| chapter fifteen |

in which nia's mom is. . . younger than her?

NIA WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY THAT SHE DIDN'T GO TO A MILITARY SCHOOL. She wasn't sure that she would've been able to deal with the rules and everything.

Kids who did go military school, though? They went absolutely wild with stuff like dances.

All around the gym floor, there were black and red balloons and guys were messing with each other. Girls moved around in huddles, occasionally mobbing some guy with ribbons and lipstick. Some guys in the corner were just playing basketball, trying to hide.

"There they are." Grover nodded toward to kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo."

The girl was wearing a floppy green cap. The boy was obviously her younger brother. Both of them had dark silky hair and olive skin. The sister seemed to be scolding him about something, looking around like something was wrong.

"Do they. . . I mean, have you told them?" Annabeth asked.

Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."

"So come on!" Percy said. "Let's just grab them and get the hell out of here." He started forward.

Nia glanced over in another direction, grabbed Percy's shoulder, and said, "Wait."

"What is it?" 

Dr. Thorn had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the di Angelo siblings, nodding coldly in their direction.

"Looks like he wasn't fooled by the Mist," Naomi mumbled, hand inching towards her locket.

"Oh, yeah," Nia agreed. "He knows. And it's not like we're doing our best to look inconspicuous."

"Nia and Nomi are right. Don't look at the kids," ordered Thalia. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."

"How?" Percy asked.

"We're five powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."

"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia nodded.

Nia immediately clammed up. "Uh, maybe I'll tap out. I'm not the best at dancing."

The daughter of Zeus laughed and slung an arm around her. "Oh, come on, Ana. You'll be fine." Thalia cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse Mc Cartney?"

Grover looked hurt. "I did."

"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"

"Green who?"

"Never mind. Let's dance."

"But I can't dance!"

"You can if I'm leading," said Thalia. "Come on, goat boy."

Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and pulled him on the dance floor. Nia looked at Annabeth and the two of them grinned.

"What?" Percy suddenly asked them. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Annabeth said. "It's just really cool to have Thalia back."

At that point, Nia just kind of zoned out while Annabeth told Percy about her 3-D design program at their school and how her family was moving to San Francisco — one of the most dangerous places for demigods — and everything.

"Hey!" Thalia called out to all four of them. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself and looking like he wanted to fucking die.

"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered them. "You all look stupid just standing there."

Annabeth and Naomi smirked at each other and the daughter of Athena said, "Nomi? Do you wanna go and get some punch?"

"Wait, Anna—" Percy started saying.

Naomi grinned. "Why, yes, Annabeth, I would love to go and get some punch."

"Naomi, wait! Annabeth. . ." Nia trailed off.

Naomi and Annabeth intertwined arms and walked off towards the refreshment table, leaving Nia and Percy standing there awkwardly. Finally, Nia said, "Well?"

"Um, who should I ask?"

Nia looked at him in disbelief. She punched him in the gut. "Me, Jackson. Gods."

"Oh. Oh, right."

The two of them went out on the dance floor. Percy nervously put one hand on Nia's hip. Part of her was internally dying of nervousness and elation, but she made her outward appearance look relaxed and at ease. She'd spent her entire life learning how to put on a poker face. "Oh, honestly, Percy. I'm not going to fucking bite you. Don't you guys have dances at your school?"

Percy nodded but didn't answer her. The two of them just shuffled around for a few minutes. As they 'danced', Nia noticed that she had gained a bit of height on Percy, which made her smirk. She hoped her hands weren't too sweaty and that her breath didn't smell. Did her breath smell? She did eat those four slices of pizza before they left—

"So, um. . . How's school?" Percy asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Is it cool going with Annabeth and Thalia?"

Nia shrugged. "Fine, I guess. But it is cool. I mean, it is the first actual school that I've gone to in over six years, but I literally only hang out with Annabeth and Thalia. I guess I'm just anti-social."

Nia, Thalia, and Annabeth were all going to a boarding school in Brooklyn, close enough to Camp Half-Blood that their centaur teacher Chiron could help if they ever ran into any trouble. It was the first time that Nia had gone to a legitimate school ever since she was seven. It pretty much sucked — as public school tended to do — but she'd be lying if she said that she hated it, though. The chance to be a normal teenager at school? No contest.

Percy nodded. "Cool."

Silence.

Nia decided to pick up the conversation again. "What about you? Naomi's practically moved in with you guys, right?"

Sadly, Naomi wasn't going to the boarding school with them. She was instead going to MS-54 in Manhattan — the same school as Percy. Naomi had come to visit Percy's apartment throughout the six months since last summer and had immediately enjoyed coming, so now Naomi was kind of living there.

Percy nodded. "It's good. I mean, it took a little getting used to, but it's fun."

"That's good," Nia nodded. "In our letters, she said that she really enjoyed staying. Your mom is a genius."

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "My mom loves to help people and Nomi loves everyone, so it works. How has, uh, your family been?"

Nia bit her lip. She had told Percy about the vision that she had had of her mom, and she kept having more. Her mother looking for her, her mother around that woman and those two kids. She didn't really know how she felt about them. "I keep having the visions and I don't know who keeps sending them to me. I don't really what I'm going to do about—" 

She stopped speaking, staring at the bleachers. Bianca and Nico weren't sitting there anymore and Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight. Nia froze. "They're gone."

"What?"

"The di Angelos — they're gone! We have to get the others!" Nia looked around frantically. "Oh, shit! Where'd they fucking go? Percy, come on!" She raced off to try and find their friends, weaving through the crowd of teenagers. She hoped that it wouldn't be too late.

Eventually, she managed to find Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover at the edge of the gym. "Guys!" she called out.

Thalia looked up. "There you are!"

"Where the hell have you been?" Annabeth asked her. "And where are Percy and Naomi?"

Nia stopped, glancing back. "I thought that he was right behind me. And I thought that Naomi was with you guys."

Grover shook his head. "She went off to try and find you and Percy."

"Well, where could they both have gone?" Annabeth looked around. "What happened after we left?"

"Thanks for that, by the way," Nia scowled; Annabeth just smirked. "But the di Angelos are gone," Nia said hurriedly, remembering why she had rushed off from dancing with Percy in the first place. She wished that she hadn't left him at all. "I rushed off to find you guys and I guess I lost Percy in the crowd."

"So they went after Thorn and the kids themselves?" Thalia asked, furious. "What the fuck?"

Nia scowled. "Knowing Percy, he probably convinced Naomi to do it."

"Do you think that he and Nomi are in trouble?" Grover asked worriedly.

"Let's not wait around and find out," Annabeth said darkly. "Come on!"

THEY ALL CAME UP WITH A PRETTY BRILLIANT PLAN: Annabeth would slam into Percy, Naomi, and the di Angelos with her cap of invisibility to catch Dr. Thorn by surprise, giving Thalia, Grover, and Nia a chance to advance from behind.

Now, if you looked up the word 'terrifying' in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Thalia Grace running into battle, using her huge spear and a humongous shield called Aegis that had the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze. When Nia was younger, she had always been fascinated with the shield. Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.

Thalia moved in with her spear and shouted, "For Zeus!" She jabbed at his head, but Dr. Thorn snarled and swatted the spear aside. 

Nia quickly shot multiple of her Celestial bronze-tipped arrows at a time, nailing Dr. Thorn everywhere and even redirecting a bunch of missiles with her impeccable aim. She didn't want to get up close and personal with Thalia's — well, her — dagger. 

Nia had originally tried giving Thalia her hunting knife back, but the daughter of Zeus had pretty much waved her off.

"Are you kidding me?" Thalia had said. "It's yours now — keep it."

Nia had just shrugged and placed the knife back in its sheath. Why not? It had come in handy more than once. Swords weren't really her thing.

Since Nia was the daughter of Artemis, she could always see very well in the dark. Suddenly, moonlight shone down on her and she felt stronger, more powerful. Her silver eyes flared and she just kept shooting more and more arrows. They managed to slow the manticore down, but he kept advancing on Thalia.

That's when Grover stepped in. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play a frantic jig. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick woods were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.

Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger and larger until he was in his true form - his face was still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"A manticore!" Annabeth exclaimed, now visible.

"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what the hell is that?"

Nico gasped. "A manticore? He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

Nia furrowed her brows at the ten-year-old, notching another arrow. "What now?"

Naomi quickly drew her Bowie knife and said to the di Angelos, "Be careful!"

The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward to Nia and her friends with a snarl.

"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. Percy covered them all with the shield that his and Naomi's Cyclops brother Tyson had made him. Not a moment too soon.

"Yield!" the monster roared.

"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged, but then there was a thunderous noise and a blue of light from behind them. A helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It looked manned by mortals, but how could mortals be working with a monster?

The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her weapons flew in separate directions. Naomi stepped in front of Thalia, drawing her Bowie knife, and tried to swipe at the manticore, but it was no use.

"No!" Percy yelled, running to help them. He raised his shield, but they all knew that it wouldn't be enough.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

They were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. Then they heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. 

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"

A glowing silver arrow just like Nia's sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder. "Curse you!" The manticore unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the spikes had come from, but more arrows shot back, slicing the spikes in two just like Nia had.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

"Oh, fucking wonderful," Thalia grumbled.

Nia grimaced. She wasn't a huge fan of the Hunters of Artemis. They came from the woods, wearing silvery ski parkas and jeans, all armed with bows and arrows like Nia's.

A tall girl with coppery-colored skin — Zoë Nightshade — stepped forward. She kept her eyes on the manticore. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," a girl stepped forward. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and had bright silver eyes like the moon — just like Nia's. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. Zoë, permission granted."

Nia felt all the breath go out of her at once. She hadn't seen her godly mother in forever.

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!" He lunged at Percy, Thalia, and Naomi, knowing they were all weak and dazed.

Annabeth yelled, "No!" and charged the monster.

"Get back, half-blood!" Zoë said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But Annabeth leaped onto Dr. Thorn's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.

"Annabeth!" Nia cried.

Zoë ordered, "Fire!"

"No!" Percy screamed.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The manticore staggered back, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still hanging on, leaped over the cliff and into the darkness.

Annabeth. . . Nia almost cried.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.

There was a sudden snap-snap-snap from the helicopter — the sound of gunfire. Most of the Hunters scattered in separate directions to avoid the bullets, but Nia's mother just looked up calmly at the helicopter.

"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt." And with that, she thrust out her hand and the helicopter exploded and dissolved into ravens, which scattered into the night.

"Huh," Nia muttered. "Well, how about that?" She hoped that that power was genetic.

The Hunters advanced on Nia's friends. Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with disgust.

"Zoë Nightshade," Thalia's voice held so much anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."

Zoë scanned the area. "Six half-bloods, including your daughter, and a satyr, my lady."

"Yes," Nia's mother said. "Chiron's campers, I see."

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled before Nia could get a word out. "You have to let us save her!"

Nia's mom turned towards the son of Poseidon. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."

A couple of girls held Percy down as he tried to struggle to his feet.

"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs."

"Let me go!" Percy demanded. "Who do you think you are?"

Zoë stepped forward to smack him and Nia shifted to sort-of guard him, sending a silent but clear message to Zoë: Try it.

"No," Nia's mother ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand." She looked at Percy and Nia. "I am Nia's mother, Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt."

not much else to say here that i haven't said already — this is a double update. but nia and her mother are going to have a little heart-to-heart next chapter, so look forward to that!

so. . .

talk soon!

—icedcoffeemug