❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝐼𝒱. 𝒜𝓅𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑜 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐻𝒾𝓈 '𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓉'

𝓩𝓸𝓮 watched as Nightshade and Bianca left the end tent, before they started to break camp, the other hunters following suit. Moments later, Percy and Lady Artemis left the tent, the boy's face grim.

Artemis assured them that dawn was coming, but Zoe was skeptical. Not that she didn't trust a goddess or anything, it's just that the night was colder and darker and snowier than ever. Up on the hill, Westover Hall's windows were completely lightless.

The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. Zoe was shivering in the snow (unlike the Hunters, who didn't seem to feel at all uncomfortable), and Artemis stared into the east like she was expecting something. Thalia, Zoe, and Grover came up and huddled around Percy, anxious to hear what had happened in his audience with the goddess.

He explained everything, how Bianca joined the hunters, and how there was a monster Artemis needed to track down. He briefly mentioned someone called the General and how the hunters were coming to camp with them.

When the ravenette told them, Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."

"Yeah, no kidding. My cabin smelled like sulfur for weeks. It was horrible," Zoe shuddered.

"How'd they even show up here?" Perfcy wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."

"And Bianca joined them," Thalia said, disgusted. "It's all Zoë's fault. That stuck-up, no good—"

"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?" He heaved a big sigh.

Thalia rolled her eyes as Zoe shook her head.

"You satyrs," Thalia grumbled. "You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love you back?"

"But she's so... into nature," Grover swooned.

"You're nuts," said Thalia.

"Nuts and berries," Grover said dreamily. "Yeah."

Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."

"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" Percy asked.

"For my brother. Yes."

Percy raised a brow skeptically.

"It's not exactly as you think," Artemis said.

"Oh, okay." He started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"

There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.

"Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."

They all averted their eyes as the light and warmth intensified until their winter clothes felt like it was melting off. Then suddenly the light died.

Zoe looked. She knew the gist of it but seeing it in person was so different from knowing that Apollo literally drove the sun. A red 4XE Jeep Wrangler with the doors off and the top down glowed from the heat of the metal. The snow had melted around the Wrangler in a perfect circle, which explained why they were now standing on green grass and their shoes were wet.

The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, Zoe felt tongue tied which was ironic because talking was kind of her thing. Apollo was tall, with a bright and playfully smile, wearing jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.

"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."

"Yeah he is," Zoe agreed, her uninjured cheek flushing.