. Or nearly die by falling on a stick.

I was adapting though, or at least the boots were. My steps stopped falling on loose leaves, and I stopped tripping on roots. Artemis held up a hand. We slowed to a stop. Rocks littered the ground, and the only things growing in the clearing was patchy grass and bushes laden with berries.

"See if any are edible," said Artemis, moving to one of the bushes. Despite not knowing what I was doing, I moved to the nearest bush. The berries were round and plump, a dark hue promising to stain my fingers. I plucked one off the push and popped it in my mouth. The juice spread over my tongue, a cloying sweetness.

"These ones are sweet," I said.

Artemis looked over at me. Her eyes widened, and in a few short steps, she was beside me. She eat a berry from the bush before spitting it out. "Are you a demigod?" she asked, a layer of urgency in her voice.

"Why?"

"I need to know if you can drink nectar."

"Again, why?"

"Because these are toxic. If you eat too many of them, they will kill you. As it stands you're going to get sick. This is why you don't eat unknown berries."

"For someone who literally just threatened my life, you're way too concerned about my wellbeing," I said. Guaranteed death. The Fates must have decided to take pity on me. Or maybe Artemis wanted to trick me into poisoning myself then thought better about it. Jokes on her, she wouldn't be tricking me.

"My father cannot tell me I didn't try." She rolled her eyes. "Thalia, have you had any luck?"

"Nope. I think Jenny found some though."

When all the eyes drifted away from me, back to bushes or to other girls, I reached out. A large cluster of berries was right in front of me. It would be enough. Had to be enough. My hand froze. Stuck before even so much as brushing the berries, I couldn't move it closer. I gritted my teeth and tried to lean forward. Nothing. Frustration welled up inside me. Why couldn't I-

A paper appeared in my hand. Greek stared at me, words taunting me with their meaning.

The cloak prevents you from taking self-destructive actions.

I couldn't do anything. I couldn't end this early. I couldn't make everyone safe. How could I when everyone wanted me to do the opposite. The paper crumbled in my fist before I shoved it roughly into my pocket. What right does he have to meddle in my life? It's my choice. He had already forced me into this, why do more? Why dangle any pain I might want or deserve out in front of me as a cruel temptation to stay alive, if only to feel it eventually?

"Where'd that come from?" asked a Hunter.

"Are all of you this nosy?" I raised an eyebrow, staring straight at her. She turned away, dark hair swinging as she left to follow out the instructions Artemis was giving. Fires, hunt, then pile into her chariot when night falls.

I stood in place, feeling all too much like the third member in a project meant for two people. It did give me a chance to contemplate that Artemis used her chariot like a bus for her hunters. Or does she just tie a bunch of sleds to the back and strap the girls to them? Speaking of Artemis, she wandered the edge of the clearing, stringing an alarm system of sorts over branches and bushes. Making no comment on it, I knelt down and shifted through the rocks. Made me look like I was doing something. Even if it wasn't helpful.
For the Hunt at least.

Seashells were imprinted into the rocks, tiny little things, but things that were so helpful for me. You never knew when you'd have to clean out another pen for flesh eating horses. I shovelled as many as I could find into my pockets, so lost in the process I didn't hear the footsteps approaching me.

"Rock collector?" asked Artemis.

"I don't have a ranged weapon, so these will work well for distractions at the very least." Silence. I sighed. "Where are we going?"

"Camp Half-Blood."

I told myself I'd have a bunch of prewritten chapters

And I don't, but an update after a week is pretty darn good I'd say

See yah