The Unknown

Chapter 11: Love and War

"Lady Artemis?" There was a knocking coming out of the trees in Artemis' room.

"...what?..." Artemis groaned, her sleep had been well deserved, she was drained from Alaska but strangely she felt strong and warm, not like a god would feel in the Alaskan wilderness and they definitely didn't feel warm. But then Artemis remembered what happened after the fight.

Her eyes burst open and jumped up, head twirling around the clearing of a room. The room looked identical to the clearing she would meet Percy in, so not seeing him was not right for her.

Diane's head stuck out of the door, disguised perfectly as a tree. "Wow..." Diane looked around the room; it was a forest clearing with a perfect picture of the night sky, a full moon and unusually bright stars. But it wasn't a picture; there were shooting stars or comets crossing the sky and a lone night cloud drifting slowly. And there was a bed, a king sized pure silver bed.

Artemis spun around hearing the voice but her eyes lost their sparkle of hope when seeing Diane, "Is he really gone?" She knew the answer already but she could help but hope he was still with her; she had finally had him back, saving her again, her knight. But now he had to leaving her again. She would have to hit him for always leaving her alone when she desperately wanted him.

"I am sorry milady, he is gone." Diane entered the door, closing it quietly behind her, "Lady Artemis, if I may, could you tell me what your relation is to my uncle?"

Artemis' right hand flew to her ring, feeling the proof that last night was more than real. She sighed, "Diane, why don't we join the rest of our sisters, I think they would all like to know after seeing him last night." Diane nodded slightly and left through the door, shortly followed by Artemis.

The dimensions of the cabin didn't make sense but due to some magic, the hall was able to fit a room for every hunter when the exterior they saw last night, showed it as a warm and cozy cabin that was not any bigger than the cabin at camp in which all they had were bunk beds and one room for Artemis.

All the hunters were gathered around a table, their conversations were fairly hushed but all pertained to one man and his appearance in the hunt.

Diane took her seat next to Bianca, all of them, having seen Artemis sitting at the head of the table, quieted, but Phoebe was the brave enough to ask the key question, "Lady Artemis, how did Perseus come back, and why was he here?"

Artemis took a breath, "Phoebe, I have no idea how he came back but he did and then he disappeared just as quickly. He said that he will be back in 5 months and I trust that he will." She was trying to find the right way to put it all in the right wording, "He has been with us this whole time as well."

Some of the hunters get angry with this, even if he was the great Percy Jackson doesn't mean he could be in their camp without their knowledge and permission. "Pistó, he was Percy the entire time. I don't know how he managed any of it but he did. He has saved all of our lives over the years and all of us last night." Artemis grew a small smile, "He was really a guardian of the hunt. He is one of the only good men out there, most fail to even compare." Those that knew him agreed, even Diane agreed but then again he was a relative so it was slightly biased.

"Milady, why was he here with us?" This came from Susie, a small daughter of Demeter, she joined just after Diane and was the physical youngest along with actual age. But then Thalia noticed a flash coming from Artemis and when she looked down she gasped, drawing the attention of her sisters.

"Artemis, what is that on your hand?" Thalia was pointing at Artemis' left hand, a shining ring adorning her finger. Artemis face flushed a deep red; a small smile grew on her face as she remembered the events of the previous night. Zoë looked at the ring only to smirk, she knew the whole story.