𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐈𝐋¹ || 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍

𝐗𝐋𝐈

✦ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 ✦

AFTER SEEING DR. THORN TURN INTO A MONSTER AND PLUMMET OFF THE EDGE OFF A CLIFF WITH ANNABETH NOT LONG BEFORE AURORA ALMOST THREW HERSELF AFTER THEM, you'd think nothing else could shock Percy. But when this twelve-year-old girl told him she was the goddess Artemis, Percy said something really intelligent.

"Um... okay."

That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so... you're so... Wow!"

"Get up, Goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."

Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of them in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who... who are you people?"

Artemis' expression softened, "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you? Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis. "Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..." She faltered.

Percy guessed she could tell from their faces that they didn't believe her.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."

"You are a half-blood," Zoë Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It seemed old-fashioned like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

"An Olympian... athlete?"

"No," Zoë said. "One of the gods."

"Cool!" said Nico.

"No!" Bianca's voice quivered. "This is not cool!"

Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for–"

Despite the tension and worry swirling around her, Aurora couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity wash over her as she watched Nico's animated antics. His excitement and curiosity reminded her of someone, although she couldn't quite place who.

As Nico danced around with boundless energy, his enthusiasm infectious, Aurora found herself smiling despite the gravity of their situation. There was something undeniably adorable about the young boy's eagerness to learn more about the gods and their powers, even in the midst of danger.

Though her heart ached for Annabeth and the uncertainty of their predicament weighed heavily on her mind, Aurora couldn't help but appreciate the brief moment of levity that Nico brought to their group.