✓ | The Crown of the Dead

Essie Valdez and the Hunters of Artemis

"What is this place?" I asked, keeping my arms wrapped around myself as we walked down the hall. I shivered.

"Some Roman demigod tried to build a shrine for Lupa by recreating the Wolf House," Thalia said. I kept my distance from her. She kind of freaked me out.

It sucked that she was the one I was being forced to follow through the dank building and out back into the forest-- but Artemis had stayed with Lee to get a gauge of how exactly her and her hunters could manage transporting him out. I wasn't even sure what they wanted to do with him, but I didn't think to ask. If they tried anything, I'd stop them. Or something.

"Now it's just a hotbed for teenage activity, if you know what I mean. Shocker your brother even managed to find this place," she finished. She picked at a hangnail on her right thumb, but continued walking like she knew the place like the back of her hand.

"What do you mean?" I skipped to catch up with her. Her strides were large.

She shrugged. "I don't know. Being Greek and all, I guess?"

"The Greeks were here first," I said, remembering what Blake had said. "You Romans are too cocky."

Thalia took a deep breath in, and at first I thought she was choking on air... until she started laughing. She froze, resting her hands on her thighs and bellowed with laughter.

I immediately stopped, looking around me for any sign of some sort of enemy. "Is something... wrong?"

She didn't cease her laughter until she'd rubbed the brimming tears out of her eyes. "Roman--!" She choked out, diving right back into her laughing fit after saying the word. "You think I'm Roman?"

My cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "I just assumed--"

"I am not Roman."

"Oh," I muttered, not knowing how to react. "Are you a mortal?"

"Gods, no." She finally seemed to get control of her giggles and returned to her upright position. "I'm Greek. I'm a demigod."

"Oh."

She started walking again after adjusting her bow, and I followed behind at a safe distance.

She whistled suddenly, and it startled me. "Isn't this the part where you ask who my godly parent is?"

"Is it?"

She spun around to face me, and I almost fell onto my butt in surprise. She looked me up and down, then smiled. "I like you."

She spun back around and continued walking

I quickened my pace to make it to her side. "Umm... are you going to tell me who your godly parent i--"

"Oh look!" She exclaimed in false excitement. "The exit! There it is!" She gestured dramatically towards an open doorway, even giving a little bow.

I stood back, awkwardly.

She dropped her smile and pose. "Are you coming or not?"

"Oh. Yeah. Right." I probably looked like an idiot as I hurried across the floor and over and out of the doorway.

The sun was still high in the sky, and the immediate heat exposure startled me.

"So uhh... you mind filling me in on the blanks of whatever the hell is happening to you?" She asked me.

"I don't even know what's happening to me."

"That's fair."

I tried to think of something relevant to say. "I'm on a quest or whatever."