Home Is Where She Is

Chapter 48

Artemis's POV

I was so glad when I found out that Spark was actually Thalia. Even before finding out her identity I felt as though I could trust her and while she trained the hunters, I couldn't help but notice how similar they both were (I knew why when she revealed herself).

I had missed her so much. Since I never knew when one of my hunters would die, I'd never get too close to them but Zoe and her were exceptions. So when she was forced to no longer be part of the hunt, I was so mad at father that I didn't talk to him for a long time. After getting that dream I was somewhat relived but since I never got another I wasn't sure whether she was alive or not. But now she is and after the war she can rejoin the hunt...

Thalia (nervous but firmly): Actually... I won't be rejoining the hunt...

All around me, I heard gasps from my hunters and could tell the look on my face was one of shock... Why??? Why wouldn't she want to return back???

Thalia: I am part of the army and as much as I missed all of you, I cannot and do not want to leave them. They have been my family for more than four hundred years. Also there is the fact that I have a boyfriend...

She pointed to a boy I had not noticed standing behind me. It wasn't hard to recognize the familiar blonde haired boy who hosted Kronos. I glared at him as I registered what Thalia had said... Boyfriend??? She has a boyfriend?? Why??? No, I can't let that happen, she was one of the very few that I trusted and I will not lose my favorite sister, to a boy that too.

Me: You cannot mean that, can you??? You are not going to rejoin the hunt??? Just to be with a boy???

Thalia: I'm afraid so... Although if you allow, I will make sure to visit more often but I have no intentions on leaving my boyfriend or my new family to return here where it's not even sure if I will be able to stay...

Me: What do you mean by that?? Why would you not be able to stay???

Thalia: My father forced me to leave once, why wouldn't he do it again???

Me: I wouldn't allow him!!!

Thalia: And yet four hundred years ago you did...

I didn't know what to reply to that since she was right, no matter how much I had fought with my father against Thalia no longer being part of the hunt he didn't listen. But now that she is back I will convince my father one way or another but first I must convince Thalia which by the way is not going to be easy since she is stubborn. What if I challenge her in archery??? She never backs out of a challenge and no matter how good she is, she can't be as good as me so I'd win and she'd have to come back right???

Me: It true I wasn't able to do it then but now I can...

Thalia: How?? If you couldn't then, what makes you think you can now???

Me: Somehow i will!!! But first you must agree to join after the war...

Thalia (firmly): I will not... And I won't change my mind...

Me: How about a challenge???

Thalia: Challenge???

Me: Yes... If I win then you break up with your boyfriend and rejoin the hunt and if you win I will not ask you again...

Thalia (considering): So as long as you lose, you will not ask me again???

Me: Yes... But don't forget I am the goddess of archery...

Thalia (smirking): Deal...

Luke: Hey!!! Don't bet on our relationship!!!

Thalia: Do you really think I will lose???

Luke: Of course not... But that doesn't mean you can just go and....

Thalia (cutting him off): Good then keep quiet... Artemis, I'm in...

I smirked, so sure I'd win, although at the back of my mind I did wonder why Thalia was confident she'd win when she knew it was obvious that I would since I was the goddess of archery. I guess if I had thought it through I'd have realized sooner how wrong I was.

I snapped my fingers and a created a small archery range by expanding the space between where we stood and the chaos cabin. Two targets, consisting of ten rings each, stood at a far distance. All the hunters stood on one side, along with Luke, eagerly watching to see who won.

Me: Rules are simple, in three minutes the one who can shoot maximum number of arrows wins and the arrows are only counted if they fall on the yellow rings. One of the hunters will set the timer...

Thalia: No need, timers are not always accurate. Luke will tell when the time is up...

Me (glaring angrily at Luke): How would he know??? And what if he cheats???

Thalia (glaring at me): He's the champion of Time; he will be able to tell when the time is up. And he doesn't cheat...

Me (trying to argue): He's the son of Hermes!!! They always cheat!!!

Luke: Fine... All of you calm down... I swear on Al... Chaos that I won't cheat!!! (A/N: Since a swear in Ales' name is more powerful than one in Chaos' name, Luke starts to use Ales' name but then remembers that the gods and campers don't know about who Ales truly is so switches to Chaos' name...)

Thunder boomed, louder than when we swear on Styx, above us...I couldn't help but notice Thalia glaring at Luke after he swore on Chaos and Luke returning it with an apologetic look...

Luke: I'll start the count down and when I say shoot both of you can start. After three minutes are up I'll say stop and even if you shoot an arrow as or after I say that, it won't count...

I nod and both Thalia and I notch our arrows to the bow and aim at the target, getting ready to shoot. We both look at Luke before looking back at the target...

Luke: Ok... 3...2...1... START!!!

And immediately we shot at the same time and the process continued as we drew arrows after arrows from the quivers, notched them and released them at great speed. This continued as Luke would tell the remaining time out loud occasionally, like 'two minutes more', 'one minute' etc. so that we'd know how much time we had remaining.

Luke: Thirty seconds to go..

And that's when things got weird, I had released about fifty arrows in the past two and a half minutes, when from behind me and Thalia arrows after arrows whizzed past us at such speed splitting each of my arrows, in the middle, in just thirty seconds...

Luke (not noticing): Times up...

Everyone turned to the targets gasping at the sight of each of my silver arrows being split by pink colored ones. We all turned to see who shot that many arrows in thirty seconds (something even me and Apollo can't do).

I noticed Thalia smirking as we turned to see a girl of about eight to ten old, with a pudding basin haircut with long pigtails held by balls. She had a red, circular gem on her hair. She wore a bluish-purple outfit consisting of shorts, a top with long, back tails, long gloves, and long boots topped with balls on the foot. She carried a short bow with wings on it. On the bow was notched a pink colored arrow similar to the one that had split my arrows. The most striking thing about her was that she was pink??? Her skin and hair, other than her clothes, were pink in color!!! I've never seen anyone like her and HOW DID SHE MANAGE TO SPLIT MY ARROWS IN JUST 30 SECONDS AND WHY????

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Hey, just wanted to know how the challenge was, interesting, boring, so-so??? Please comment and give any ideas you have. Also many thanks for the votes, views and comments and please continue to do the same...

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