𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆│𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄

→ 𝐈.𝐈𝐈𝐈

.

ACT I
CHAPTER III

the oath

THE HUNTRESSES set up their camp within a few minutes. 7 big tents, each of silvern silk stand in a crescent around the campfire. Naomi blows on a silvern dog whistle, not long after that, a dozen white wolves appear out of the forest surrounding them. With them, comes a little black cat that goes in a straight line to the red head that stopped Percy from going after Annabeth. The cat is just between a kitten and a full-grown cat.

"Perseus Jackson," the red head huntress stands before the half-bloods who are deep in conversation with the satyr and the girl's, Bianca, little brother Nico. On the huntress's face you can see disdain and Percy cringes at his whole name. "Follow me, Lady Artemis wishes to speak to you."

"You have a cat?" Bianca's brother asks the red head, unaware of her shocked expression as he speaks to her.

"Yeah," the huntress smiles softly, "you can pet him if you want. Church is a little shy but friendly most of the time." The little boy's eyes light up and he nods his head excitedly, hoping this cat doesn't shy away from him like other animals do. "Please be kind to Nico and Grover, okay Church?" the cat almost nods and Percy wonders if he saw that or imagined that. The girl seems to pay no mind to it, so he simply gets up to follow her.

The huntress whose name Percy still doesn't know, leads him to the last tent that is identical to all the other tents and motions for him to get in. Inside, Bianca di Angelo sists next to Lady Artemis. Next to the goddess lays a beautiful deer who checks out the new people entering the tent.

"Thank you, Elowyn," Lady Artemis smiles at her attendant. "Come sit with us, Percy Jackson." At the request, the boy drops down opposite of the Goddess and Bianca, you can see how uncomfortable he is. "Are you still in shock by my age?" the goddess asks the only boy present in the tent.

"Eh... a little bit, yeah." Percy admits and he hears snickers coming from the girl that brought him here, making his face red in embarrassment.

"I could present myself as an old lady, a fire, or anything else. But this appearance has my preference. It is the moderate age of the young girls whose patroness I am, before they wander."

"Wander?" the boy asks, looking over at the huntress and Bianca.

"Grow up, fall in head over heels in love with boys. Start to act foolish, obsessed, insecure. Forget themselves." Lady Artemis explains looking wistfully at her attendant.

Percy makes a sound of 'o'. Zoë takes place on Artemis her left and the huntress that brought him here takes the free side of Bianca. Zoë looks at Percy as if he is the whole reason and all of it is his fault that they are here in this posisition.

"Forgive it my huntresses if they don't welcome you," Lady Artemis says, eyeing Zoë and Elowyn. "We rarely let boys into our camp. It is for them forbidden to have contact with the huntresses. The last one who saw the camp..." she looks at Zoë, "who was that again?"

"The youngling from Colorado, my lady," Zoë answers, but Percy attention is dragged to Elowyn who shamelessly giggles, probably at the thought of the encounter. "You changed him into a jackalope."

"Oh, yes," The goddess nods in content. "I do love making jackalopes. However, Percy, I have asked you here in hopes that you can tell me more about the manticore. Bianca has told me of a few... hm, disturbing things the monster has said. But she might have not understood everything he said, I would like to hear it from you as well."

As soon as Percy was done talking and taking them through the story, Lady Artemis lays her hand on her silvern bow. "I feared that his would be the answer."

Zoë leans forward. "The smell, my lady?"

"Yes."

"Which smell?" the boy asks.

"There are many beings roaming around on which I haven't hunted on in a millennium." Artemis mumbles, "a prey so old, I almost forgot it."

"I want you to guide the huntresses towards camp Half-blood. There they can safely take their stay until I have returned." Artemis says after they finished talking about the dangerous roaming the earth under guidance of 'the general'.

"What?" Zoë shouts, "but, Artemis, we loathe that place. The last time we were there..."

"Yes, I know it," Artemis intercepts her huntress. "But I am certain that Dionysus won't hold the grudge because of the, eh, little misunderstanding. It is your right to take your stay in cabin 8. And besides, I have heard they build new cabins for the ones you burned last time." She looks at Zoë who mutters about stupid campers, "and if nothing helps, we at least have Elowyn coming with you this time, I am sure Dionysus mood will not turn to sour immediately."

"Oh yeah," the huntress next to Bianca groans, "I had that quest back then, bad memories." Percy looks at her in confusion, first the mention of fire in the camp and then a huntress with a quest.

"Well, then there only needs to be taken a final decision." Artemis directs her attention at Bianca, "have you already made a decision, my child?"

Bianca hesitates, "I don't know yet." She eyes the red head attendant.

"Wait a second," Percy says, "what don't you know?"

"They have asked me if I want to join the hunt."

"But you can't. You must go to camp Half-blood so Chiron can train you. It is the only way to survive."

"Not for girls," Zoë and Elowyn sneer at the same time.

"My Lady," Elowyn says once she feels the gaze of the boy, "I did what you asked of me and I am not necessary in this conversation, do I have the permission to leave?"

"Of course, Elowyn." Artemis smiles sadly at her attendant as she sees the girl leave. But Zoë's eyes are like daggers into Percy.

Once Elowyn stands outside of the tent, she can still hear the boy trying to convince Bianca to not join the hunt. As if that ever helped the cause. Once a girl made up their mind, there was no way in Tartarus that she would change her mind. Besides, if Elowyn was being honest the hunt was way more exciting than camp. But then again, it had been around 2 centuries since she last set foot in the camp.

The red head smiles softly as she sees Nico play with her black cat, she shakes her head and walks over to her sisters.

Phoebe immediately makes place for the younger red head, "and?"

"We found the scent," Elowyn whispers to her, "but it is nothing good, believe me."

"What about Bianca?" Phoebe smiles looking at the tent in the back, "she would be a great addition to our hunt."

Elowyn nods her head, "I know, and I am pretty sure she will be our sister in the next few moments."

"Oh, and before I forget to prepare you, my darling sisters," Elowyn pauses for the effect. "We will be going to Camp Half-blood." At the statement many groans and complaints are vocalised by the huntresses.