riley doesn't understand the advice

"um... okay." was percy's response.

i would've smacked him for his stupid response if it weren't for grover.

he gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "thank you, lady artemis! you're so... you're so... wow!"

"get up, goat boy!" thalia snapped. "we have other things to worry about. annabeth is gone!"

"whoa," bianca di angelo said. "hold up. time out."

everybody turned to look at her. she pointed her finger at all of us in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "who... who are you people?"

artemis's expression softened. "it might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you! who are your parents?"

bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at all of us.

"our parents are dead," bianca said. "we're orphans. there's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..."

she faltered. i guess she could tell from our faces that we didn't believe her. that may have been the story she was told, but it probably wasn't the real one.

"what?" she demanded. "i'm telling the truth."

"you are a half-blood," zoë nightshade said. her accent was really old. older than shakespeare. "one of thy parents was mortal. the other was an olympian."

"an olympian... athlete?"

"no," zoë said. "one of the gods."

"cool!" said nico.

"no!" bianca's voice quavered. "this is not cool!"

nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. i had to restrain myself from grabbing him. "does zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? does he get extra movement points for—"

"nico, shut up!" bianca put her hands to her face. "this is not your stupid mythomagic game, okay? there are no gods!"

even though i was worried about annabeth, i couldn't help feeling sorry for the di angelos. learning that you're a demigod, and your whole world's a lie, is not easy.

thalia must've been feeling something similar, because the anger in her eyes subsided a little bit. "bianca, i know it's hard to believe. but the gods are still around. trust me. they're immortal. and whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well... our lives are dangerous."

"dangerous," bianca said, "like the girl who fell."

i looked down, blinking back tears. thalia turned away. even artemis looked pained.

"do not despair for annabeth," the goddess said. "she was a brave maiden. if she can be found, i shall find her."

"then why won't you let us go look for her?" percy asked.

"she is gone. can't you sense it, son of poseidon? some magic is at work. i do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished." 

"oo!" nico raised his hand. "what about dr. thorn? that was awesome how you shot him with arrows! is he dead?"

"he was a manticore," lady artemis said. "hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. they re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they re-appear."

"or they'll hunt us," i said.

bianca di angelo shivered. "that explains... nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in dc?"

"and that bus driver," nico said. "the one with the ram's horns. i told you that was real."

"that's why grover has been watching you," percy said. "to keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."

"grover?" bianca stared at him. "you're a demigod?"

"well, a satyr, actually." he kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves. bianca paled.

"grover," i said to him. "put your shoes back on. you're freaking her out."

"hey, my hooves are clean!"

"not the point!"

"bianca," percy said, "we came here to help you. you and nico need training to survive. dr. thorn won't be the last monster you meet. you need to come to camp."

"camp?" she asked.

"camp half-blood," percy said. "it's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. you can join us, stay there year-round if you like."

"sweet, let's go!" said nico.

"wait," bianca shook her head. "i don't—"

"there is another option," zoë said.

"no, there isn't!" thalia said.

"we've burdened these children enough," artemis announced. "zoë, we will rest here for a few hours. raise the tents. treat the wounded. retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."

"yes, my lady."

"and, riley, come with me. i would like to speak with you privately. bianca, please go with phoebe for a little while. i would like to speak with you after i speak with riley." the goddess said.

"what about me?" nico asked.

artemis considered the boy. "perhaps you can show grover how to play that card game you enjoy. i'm sure grover would be happy to entertain you for a while... as a favor to me?"

grover just about tripped over himself getting up. "you bet! come on, nico!"

one of the hunters, pheobe, took bianca away. i looked at the goddess warily. i didn't want to join the hunters. i don't care if it offered immortality. i was perfectly fine at camp. 

but for some reason, i didn't think lady artemis wanted to recruit me. she wanted to talk to me about something else entirely.

the goddess turned towards a tent. giving thalia and percy a glance, i followed the goddess.

"sit," lady artemis said to me.

the tent was covered in silk rugs and pillows. i sat, and looked at the goddess unsurely. she held out a cup to me.

"hot cocoa. it will warm you up." she said.

i took the cup from her, and took a small sip.

i didn't want to sound rude, but i wanted to know why she wanted to see me. "um... lady artemis."

"yes."

"why am i here?" i asked slowly.

she looked up at me and sent me a small smile, "i sense you realize that i have not called you here to recruit you." 

i nodded.

"smart girl. i have called you here to give you some advice."

"advice?" i asked confused.

"things are going to change for you riley. things will change fast. you are a fierce and strong maiden. you're a fighter. so are they. you must not despair for their life," she said to me.

i looked up at her. for a reason i felt like she wasn't talking about annabeth, even though she was the one that just went missing. 

"i'm not sure i understand," i said after a moment.

she turned away, as if she were almost... ashamed. "in time, you will. very soon. for now, you should know that he'll show the world he's a hero. the one you already believe he is." 

yup, definitely not talking about annabeth. last i checked, 'she's' not a 'he'.

"lady artemis, who exactly are you talking about?" i asked.

she was silent for a long time. "i cannot say. i wish i could help you riley. believe me, i would love to help you, as would most of the others. but this is your journey. both of yours. i just needed to give you this advice."

i nodded, thanking her (for confusing me? i'm not sure why, really) before i left the tent.

i sat next to percy. i decided not to bother thalia since she was standing like a tree. (she used to be a tree, and sometimes when she was deep in thought she'd stand so still, you'd mistake her as one).

he was being harassed by nico, when i sat next to him.

"what'd artemis want?" percy asked before i even sat.

i shook my head, and placed it in my hands. i was confused. percy hesitated, but he put his arm around my shoulders, to comfort me.

"percy jackson." 

i looked up and saw zoë nightshade walking up to us. she looked at percy and made a face. like the one you make when your sock get's wet. 

percy sat up straighter, but he didn't drop his hand.

"come with me. lady artemis wishes to speak with thee."

percy looked at me, as if asking me a silent question: will you be okay?

i nodded, and motioned that i'll be fine. he got up, and followed zoë to the tent lady artemis was in. i looked down again. the advice lady artemis gave me was not helping. 

"you're riley, right?" a little boy's voice asked me.

i looked up at the younger di angelo and smiled. "that's me."

"who's your parent?" he asked.

"mortal or godly?" i asked. it was a fair question in my case. people often asked about both.

"ummm... both!" he exclaimed.

i smiled at his enthusiasm. "well, my mother is aphrodite. goddess of love and beauty. that's how i can create those pink bursts of energy, and weapons that you saw."

he nodded his head vigorously. "i never knew that aphrodite was that powerful. and your dad. is he cooler?"

i laughed. "ever heard of tony stark?" i asked him.

"he's your dad?!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "i saw him on t.v."

"what other powers do you have?" he asked me.

i thought, "well, the energy thing is one. i can charmspeak people into doing stuff i want them to. i don't have any other powers, but i can shoot a bow and arrow. i also use throwing knives. daggers are usually my preferred weapon."

"woah. do you have one?" he said jumping around.

"watch this." i flicked my wrist, and my dagger 'void' appeared.

he looked shocked. "wow! did you make that yourself?!"

i shook my head. "nah, it was a gift from lu—" i froze. "from an old friend." i said softly.

"that is so cool!" 

i twirled the dagger, before turning it back into a bracelet. looking at the infinity symbol, i allowed myself to get lost in thought. i snapped back to reality when nico asked me another question.

"are you and percy dating?" he asked.

i snapped my head up so fast, i almost got whiplash.

"what?" i sputtered. "why would you say that?" even though it was freezing, i could feel my face heating up.

"i don't know," he muttered looking down. "you guys looked pretty comfortable together. and he was worried about you." 

"he's my best friend," i told nico. "him and annabeth."

"oh." 

nico was silent for a long time before he spoke up again.

"do i know you?" he asked.

i looked up at him.

"i mean, you seem really familiar to me. i feel like we've already met," he murmured looking down.

i looked at him for a while, then shrugged a little. "mi sento come se ti conoscessi anch'io." (i feel like i know you too)

he looked up at me. "tu parli italiano?" (you speak italian)

i nodded. 

"sei così fico." (you are so cool)

i laughed. "grazie. sei anche molto simpatico." (thanks. you are also very cool.)

he smiled. i forgot all about lady artemis' advice. 

and in that moment, for the first time, i felt like i had a little brother. 

artemis assured us that dawn was coming, but you could've fooled me. 

it was colder and darker and snowier than ever. up on the hill, westover hall's windows were completely light-less. it looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. one we'd just escaped.

the hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. i stood in the snow. lady artemis was right after, after drinking the hot cocoa i didn't feel the cold. artemis stared into the east like she was expecting something. 

thalia, grover and i came up and huddled around percy, anxious to hear what had happened in his audience with the goddess. he told us how the hunters had recruited bianca, and how they were coming to camp.

bianca sat off to one side, talking with nico. i could tell from his gloomy face that she was explaining her decision to join the hunt. i couldn't help thinking how selfish it was of her, abandoning her brother like that. in the short amount of time i've known the kid, he's grown on me. 

grover turned pale. "the last time the hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."

"how'd they even show up here?" percy wondered. "i mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."

"and bianca joined them," thalia said, disgusted. "it's all zoë's fault. that stuck-up, no good—"

"who can blame her?" grover said. "eternity with artemis?" he heaved a big sigh.

thalia rolled her eyes. "you satyrs. you're all in love with artemis. don't you get that she'll never love you back?"

"but she's so... into nature," grover swooned.

"you're nuts," i decided.

"nuts and berries," grover said dreamily. "yeah."

"bleh. that's disgusting." i told him. "and i'm the daughter of the love goddess."

finally the sky began to lighten. artemis muttered, "about time. he's so-o-o lazy during the winter."

"you're, um, waiting for sunrise?" percy asked.

"for my brother. yes."

i stood waiting for the sun chariot to arrive. i knew the legends that apollo drove the sun chariot. i also knew it was a giant star a hundred million miles away. well, ninety-two point ninety-six million miles away, but whatever. 

i didn't think about it too much, because i knew the more you get into the scientific and mythological stuff, the more confusing it gets.

"it's not exactly as you think," artemis said to percy.

"oh, okay." he said. "so, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"

there was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. a blast of warmth.

"don't look," artemis advised. "not until he parks."

i listened to her advice (because this time it wasn't that confusing) and averted my eyes. i saw that the other kids were doing the same. the light and warmth intensified until my sweatshirt, and bomber felt like they were melting off of me. then suddenly the light died.

i looked up and saw a car. it was a red convertible maserati spyder. the metal was glowing. there was a circle of melted snow around the car, and my shoes were wet.

the driver got out, smiling. he looked about seventeen or eighteen. this guy had sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. he had a prominent jawline. he was tall, about 6'3". he had a bright smile, kind of like he was a troublemaker. he wore jeans, loafers, and a sleeveless tee.

for a second i was speechless. 

"woah," was all i said.

"i know," thalia muttered. "apollo is hot."

"he's the sun god," percy stated oblivious.

"that's not what we meant," i said, looking at him.

"little sister!" apollo called. i tried not to stare. "what's up? you never call. you never write. i was getting worried!"

artemis sighed. "i'm fine, apollo. and i am not your little sister."

"hey, i was born first."

"we're twins! how many millennia do we have to argue—"

"so what's up?" he interrupted. "got the girls with you, i see. you all need some tips on archery?"

artemis grit her teeth. "i need a favor. i have some hunting to do, alone. i need you to take my companions to camp half-blood."

"sure, sis!" then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "i feel a haiku coming on."

the hunters all groaned. apparently they'd met apollo before.

he cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.

"green grass breaks through snow. artemis pleads for my help. i am so cool."

he grinned at us, waiting for applause.

"that last line was only four syllables," artemis said.

apollo frowned. "was it?"

"yes. what about i am so big-headed?"

"no, no, that's six syllables. hmm." he started muttering to himself.

zoë nightshade turned to us. "lord apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited japan. 'tis not as bad as the time he visited limerick. if I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, there once was a goddess from sparta—"

"i've got it!" apollo announced. "i am so awesome. that's five syllables!" he bowed, looking very pleased with himself.

"and now, sis. transportation for the hunters, you say? good timing. i was just about ready to roll."

"these demigods will also need a ride," artemis said, pointing to us. "some of chiron's campers."

"no problem!" apollo checked us out. "let's see... thalia, right? i've heard all about you."

thalia blushed. "hi, lord apollo."

"zeus's girl, yes? makes you my half sister. used to be a tree, didn't you? glad you're back. i hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. man, i remember one time—"

"brother," artemis said. "you should get going."

"oh, right." he looked at me. "ah! riley stark! my favorite stark! how's it going? did you find the cure for the palladium poisoning?"

"the what?" i asked confused. of course i knew what palladium was, but i wasn't sure what he meant by the poisoning.

"apollo!" artemis gave him a look, and he seemed to understand.

"oops," he muttered. "don't worry. i'm talking about something else. he'll be fine." he said waving his hand.

"um... okay?" i wasn't sure who he was talking about, but i went with it.

then he looked at percy, and his eyes narrowed. "percy jackson?"

"yeah. i mean... yes, sir."

apollo studied him, but he didn't say anything, which was a little creepy.

"well!" he said at last. "we'd better load up, huh? ride only goes one way — west. and if you miss it, you miss it."

i looked at the maserati, which would seat two people max. there were about twenty of us.

"cool car," nico said.

"thanks, kid," apollo said.

"but how will we all fit?"

"oh." apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "well, yeah. i hate to change out of sports-car mode, but i suppose..."

i wondered if maybe apollo wasn't as bright as he looked. then i snorted at my own joke.

he took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. chirp, chirp.

for a moment, the car glowed brightly again. when the glare died, the maserati had been replaced by one of those turtle top shuttle buses.

"right," he said. "everybody in."

zoë ordered the hunters to start loading. she picked up her camping pack, and apollo said, "here, sweetheart. let me get that."

zoë recoiled. her eyes flashed murderously.

"brother," artemis chided. "you do not help my hunters. you do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my hunters. and you do not call them sweetheart."

apollo spread his hands. "sorry. i forgot. hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"

"hunting," artemis said. "it's none of your business."

"i'll find out. i see all. know all."

i had a weird flashback to some christmas movie. i'm pretty sure one of the elves said that. 

artemis snorted. "just drop them off, apollo. and no messing around!"

"no, no! i never mess around."

artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "i will see you by winter solstice. zoë, you are in charge of the hunters. do well. do as i would do."

zoë straightened. "yes, my lady."

artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. when she rose, she looked troubled. "so much danger. the beast must be found."

she sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.

apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "so," he said. "who wants to drive?"

REY WRITES !

thanks for reading !!

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