Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝕄eetings are intimidating

Nicki gingerly took a seat in the rec room. She had barely been discharged from the infirmary when she had been kidnapped by Thalia for a meeting. Her hair was still wet with blood, the only visible evidence of Percy's mishap. 

Thalia reappeared from collecting Percy, slipping into the seat on the right Nicki. Percy and Grover followed her. Grover took a seat two away from Nicki, forcing Percy to sit on Nicki's left.

Percy trained his eyes away from Nicki, guilt building in his chest. Nicki said nothing.

Mr D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoë and Bianca DiAngelo (who had kind of become Zoë's personal assistant) took the other end. Thalia, Nicki, Percy and Grover sat along the right, and the other head councillors—Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers—sat on the left. 

The Ares kids were supposed to send a representative, too, but all of them had gotten broken limbs (accidentally) during capture the flag, courtesy of the Hunters. They were resting up in the infirmary. Lee was also missing, having been needed to stay and look after the Ares kids.

"What is she doing here?" Zoë questioned, motioning to Nicki. "This is a head councillor meeting, is it not?"

"What's Bianca doing here then?" Thalia spat. "If Nicki can't be here neither can she. Besides, Nicki would be the Hecate cabin councillor, so that's why she's here."

Chiron pulled a face at Thalia's words as if hearing for the first time how bad of an excuse it was. Nicki bit back a smile. It didn't matter how bad of an excuse it was, technically Zoë couldn't dispute it.

Zoë scowled, starting the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless." 

"Cheez Whiz!" Grover gasped. He began scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and spraying them with topping. 

"There is no time for talk," Zoë continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asked. 

"West!" Bianca said. She looked completely different from how she looked at Westover Hall after just a few days with the Hunters. Her dark hair was braided like Zoë's now, so you could actually see her face. She had a splash of freckles across her nose. She looked like she'd been working out, and her skin glowed faintly, like the other Hunters, as if she'd been taking showers in liquid moonlight. 

"That's not vague at all," Nicki muttered, fiddling with a ping-pong ball.

"You heard the prophecy. Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get six hunters and go." 

"Yes," Zoë agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her." 

"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together." 

"No!" Zoë said. "The Hunters do not need thy help." 

"Your" Thalia grumbled. "Nobody has said thy in, like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with the times." 

Zoë hesitated like she was trying to form the word correctly. " Yerrr. We do not need yerrr help." 

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Forget it." 

"She did try," Nicki whispered to Thalia earning a half-hearted glare in reply.

"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Huntersmust cooperate." 

"Or do they?" Mr D mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"