𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 , pjo

♛ Test #2 and Ally

"You know I'm about to say it," Romá spoke up.

"Yes, we know, your feet hurt!" Both Grover and Lin shouted with a deep irritation.

"Okay, that, and the fact that we'll never find her."

After their encounter with the persistent Amphitryon, the trio left Greenwood Park to figure out their plan of action. It took Grover to remind his two demigod friends that they weren't gods, and therefore didn't have the ability to make constellations or take them away. After a few moments of silent thinking, Romá had offered they just walk around the Greek man they had made the deal with and just leave for Michigan.

Lin immediately denied this proposition, claiming that when Amphitryon had made that promise- in a way- they had too.

We don't exactly have any other choice! The daughter of Hermes had shouted, throwing her hands in the air. Grover then offered something, so out of the way and unlikely, that he wasn't even sure himself if they could do it.

Being a creature that was meant to be a guardian of nature, Grover had always looked up to Artemis, the goddess of the moon and natural environments. Not only that, but she was also considered the goddess of hunt, exactly what Amphitryon claimed Laelaps did well (Karas).

Grover claimed if anyone could help them, it was the goddess.

Lin and Romá went with it. Artemis had helped many demigods before, including Percy and Annabeth. Maybe if she learned the son of Poseidon and daughter of Athena was in trouble, two people that had even held up the sky for her, she would help with no compromise needed.

The only problem was, no one was sure where the goddess could be found. They each took turns contacting different people via Iris Message, and was fortunately able to narrow it down to the state of West Virginia.

Once to the state, Grover had to endure all kinds of smells. Being a satyr, he could smell the blood of demigods, like most other Greek creatures. Artemis was traveling around with a band of females known as the Hunters (she had given them immortal life if they didn't fall short of the promise not to affiliate themselves with any males), multiple of which were half-bloods.

That's how the three ended up in Monongahela National Forest, stranded and lost with only a coin pouch.

It was around three in the afternoon, and the sun was beating down with no mercy. The shade of looming spruce and oak trees provided no relief, and instead the trees tripped the two girls relentlessly. The miniscule breeze pushing through their branches created a deep sound, as if the trees were laughing. The birds singing their lovely songs melded into mocking giggles ("Viewing Wildlife").

Grover on the other hand, was having a blast. Shed of the confining jeans and crutches, the satyr skipped around happily, as if he had found paradise within an ordinary forest. Every single deer or small family of black bears they stumbled across, Grover would whip out his reed pipes and play an upbeat tune for them.

"Holy Hera, please play a different a song," Romá complained when she heard rustling in the brush, indicating that a wild animal was about to jump out, frightening Lin and causing Grover to play his pipes.

Instead of a whitetail deer though, a teenage girl jumped out. She wore plain clothes, yet had a wooden bow in her hands and a leather quiver strapped over her shoulders.

"Hands up!" She screamed with no hesitation, scaring off a pair of red cardinals. Lin, Romá, and Grover did as ordered, the latter wincing as his wooden instrument clinked against the ground.

"Zoya, it's alright. I know this satyr," someone else informed, pushing the girl's bow down delicately. "Although, you did wonderfully."

"Artemis!" Grover cheered, a wide smile plastering his face. Zoya apologized to the trio profusely, backing up behind the person that had halted her actions. Grover then bowed, urging his two friends to copy.