Indigo Eyes

Chapter 42

Bianca di Angelo was seated next to the auburn-haired girl, Artemis, who sat before a golden brazier of fire that seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts – black bear, tiger and several others that they didn't recognise. She appeared to have another animal pelt next to her until it moved, and it turned out to be a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting contently in Artemis' lap.

"Join us, Percy Jackson, Cressida Lynn," she invited and the two sat before her on the tent floor, the goddess studying them as Percy kept an eye on Cressida who sat down perfectly fine with her bandaged leg.

"Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.

"Uh... a little," Percy answered.

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?"' Percy asked. 

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

"Oh," he said as Zoë sat down to Artemis's right and glared at Percy.

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp..." She looked at Zoë. "Which one was it?"

"That boy in Colorado," Zoë said. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy, I've asked you both here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the... mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you two."

And so they told her, taking turns to explain what happened and when they were done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."

Zoë sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes."

"What scent, Lady Artemis?" Cressida wondered.

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten. We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"

And Cressida smacked her forehead with her hand at his stupidity. "I think she means, after that, Barnacle Brain."

"Yes," Artemis confirmed.

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me," Percy said and Zoë's face paled, Artemis silencing her with a single gesture as she nodded for him to continue.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot –"

"Stirring," Bianca corrected.

"Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all – the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"

The goddess was so still she could've been a statue.

"Maybe he was lying," Percy suggested and Cressida desperately hoped so if whatever this creature was, was able to scare the goddess of the Hunt this badly.

"Unfortunately not. I have been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."

Zoë looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."