A figure crouched, clothed in a black cloak and the shadows surrounding him. The figure looked as if he spent a lot of time in the shadows; disappearing in them like he was invisible. To those around him, he was just a shadow, a mystery. His past buried so deep, no one even had a clue as to who he was. Silence followed him, not a sound was made from him until he opened his mouth to speak. Even that was rare, he normally used telepathy to communicate.

The figure of darkness sat there, crouching in the bushes, watching the hoards of people walk by and listening intently for any sounds of pursuit. This takes skill, the streets of New York were never quiet.

Suddenly, the figure took off. He raced down the street and into Central Park. Still keeping to the shadows. However, that was not needed for even when he moved, you could barely see him. The patterns of the night incorporated into his movements after long practice. Anyone watching would have to look hard, and even then they had a hard time seeing him.

He made his way through the thickest trees and up into the branches. The light and shadows bending to his will. Eventually, he made it to a small clearing, finally stepping out of the shadows and moving around normally again.

In the middle of the clearing was a group of three similar dark-clad figures. One female sat, tied up with a gag over her mouth and dressed in a white hoodie and jeans. The white jacket was dirty and jeans ripped, some original and some newly formed by what appeared to be a knife. Her black hair was all matted and had dried blood in it. Bruises—old and new—littered her body; her life had not been kind.

"Phoenix, I thought I'd made it clear we have no abduction policy," the figure who had just walked into the clearing said aloud so as not to freak the young girl out. His voice was husky and scratchy from disuse.

"She wasn't cooperating, what did you expect me to do?" One of them said in a voice that sounded amused. It was hard to tell for certain because his face was covered by a deep hood and full face mask.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe wait for me to get there?" The first said monotone. He gestured to the third, silent figure. "Or at least have Dove charmspeak her so she wouldn't freak out."

"Oops."

"Idiot." The figure muttered as he started towards the girl.

As he moved, the girl started squirming back, her eyes wide.

"It is alright, my name is Ariston," the first figure said soothingly to the girl. "These idiots just don't know how to follow orders. I'm going to take you to a group of man-hating women alright? They will help you more than we can." He took off the gag from around her mouth, slowly, so she would not freak out more than she already has.

"Sure you don't want me to do it?" Another tall, unknown figure asked, stepping behind Ariston.

"Yes, Phoenix, I am sure," Ariston said, still speaking softly. "They've seen me before. When they see me again, they'll think I work alone."

"What about her?" Phoenix asked.

"You won't say anything will you? Anything about us?" Ariston asked, this time talking to the girl. "You see, this group is kind of a secret and if Zeus found out, we'd all be dead," he continued. "Again."

"Zeus?"

Ariston turned to Phoenix. "You did not tell her?" He demanded.

Phoenix raised his hands in a signal of surrender. "Shooter was supposed to do it this time," he protested.

Ariston sighed. "Should have known better than to trust that idiot to do that." he turned back to the girl. "Yes, Zeus, the Greek god of the skies. The Greek gods are real, they're just not in Greece anymore. Lots has changed since they were last in Greece. They still go around, having kids with mortals though. That hasn't changed."

"Nothing about them has changed," Phoenix muttered settling down under a tree nearby.

"Shut up." Ariston said. "You are one of those kids, whose god's kid you are, I don't know. Not many of the gods have changed and you are not born from one of the ones who have."

"Why? And how do you know I'm a demigod?" The girl asked, curious. She was starting to warm up to him, it may have been the conversational tone he was using or the fact that he was finally explaining something about her life that had always been a mystery.

"You have the aura of a demigod, you have ADHD and dyslexia right?" He inquired then went on without waiting for her to answer, "Those are the normal traits of a demigod." Ariston tilted his hooded head. "You're what? 15, almost 16?" He asked. When she nodded, he continued, "You were supposed to be taken to a camp around 12 or 13 and claimed by your parent once you got there. Only a few of the gods have been doing that consistently."

"Why?" She asked again.

"Because Mr. Savior of Olympus here made a deal with them for the gods to start claiming their kids," yet another figure called over form the other side of the clearing.

"Shooter," Artiston growled in warning, startling the girl. "If you were going to interrupt, you should have told her the story in the first place."

"Savior of Olympus?" The girl asked, eyes wide.

"Not important," Ariston said sharply. "It wasn't me anyways, it was Phoenix."

"Don't you even think about being modest right now Ariston, I'm not in the mood," Phoenix said, stretching his arms to the side and behind his head. He leaned back on the tree he was sitting in front of.

"Anyway," Ariston said, untying the rest of her bindings. "I need you not to tell anyone about us okay? I kind of don't want to die again so soon."

"They will kill you if they hear about you?" the girl asked. "Again?"

Ariston nodded, but when he realized that she wouldn't be able to see his head in the dark like this, he said, "Yes."

"How are you alive? Again?" The girl demanded. "How did you die the first time?"

"Hades and Chaos, and Zeus. In that order." Was all he said to answer her question.

"Will I see you again?"

"I'll be taking you to the Hunters of Artemis, I have a feeling you won't want to go to Camp Half-Blood. Not after the life you just had." Ariston said gently but offering no personal emotion. "I don't know if you'll see me after that."

"Thank you." She said softly.

"What is your name?" Ariston asked, his voice still holding no emotion.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Ariston shrugged, pulling out a small book. "I want your autograph, I like to keep a record of all the demigods I've saved over the years."

The girl looked from Ariston to Phoenix, slightly surprised at this response.

Phoenix shrugged. "Don't ask me, I've given up trying to understand his antics a long time ago," he told her.

The girl slowly accepted the book and the pen he offered her, still unsure. It was a Disney autograph book, the kind the kids take to Disney Land when they meet their favorite characters. It was only halfway filled but seemed well worn anyways. Names written in various handwritings and sizes covered each page. "Lilian Walker." She said as she wrote in the book.

"Thanks," Ariston said, taking the book back.

-        —            -        —

Lilian's POV: (I don't normally do this but I thought it would be less confusing this way for this chapter)

Lilian eyed the back of Ariston as he led her through the forest. They were somewhere in the middle of Virginia now. Sometime in the time it took them to get from New York to Virginia, he had informed her of the usual mode of communication he used. She'd eventually assured him he could go back to using it. Strange as it was, it created a sense of peace within her. It seemed less distracting.

All while they were walking, Ariston would frequently check over his shoulder for her and to survey the woods around them. Lilian was skipping slightly as she followed the cloaked figure through the woods. Somehow, Ariston had put her completely at ease, something that was hard to do on a good day.

It was still nighttime, but the dawn was not far off. The trees rustled in the soft wind, masking any of the softer noises that Ariston had made. However Lillian's footsteps could still be heard as she was not yet trained and the art of silent movement was not yet part of her skills.

"Ariston," Lilian started, "how much farther is it?"

Not much farther, he assured her, Just—

Twang!

An arrow suddenly appeared at Ariston's feet. We're here, he said needlessly.

A girl who looked to be around fourteen or fifteen, wearing a silver sweater and a silver circlet across her brow jumped down from the trees. She had dark black hair and strikingly blue eyes. She also held a bow, notched and ready to shoot in a split second, aimed directly at Ariston.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

Come on, Lieutenant, Ariston said wearily, putting his head in his hands to rub his eyes. Or at least that was what Lilian assumed he was doing, it was kind of hard to tell with the hood he was wearing. We've been through this, my name is Ariston.

The girl still didn't lower her bow. "What are you doing here?" She demanded again.

Ariston sighed. Why do you think? He said, still in that weary tone. I have come with a potential recruit, just like last time.

The lieutenant still didn't lower her bow. "You remember the routine?" She asked.

Ariston bowed over dramatically. After you, he invited.

She still didn't move.

Ariston sighed yet again, and started to move in the direction where Lilian assumed the camp to be. You'd best follow, Lilian, she'd shoot you if you did not go before her, he called back.

Another twang was heard and an arrow flew by Lilian's head and almost hit Ariston's back. She gasped and waited the next agonizing seconds for Ariston's body to hit the floor.

Somehow, his reaction didn't surprise her; Ariston reached back and caught the arrow while still walking forward.

'Course I've learned from experience, he commented lightly.

At the camp, the girl with the bow—which she still hadn't put away—took the lead and shouted, "Ariston's back!"

Lilian heard a rush of footsteps hurrying to get to where the lieutenant was. "What do you want now Ariston?" One girl asked in annoyance.

Good to see you too, Erica Cooper, Ariston said sarcastically as he raised his hands to rest on his head. Two of the hunters came forward with their knives drawn and each grabbed an arm and began to drag him away.

"What are you doing?" Lilian demanded. She started forward but was stopped when two more girls stopped her.

"He is a boy," one of the girls that stopped her said. "And it is part of the routine. He cannot reside in the Hunt."

"He saved my life!" Lilian shouted back. Technically it wasn't him but the one he had called Shooter. Yet she had promised him that she wouldn't reveal his team.

"Nevertheless, it must be done," another auburn haired girl around twelve said as she stepped into the circle the crowd had made. "That is, until I show up."

Lady Artemis, Ariston said, bowing deeply. Shall we?

The goddess, as Lilian now knew her to be, nodded and wordlessly turned and walked into a tent that stood nearby. "I hope, Thalia, you will let me use your tent for this?" She said before walking in. It did not seem like a request, yet Thalia, also known as the lieutenant, nodded respectfully.

Ariston shook off the hunters that had held his arms. Next time, ladies, if you would avoid contact with me, that would be appreciated, he commented lightly. Come on Lilian, inside the tent.

"Why don't you want to be touched?" Lilian asked, louder than she meant to.

Just as Lady Artemis has sworn herself to maiden-hood, I have sworn on the river Styx to bachelorhood, he answered, still projecting his thoughts for all the hunters directly around him to hear clearly.

At this, the hunters that heard immediately began to murmur among themselves, spreading the word to those who had not heard.

Ariston's POV:

Inside the tent, after the two of them relayed Lilian's story, the process went much like what he remembered for Bianca's recruitment, and the other girl he'd brought last time. Lilian gained a slight silver glow upon swearing herself into the Hunters of Artemis.

Once that was finished, he sighed and stretched, raising his arms above his head. 'Till next time my lady? He inquired as he stood and moved toward the door of the tent.

"I still don't know who you are." Artemis said coldly, refusing to rise. She did not think this conversation was over.

I am not ready for you to know the answer to that question. Ariston said respectfully.

"May the Fates be with you," Artemis answered reluctantly, following him. She'd gotten no better answer the last time he popped in.

Ariston smirked although he was sure she couldn't see it. They never are, my lady, he told her in an amused tone.

Before she could answer, Ariston extended his golden wings which he had kept hidden until that moment. Stretching for a moment or two, then taking off into the raising sun.

-            -            -            -            -

Back at the clearing where Ariston's friends were waiting, Phoenix was making sure that they were packing everything and erasing every trace that showed they were there. When Ariston showed up, he landed in a patch of ground that had already been cleared of tracks.

"Come on, Ariston, you could have at least landed where we were!" Shooter complained. "Now I have to go over there and clear it again!"

Ariston chuckled. Sorry Shooter, I'll try not to next time.   

Phoenix laughed. "You said that last time," he pointed out.

Ariston shrugged and walked over to where they were standing. He should be here any minute now, he said, glancing at the sky.

An unnamed figure snorted. "You know he'll be late," he countered.

Ariston turned to face him. He may just surprise you, Dove, he said, monotone.

"Twenty drachmas says he's late." Dove insisted.

Suddenly a bright flash of light filled the clearing and a bright yellow Lamborghini pulled up, hovering just above the ground. The driver's door opened and a teenage boy with blond hair stepped out wearing shades.

You owe me twenty drachmas Dove, Ariston said as he motioned towards the car. Apollo, transform that into something that would fit all of us comfortably. Shooter, don't worry about the tracks, I'll get them.

"You were betting on me?" Apollo asked, adopting a look of offense as he clicked his car keys. "I'm hurt guys, really." The car changed into a yellow Chevy Suburban with orange flames painted on the sides.

"No you aren't," Phoenix said as he climbed into the back seat.

"Party pooper," Apollo pouted. He climbed back into the car and it's engine started, scaring a group of birds out of the trees. He kept the engine for the Lamborghini apparently.

Apollo if you take off without me again, your punishment won't be nearly as painless as the last time you did that, Ariston said absentmindedly.

Apollo gulped, and took his hand off of the gear shift.

Once Ariston was in the car, they took off. They flew over the city and over mountains, the smooth trip being much different than Ariston's first ride on the sun chariot.

Around midday, Apollo parked the car at a mountain somewhere up north. Ariston had never bothered to figure out exactly where. It was Apollo's palace and also the head-quarters where the Hunters of Apollo were based until Ariston could find a proper base. Technically, Apollo was not the god of the hunt (for boys), Ariston was. Apollo was just the patron god. Bion, the previous god, had kept the group small so when the hunt all got together, they didn't need to worry about their numbers.

Ariston recruited many more people than the original numbers were. They had almost quadrupled in size, so gathering the entire hunt together was a concern.

No one had bothered to change the name of the hunt either, since Apollo was the one who initiated it. Now it was more of an honorific. Many thought the group became extinct. The truth was that it had become an underground organization, a secret weapon, the last stand for when things go downhill. No one knew about them, except for Apollo, Chiron, Hermes, Hestia, Hades and Chaos of course.

During the Second Titan War and the Giant War, Ariston was told that the Hunters of Apollo was doing background work. Most of the monsters that would have attacked the Seven never reached the Argo II because of the hunt. The two other cruise ships that held even more monsters in the Titan war was never even heard of because of the hunt. If it were not for the Hunters of Apollo, Olympus would have lost to the Titans and Giants.

Ariston got out of the car and turned around to look back at Apollo. Thank you Apollo, see you tonight? He said.

Apollo smiled. "Sorry, made plans with Hermes tonight," he apologized. "Also, tomorrow I have a meeting on Olympus in the morning, so if any of your warriors would like to drive the chariot for me they can. If not, I can just put it on autopilot." Apollo had taught all of the hunt to drive the chariot, including Ariston. There were a few heat waves and some unplanned snow days but otherwise it turned out fine.

Ariston rolled his eyes. There were some things that had changed since the recent wars. But not this. He slammed the door shut and followed his hunters inside the castle.