Chapter 5

Emily's cooking skills are awesome. Thalia was actually moaning when we stuffed our mouths full of freshly baked bread, lamb stew and veggies. I guess they didn't really have time for cooking between man hating and monster hunting. Huh. Who would have guessed?

Thalia, Phoebe and I had avoided any conversation while eating and Sam had stopped pestering us after a while, because we weren't saying anything until we were well fed. The food was a good way to keep Thalia and Phoebe happy and not bashing any heads to the walls.

Finally, our plates were clean and even Thalia declined Emily's offer for the umpteenth serving. Apparently, Sam took this as a signal to continue his questions.

"So Ellie, what is the deal with the Hunters?"
I was about to begin, when Thalia interrupted.
"Hold on a second! Ellie? What kind of name is that? We've always known you as Liz!"

"Well, my full name is Elizabeth, which is a mouthful really, so I prefer a nickname. I've been called Ellie since I was a kid, but when I came to camp and found out about everything, I thought a change would do me good. So Ellie, the illegitimate child, became Liz, a daughter of Apollo and a demigod." Thalia nodded.

"It's the same with my surname. Now that I don't need it, I don't want it. Reminds me of her too much," she muttered.
"I've never liked to use mine, and now I need it even less than I ever did, so I'm just Liz."

Sam was really getting impatient. I was tempted to continue procrastinating, but my brother had had a hard day. I decided to let him off easy. I crossed my legs and my arms and leaned back in the chair.

"Thalia, Phoebe, do you wanna start?"
Phoebe let out a disgusted voice.
"Like I would do anything a boy asks me to. Their brains are probably too small to understand anything anyway."
I smiled while the guys stared at her, not sure how to react to her attitude.

"You don't mind it much when Percy asks you something." I could see a hint of a blush on her cheeks.
"He is different from most of his kind. Even lady Artemis approves of him."
I hummed, a smile still on my face. Even the Hunters had a soft spot for Percy Jackson.

"I guess I'll go first, then," said Thalia.

"The Hunters of Artemis are a group of maidens who follow our goddess hunting with her and being her companions. We who follow her are given partial immortality, we grow stronger and faster and are gifted with hunting skills and other capabilities. We stay forever young, and never die unless we fall in a battle or break our oath."

"That's awesome!" Said Seth, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
"Yes, yes it is."

"So, how old are you?" Leah asked Thalia and Phoebe.
"I've lost count over the decades, but I've served my lady dutifully for many centuries and hope to do so for many more," said Phoebe, not minding answering Leah.
"I'm not actually sure how old I am. You see, for a while I was a tree, so I didn't age normally. But Apollo told me when I joined the Hunt that I was about to turn sixteen. And that was a few years ago."

Seth, I'm sure, was about to ask about the being a tree part, but I shut him up with my stare.
"And why did you join?" Leah continued, she was honestly interested.

"I joined because my family was gone and I had only two options: to marry a man I hated or run, so I ran. Lady Artemis found me and offered me a chance to join her. I took it, as you can see." I had never heard Phoebe's story. None of the Hunters really liked talking about their pasts.

"There was, and still is, a prophecy stating that the next child of the Big Tree, meaning Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, to turn sixteen would either be the downfall or the saviour of Olympus. I didn't want it to be about me, so I joined Artemis."

Then Thalia turned to me, her face solemn.
"It'll happen in August. He will turn sixteen and the prophecy will be about him. He won't let it fall in Nico's shoulders and he doesn't have the same opinion as I did. You should be there a few days in advance, you have a cabin to run. They are counting on you. And we need our best medic if we're going to survive."

I nodded, my fists tightening and my knuckles turning white.

"I'll be there, you can count on it."
"Have you considered my offer? Will you be there as a leader of cabin seven or will you be part of the Hunt?" I shrugged.
"I haven't made my mind yet. You know it's a big decision. My whole future." I was almost whispering at this point, but the others could still hear me.

"What are you talking about? Where are you going? And what offer do you mean?" Sam was alarmed, his gaze sifting from me to Thalia.
I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"The prophecy Thalia mentioned earlier will take place in August, when our friend Percy, the son of Poseidon, the sea god, turns sixteen. We will have to fight our enemies, because they will be coming for us. We are at war already. The final battle will probably take place the same day Percy turns sixteen."

"You are not going to fight! I prohibit it!" Yelled Sam, and Paul nodded, his every muscle tense.

"I will not leave my family and friends to die when I know I can help. You heard Thalia, I'm an amazing medic, the best we have, and a talented archer. I will fight, because if we lose, it will mean the end of the world as we know it."

Sam's face was dark, but he nodded reluctantly. I turned my eyes to Paul.
"There is nothing you can do to stop me. It is my life and my responsibility." He didn't look me in the eye and stayed quiet.

"And the offer?" Sam pressed.

"Thalia asked me to join the Hunt."
Leah beamed. Wow, that's rare.
"Oh, that's great. Why haven't you yet? It sounds so great, having all those powers and being almost immortal." I shrugged a bit. She frowned.
"How do you join?" She asked Thalia.
I blushed and it didn't go unnoticed.

Thalia cleared her throat.

"A hunter must be a girl or a woman, I think you understood that already. To join the Hunt, she must be a maiden, a virgin, and swear off of men for all eternity. She must swear an oath to pledge herself to Artemis, to turn her back on the company of men, to accept eternal maidenhood and to join the hunt."

There was a silence in the room.

"And what if you break your oath?" Asked Leah.
"If you are lucky, you get turned into an animal. If not, and in most cases they aren't, you and your lover die. We take our oaths very seriously."

"Oh hell no!" Yelled Paul.
Thalia and Phoebe were furious, they took his words as an insult. But then he turned to me.
"There is no way you are joining them!"
"Paul, shut up!" Yelled Sam, but Paul ignored his words and turned to him.

"I have kept my mouth shut for long enough just because you told me to. She is my imprintee and she is not going to join any group where she isn't even allowed to see me!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Paul?"
He faced me, his expression furious but also desperate. He saw the hurt and confusion on my face and sighed deeply.

"As wolves we have a mate, an imprintee. When I saw you this morning, I imprinted immediately. Sam saw it, dragged me outside and told me to keep my mouth shut about it. He didn't want to upset you." I could see rage in his eyes.

"What in the name of Zeus is an imprintee?" Asked Thalia, not liking to be kept in the dark.

"Emily is Sam's imprintee, and some of the other guys have them too. An imprintee is the centre of a wolf's world, everything revolves around her. We become what ever she needs, a brother, a friend, and eventually a lover. She is made for us and we are made for her."

"You are talking about soulmates," stated Thalia. Paul nodded.

"And what happens if an imprintee rejects the wolf?" Thalia continued. The wolves shifted around uncomfortably.

"It doesn't happen," Paul said, his tone stiff.
"And if it did?"

"It is both physically and emotionally painful for a wolf to be apart from his imprintee. He would die."

I stared at him, my face blank.
"Say something, Ellie. Anything." He was begging me, he reached to touch me. Before I could stop myself, I flinched and backed away from him. I could see the hurt in his eyes.

What could I do? I did not love him, and I sure as Hades did not need him to take care of me. I didn't want the burden of his life depending on my presence in his life. I didn't want to endanger him, as would surely happen if he stayed around me all the time.

"I hate her!" I yelled in rage, standing up and throwing my hands in the air, walking back and forth, wringing my hands.

"Same here," said Thalia, her eyes stormy and face furious.
"You are not alone in this feeling, my sisters," said Phoebe, huffing her disgust.

"Who do you hate, now?" Asked Sam, confused at our outrage.

"Aphrodite," we said in unison. I threw one of my daggers to the wall, trying to get rid of my rage.

"The goddess of love," said Leah, understanding our meaning.
We nodded.
"But isn't she a good goddess? Isn't love good?" She asked.

I shook my head.
"None of the gods are neither good nor evil. They just are, and do as they please." Thalia cleared her throat.
"Fine! Most of the gods are neither good nor evil. There are exceptions. Sometimes. And Aphrodite always does as she pleases. She loves drama and tragic love stories. The more people die and suffer because the live she caused, the more she enjoys herself. She once promised our friend Annabeth to make her love life interesting. It surely has been that, and I'm sure she's not done messing with her life yet." 

"What is done, is done," said Phoebe. Thalia nodded.
"There is no doubt that Aphrodite is behind this imprinting, but it has happened and you cannot change it, Liz. You just have to make the best of it. I do not think it is possible for you to join the Hunt anymore. Even though Artemis understands that it wasn't your fault, she is a Maiden goddess and does not accept men to the Hunt, especially men who have a love interest in one of her Hunters."

I nodded. I knew this. I wasn't sure I had actually wanted to join the Hunt, but I had liked to have the choice. Now that choice had been taken away from me.

I looked at my feet.
"I have to go and write a haiku to my dad. He sent help and I promised him one in return. I must fulfil that promise." I walked upstairs to my room and banged the door shut behind me.

I had almost finished my haiku, as I heard knocking from the door. I did not say anything. If they wanted to come in, they would.

I finished the haiku, which was one of the best I had ever written, certainly better than any of my dad's. I sealed it into a Hermes Express envelope and wrote my dad's name and the address of his temple on Olympus. I dropped a Drachma on the envelope and both of them disappeared.

When I turned around I saw Paul leaning to the doorframe. He watched me curiously, as if trying to determine something about me. If I only knew what.

"Take a picture, why don't you. It'll last longer."
He smiled at my cheek.
"You haven't changed much since we were kinds, have you."
"As much as you have, I imagine." He nodded. I wasn't sure what to say.

"Want to go for a walk with me? Have some privacy from those wolf ears downstairs and talk about things?" He suggested. I could see he was nervous, I knew him that well. Not much had changed in four years. He still chewed his bottom lip when nervous.

"Yeah, let's do that." I walked past him, and for a second he was frozen in his place, not expecting me to accept so quickly. I waited him at the front door, a smile creeping on my face. He jogged downstairs and we left the house together.

Hope you liked this one! Please vote and comment! And as always, I own nothing but this storyline.