Thalia's POV

   I was in the woods near Camp Half-Blood, speaking with my Lady Artemis. There were rumors that there were female demigods hiding out there. She wants to see if we can recruit them.

   "But, my Lady, we haven't found any recruits in that woods in months," I protested.

    "That's exactly why I want you to look for them. I believe that they would be good additions to the hunt," she explained, "and besides, we have to be safe. Any rouge demigod has the chance to be under Luke's grasp. The more we find, the less he can recruit."

   I tensed up at the mention of Luke. Every since I found out that he was trying to bring the Titans back to power, I had been feeling weird. We had known each other for so long, and I thought I knew him well, but I guess things change when you're stuck as a tree for a few years. He had betrayed all demigods, and, for some reason, I can't stop thinking that it was my fault. Maybe if I had been there to help him, he wouldn't have joined Kronos. 

   I shake off the feeling. Lady Artemis is right. All that matters right now was making sure that we can protect as many demigods as possible, and that meant finding the girls.

   "You're right," I say, "I will go find the girls."

   "Good luck, young one." Artemis told me before leaving. She disappeared in a blink of an eye. I headed further into the woods.

*a couple hours later*

   I had been walking for a while when I found one of them. She was up in a tree. She looked about 12 in a navy blue jacket that was zipped up, blue jeans, and pink converse. She seemed to be looking for something (or someone).

   "Hey!" I shouted, "Need any help getting down."

   "Nope!" she called down. She jumped off the branch (which was about 6 feet off the ground) and landed perfectly. She smiled at me as if she was waiting for me to speak.

   Suddenly, someone came up behind the girl. She looked about 16, but the youthful energy in her eyes told me she was younger than that. She was wearing jean shorts, brown work boots, a red shirt with fireworks on it, and a jean jacket. She had a pile of branches in her arms.

   "I've got the wood," she said to the girl. Immediately, her attention went to me. "Whose this?"

   "Don't know," the other girl said, "What's your name?"

   Before I could answer, another girl came out of nowhere. She looked about the same age as the first girl, but she wore a black jacket with the hood up and black gym shoes. In her hand was a Stygian iron dagger.

   "Who are you?" I asked her. 

   "Why do you want to know?" she said, her voice had a harsh bite to it, like the cold wind of a blizzard.

   "Yeah, you should be telling us first. You're the trespasser," the girl in the pink converse added.

   I considered this. Normally, I'm hesitant about giving my identity to strangers, but if I told them, they might trust me more. "I'm Thalia Grace," I said, "And you are?"

   The girl in the jean jacket and the girl with the pink converse shared a knowing look. As if they had known the answer before I said it. Could it be that had heard of me already? "Lydia Lockwood," said the girl with the jean jacket, "and this is Katie", she said this, gesturing to the girl with the pink converse. Katie gave a wave.

   I turned to the girl with her hood up. "What's your name?" I asked, trying to sound friendly.

   "I'm Alli," she said, "That's all your getting out of me."

   Suddenly, someone else came bursting into the area. She was in a sea-blue floral dress, the kind that a 5-year-old would wear on the first day of school.

   "What the Hades is going on?!" she yelled.