The Golden Amulet (PJO, Sequel to The Silver Ring)

Chapter 3

The hunter's camp was gigantic.

Over Percy's ten years of questing inside of the immortal world, he had experienced many types of camps, ranging from the forest's floor to an abandoned house commandeered by monsters. So when he pictured an encampment for dozens upon dozens of hunters, he imagined a few tents arrayed around a campfire.

This wasn't the case. The full camp took the space of a clearing the size of a football field, and it was packed. There were archery ranges and gardens and other things Percy didn't know how they transported. In addition, multiple campfires were lit, while the delicious smell of cooked meat permeated through the air, no doubt attracting more animals for the hunters to kill. Huntresses were bustling around the place—more than he ever thought Artemis had. The whole system was neatly arranged around a slightly bigger silver tent—Artemis'— which meant if one wanted to get to the center, half of the camp would already know one was there, since one would have to go through patrols of scouts, guards, and, of course, tents.

"This is more of a temporary setup," Artemis said upon setting Percy down in front of her tent and finally freeing him from his binds, pride apparent in her tone. 

Percy massaged his arms and feet, trying to get his circulation running smoothly after an hour of laying still. "Temporary? This is more than what Camp Half-Blood has to offer."

"There're no males here to slow down our work." Artemis waved Percy into her tent. 

From the outside, the tent looked no bigger than the size of a medium bedroom, and Percy was expecting to see simple sleeping quarters. When he stepped inside, he was greeted with the site of a full-fledged, open layout house. He had appeared inside of the bedroom. The floor was covered with pelts of different kinds of animals, and paired with the dim, yellow lighting of lamps gave the whole place a homey feel. There was a gigantic, fluffy bed in the center, and the walls were made of pure silver, unlike the moonlight-colored fabric that made up the tent.

Artemis dropped her bow on the bed. "Once you walk through my tent's doorway, it leads to a section of my palace. I prefer this instead of having an enchanted tent like my hunters, since only people I permit can enter my palace without crumbling to ash. Plus, it's completely private, a great place to hold a confidential discussion." 

Percy took the hint. "Void's rising, isn't she?" 

She sighed, the natural steely resolve in her eyes fading into something more vulnerable. "She's beginning to. I can feel it . . . but this is different."

"How so?" 

"The first time, I had a power surge. My power quadrupled in a day, and it stayed that way. It felt revitalizing and intense. But now . . ." She massaged her forehead, as though she had a headache. "My power is slowly being sucked out of me. My arrows can't down cyclops with one hit anymore and it's been only a few weeks. What will happen in a few months? I don't even know what will happen when Void fully resurrects! Will I just . . . fade?"

Percy enveloped her in a reassuring hug. "Everything will be fine. In the worst case scenario, you'll just be a part of Void again. You got her body and memories. You're practically her!"

What he didn't add was that she was the good part of Void. He didn't know if she would be changed by her negative side, but he had faith.

And sometimes, that was all that mattered.

Artemis sniffed, and it took a moment for Percy to realize she was tearing up. "And my precious hunters . . . at this rate, I won't be able to protect them. I'm thinking of moving them to Camp Half-Blood. At least they'll be safe there."