The Silver Ring (PJO)

Chapter 4

A hunting horn broke the calmness of the morning.

All the chatter ceased, and a chorus of groans rippled out of the eating demigods. "Why do they even come here?" one demigod daughter of Apollo asked rhetorically. "They don't even like us." Everybody murmured agreement.

I had reached the dining pavilion and started eating. (In tradition, I had gotten everything dyed blue—and yes, even my water.) I had hoped at least for a silent breakfast, but out of the blue, the hunters of Artemis had announced their rather surprising and unwelcome presence at camp.

Normally, one would think only the boys would hate them, since they're, well . . . males.

But it was the full camp who hated the hunters.

The boys, because they could get castrated without much reason, and the girls, because they had different opinions on boys than the hunters. 

One could say that boys were the full problem of argument. 

The hunters thought exactly that.

Don't get me wrong, though. I could fully admit that most males were bad (my step-father was an example of that), but not all males treat women unfairly. Unfortunately, the hunters just organized every male into the same plate: just because one male had done something wrong, every male could and would do that.

"Calm down, everybody!" Chiron shouted over the growing ruckus. "You can finish your meals in peace, while I sort out this unexpected visit." He then trotted out of the dining pavilion, making his way towards the  entrance of camp.

Nobody argued, and started eating as slowly as they could. (One time, I had seen dinner extend to three hours, all because nobody wanted to exit out of the pavilion and get glared at by the hunters. Even after they finished their food, everybody just kept talking, and one person even started preparing their spot to sleep.)

I was the lone person to abandon my food and hurriedly caught up with Chiron. I did this for two reasons: 

Firstly, I was almost unanimously declared as the leader of camp. Of course, I protested (a lot), but the demigods had taken none of it. Eventually, I conceded to their wishes—mostly because I didn't want to get electrocuted by Clarisse's spear. And since I was the forced leader of camp, I had to help Chiron—not that I wouldn't have anyway.

Secondly, the leader of the hunters was somebody I hadn't seen in months: Thalia. Officially, she was just my cousin, but unofficially, she was more than that: she was my sister in all but blood. I would die to protect her, and vice versa. If anybody could help me in my situation, it would be her. 

When I pulled up next to him, Chiron glanced at me, but didn't seem surprised. "This is quite the conundrum, isn't it?" Chiron said casually, as though he was talking about a few demigods getting lightly injured in a game, and not like he was talking about a group of deadly, man-hating women, whom most were hundreds of years old. (Never say that to their face, though. I highly doubt you'll have a face at the end.)

"I would say so, yes. Why do you think they're here?" 

Chiron shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. They could be here for a short foray, to deliver news—or they might be in danger. I hope it's not the last scenario, though."

For a person who had just met Chiron, the amount of concern in his voice would be shocking. After all, he was also a male (centaurs were in their hate circle, too), but what people usually forgot was that he was the trainer of demigods. Most of the demigods in Artemis' hunt were rescued maidens, but some were demigods from camp, who had been trained by Chiron. He might not know them that well, but they were still under his tutelage, whether it be for a few years or a few days, which meant he cared about them.

As we climbed the hill, my mind started thinking of what we would see that would be urgent enough for the hunters to come. Did Artemis learn that her bracelet was missing already? Did she bear news the a war? Why did she bring her hunters, and why didn't she just teleport here?

My questions were about to be answered. We climbed the crest of the hill . . . 

And stopped in shock.

"Oh my," Chiron said, too shocked to say anything else.

I wasn't any better, my mouth open like a breathing fish. "I guess I know why you used the word 'foray,' now."

Behind Peleus, the Golden Fleece, and Thalia's tree, I had expected to see dozens of hunters chatting amiably, all dressed in silver gear, looking like professional soldiers.

Instead, there were hundreds.