CHAPTER SIXTEEN

₊˚࿐࿔ 𖥧‧₊⚘ ❀༉. 𓏲｡

After seeing successfully using her powers to attack Dr. Thorn, causing him to turn into a monster, then plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you'd think things would calm down for Sylvie. But now the goddess Artemis was here, taking the form of a girl Sylvie's age, with her Hunters at her side.

Sylvie was doing better than Percy, though, who said, "Um... okay."

That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then kneeled hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so... you're so... Wow!"

At least he hadn't fainted again.

"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

"Woah," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."

Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of them 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 Artemis.

"Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..."

She faltered. Sylvie guessed Bianca could tell from their faces that they didn't believe her.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."

"You are a half-blood," Zoë Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded old-fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book. "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. "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!"

As anxious as Sylvie felt about Annabeth, she couldn't help feeling sorry for the di Angelos. Sylvie remembered what it was like for her when she first learned she was a demigod. The sadness in her eyes increased a little bit.

"Bianca," Sylvie started, "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."

Sylvie 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."

Sylvie, unfortunately, had a feeling Artemis was right.

"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," Artemis said. "Hopefully is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."

"Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.

Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains... Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in D.C.?"

"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. Sylvie thought Bianca was going to faint right there.

"Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."

"Hey, my hooves are clean!"

Nico gasped, pointing at Sylvie. "Wait, are you a satyr, too?! You did all that cool plant stuff!"

"Um, no," she side-eyed her friends awkwardly. "I'm the daughter of Demeter. And—well, satyrs are male, so..."

"That's so cool!" Nico geeked. "She can inflict Poison upon all enemies within 4 tiles!"

Sylvie eyed the kid, wondering if that was flattering or not. "Thank... you?"

"We came here to help you two," Percy saved Sylvie, looking to Bianca and Nico. "You need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

"Camp?" Bianca 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.

Thalia and Zoë glared at each other. Sylvie could tell there was bad history between them—they seriously hated each other.

"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, Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you." Artemis announced.

"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!"

Nico and Grover walked off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armor rating and a bunch of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp.

Zoë gave Thalia one more evil look, then left to oversee things.

As soon as she was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of those Hunters! They think they're so... Argh!"

"Hey, they did sort of save us," Sylvie shrugged.

"No, I'm with Thalia," Percy said. "I don't trust—"

"Oh, you're with me? You're fucking with me?!" Thalia turned on Percy furiously. "What were you thinking back there in the gym, Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? You knew he was a monster!"

"I—"

"If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved. Annabeth might still be here. Did you think of that?"

Percy's jaw clenched. Sylvie just stood there, wondering how the hell things had escalated so fast. A part of her wanted to intervene, but the other part of her was too grateful that she wasn't on the receiving end of Thalia's wrath. All she did was watch as Percy picked up Annabeth's New York Yankees cap from the snow. It shocked her that Percy restrained himself from saying anything.

Thalia didn't, either. She just wiped a tear from her cheek, turned, and marched off.

╰━━━ ◦ ❀ ◦ ❀◦ ━━━╯

The Hunters set up their camping site in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods. They began circling the camp like guard dogs. The Hunters walked among them and fed them treats, completely unafraid, but Sylvie and Percy decided to stick close to the tents. Falcons watched them from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight, and Sylvie got the feeling they were on guard duty, too. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the wind died down and the snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant sitting by the fire.

Almost... except for the fact Sylvie was detrimentally worried about Annabeth, and Percy's mood had worsened by a million since Thalia yelled at him. She couldn't tell if he was angry, or upset, or anything, because he wasn't speaking at all. He just stared at one spot in particular, so Sylvie followed his gaze to see what it was.

Thalia paced in the snow at the edge of camp, walking among the wolves without fear. She stopped and looked back at Westover Hall, which was now completely dark, looming on the hillside beyond the woods. Sylvie wondered what she was thinking.

Seven years ago, Thalia had been turned into a pine tree by her father, to prevent her from dying. She'd stood her ground against an army of monsters on top of Half-Blood Hill in order to give her friends Luke and Annabeth time to escape. She'd only been back as a human for a few months now, and once in a while she would stand so motionless you'd think she was still a tree.

Finally, one of the Hunters brought Sylvie and Percy their backpacks. Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and Sylvie suddenly noticed Percy constantly wincing whenever he moved his arm.

"What's up with your shoulder?" Sylvie asked, noting the hole in his shirt and the dried blood around that area.

"Ah, poison," Percy shrugged, but then he grimaced at the pain that caused. "You know, Dr. Thorn and sh—" His eyes widened as he remembered Nico's presence, "stuff. And stuff."

Sylvie rolled her eyes fondly, taking a seat next to him. "Yeah, good save, Fishstick."

"What did he save?" Nico asked with those big, naive eyes of his. "And why is he a fish stick?"

Now that a little bit of tension from Percy was smoothed over, Sylvie got to fixing up his wounded arm. Grover let her borrow the healing supplies he'd had on hand.

"Hold still," Sylvie told Percy. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."

Percy winced as Sylvie dressed the wound, but it seemed like the ambrosia square helped. Still, she felt a little bad.

"Sorry," she muttered with a frown.

"It's alright," Percy managed out.

Sylvie's eyes were intently focused on Percy's wound. She didn't dare look anywhere else, because it was already so hard to pretend she wasn't freaking the hell out on the outside. Her heart was beating rapidly, but no one needed to know that except for her.

"I should be the one saying that," Percy spoke again after around a minute of silence.

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she still didn't steer away from healing his shoulder.

"What?"

"Sorry," Percy clarified. "It's what... I mean, I'm sorry. For going off without you. I should've waited."

Sylvie shrugged a little while she dabbed on Grover's magic salve. Luckily, Percy's chatter calmed Sylvie down enough to focus. She was barely thinking about the fact she was so close to him, or playing healer like this, or touching his arm this much.

"Yeah," she agreed.

Percy added, "Thalia's right. This is all my fault."

And finally, finally, Sylvie paused and looked up at him. She was still holding his arm, but now her attention wasn't on it in the slightest anymore.

"Percy," Sylvie breathed sadly. "I get why Thalia's upset, but... no. It's not. Maybe you should have waited, but you didn't, so we don't know what would've happened if things went differently. She doesn't. Everything still could've ended up just as bad... And, anyways—you're not the one who kidnapped yourself, Bianca, and Nico. You're not the one who... who took Annabeth from us. 'Dr. Thorn and stuff,' remember?"

Sylvie let herself keep their eye contact for only a couple seconds. In the short time she could see, Sylvie had surprised him again. She'd started doing it so much that she could recognize the specific face Percy made when she did so. The realization Sylvie knew him that well made her head feel light again, so she turn her attention back to his shoulder.

After a couple of minutes, she was done, and Percy was completely healed.

"Thanks," said Percy, but Sylvie got the feeling there was a double meaning to the word.

She sent him a timid smile. "Any time."

Nico then proceeded to rummage through his bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him, though how they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen, Sylvie didn't know. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. Sylvie recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his sun chariot.

"Big collection," Percy said.

Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."

Sylvie couldn't help but grin, too. He was just so innocent and hyper, it reminded Sylvie a lot of herself when she was younger. Or honestly Sylvie now, sometimes. For a moment, she wondered how well Sylvie could get along with Cedar.

"You've been playing this game a long time?" she asked him.

"Just this year. Before that..." He knit his eyebrows.

"What?" asked Sylvie, concerned.

"I forget. That's weird."

He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see those knives and that sword you two were using?"

"They're daggers," Sylvie corrected reflexively, something she found herself doing a little too often. Nevertheless, she complied to Nico's wishes.

She took Cereal from it's holster on her golden armband, and she curled her fist so that her fingerless glove shifted into Halcyon. Percy showed him Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.

"Cool!" he was awed by the sight of their two weapons. "What happens if your glove gets ripped?"

Sylvie: "I just kind of hope it doesn't."

Nico: "Does the pen ever run out of ink?"

Percy: "Um—well, I don't actually write with it."

Nico: "Can the glove go in the washing machine?"

Sylvie: "Yeah, it's, uh... still a glove."

Nico: "Are you really the son of Poseidon?"

Percy: "Well, yes..."

Nico: "Can you surf really well, then?"

Percy: "Jeez, Nico. I've never really tried."

Nico: "Do you hate pomegranates?"

Sylvie looked helplessly at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"No—er—pomegranates are fine..." Sylvie responded.

He went on asking more questions. Did Percy fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (Percy didn't answer that one, but Sylvie said yes.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (Sylvie had to hold Percy back from strangling Nico for asking that one.) Was Sylvie Percy's girlfriend? (Sylvie shot away from Percy, totally red in the face, and Percy looked astounded.)

Right when Sylvie thought Nico was going to ask them how many hit points they had, and Percy was going to finally snap, Zoë Nightshade came up to them.

"Sylvie Duvall and Percy Jackson."

She had dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and her proud expression, she looked so much like royalty that Sylvie had to resist the urge to sit up straight and say "Yes, ma'am." She studied Percy distastefully, like he was a bag of dirty laundry she'd been sent to fetch.

"Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

╰━━━ ◦ ❀ ◦ ❀◦ ━━━╯

Zoë led them to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved Sylvie and Percy inside. Bianca di Angelo was seated next to the dark-and-curly-haired girl that Sylvie knew to be Artemis.

The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others Sylvie didn't recognize. She felt like she was having a heart attack looking at all those rare skins—the poor animals.

Sylvie thought Artemis had another animal pelt lying next to her, and then she realized it was a live animal—a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting contentedly in Artemis's lap.

"Join me," the goddess said.

Sylvie and Percy sat across from her on the tent floor. Sylvie sat uncomfortably under her studying gaze. Artemis had such old eyes for such a young girl.

"Are you surprised by my age, Percy Jackson?" she asked, judging by the look on his face.

"Uh... a little."

"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?" Percy asked.

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

"Oh."

Zoë sat down at Artemis's right. She glared at Percy as if all the stuff Artemis had just said was his fault, like he'd invented the idea of being a guy.

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp..." She looked at Zoë. "Which one was it?"

"That boy in Colorado," Zoë said. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy, I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the... mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."

Sylvie made a confused look as to why—if that was the reason he was here—her presence had been requested. But she was too afraid to ask such a question to such a powerful goddess, so she just let Percy tell the story.

When he was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."

Zoë sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes."

"What scent?" Sylvie found herself asking.

"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly forgotten."

She stared at Sylvie and Percy intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, Percy, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"

The boy Sylvie's liked for 563 days, everyone.

"No, no. After that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me." Zoë's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand. "Go on, Percy," the goddess said.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot—"

"Stirring," Bianca corrected.

"Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"

Sylvie made a nervous meeping noise. "Really gives you hope for the future, doesn't it?"

"Maybe he was lying," Percy said, trying to ease her.

But Artemis shook her head.

"No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster." Zoë looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No, Zoë. I must do this alone."

"But, Artemis—"

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go there with me."

"As... As you wish, my lady."

"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."

"You know what the monster is?" Sylvie asked.

Artemis gripped her bow. "Let us pray I am wrong."

"Can goddesses pray?" Percy asked, and Sylvie's tense expression melted into a restrained grin.

A flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips, too. "Before I go, Percy and Sylvie, I have small tasks for you."

"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?" Percy asked.

"Sadly, no. I want you both to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" Zoë blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there—"

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

Zoë muttered something about foolish campers.

"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca. "Have you made up your mind, my girl?"

Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Wait," Sylvie said. "Thinking about what?"

"They... They've invited me to join the Hunt."

"What?!" Percy cried incredulously. "But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive."

"It is not the only way for a girl," Zoë said.

"Bianca, camp is cool!" he protested. "It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and... Sylvie, tell her!"

Sylvie shrugged awkwardly under the sudden attention. "I mean, yeah, it's cool—when you're not falling off a pegasus or being sliced to death..."

"Not helping," Percy frowned. "I mean, what do you even get by joining the Hunters?"

"To begin with," Zoë said, "immortality."

Percy stared at her, then at Artemis. "She's kidding, right?"

"Zoë rarely kids about anything," Artemis said. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal... unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

"What oath?" Percy said.

"To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?"

The goddess nodded.

"So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods—"

"Not just half-bloods," Zoë interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"

"Which are you, then?"

Anger flashed in Zoë's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca and any other girl may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy," Percy said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."

"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey!" Percy protested.

"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

"A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility."

"Bianca, you can't do this," Percy said. "It's nuts."

She looked at Zoë instead. "Is it worth it?"

Zoë nodded. "It is."

"What do I have to do?"

"Say this," Zoë told her, "'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"

"I... I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"

"I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt," Bianca repeated the lines. Then, "That's it?"

Zoë nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

"I accept it," Artemis said.

The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel... stronger."

"Welcome, sister," Zoë said.

"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."

Sylvie felt like a trespasser. She didn't know how to feel about the whole ordeal, considering she didn't really know Bianca, but Sylvie still felt the need to protect her. Now, Bianca had took the offer Artemis extended, leaving Sylvie and Nico and everyone else in the dust. She was forever frozen at the age of twelve, would never look anything different again. Sylvie wondered what that would be like.

Immortality, such a small word for such a big thing.

"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis analyzed Percy's facial expression. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico chooses, he can stay there."

"Great," Percy said, sounding pissed beyond belief. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Sylvie had the feeling nothing good would come from that.

"How are we supposed to get there, gracious Lady Artemis who saved our lives earlier?" she reminded Percy with a pointed look.

Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoë, break camp. Percy, go get Thalia, Grover, and Nico. You must all get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."

Neither Zoë nor Percy looked real happy about this idea; nonetheless, Zoë nodded and told Bianca to follow her while Percy stood up to go. As they were leaving, Sylvie heard Bianca mutter to Percy. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really, really do."

Then the three were gone, and Sylvie was left alone with Artemis. She didn't realize this was happening until it was just the two of them.

"Um," Sylvie nodded stiffly. "Hi, there... Artemis."

Artemis smiled almost fondly at the Demeter girl. "Hello, Sylvie. I just wanted a quick word with you before you left."

Sylvie felt herself straightening her posture out of habit. She felt very uncomfortable under the goddess's gaze—or just uncomfortable being alone with a goddess at all. She found it a little bizarre that Artemis want to speak with just her. Just Sylvie.

"I'm, er... really honored, I think," Sylvie said, her stomach going as crazy as the gray churning ocean of Westover Hall. "What'd you want to tell me?"

"Well, first, I want to give you something, actually."

From virtually out of nowhere, Artemis pulled out a pamphlet-looking sheet and gave it to Sylvie. Still clueless, she examined what was now in her hand.

It was a brochure. The front read, A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! Inside were pictures of young maidens chasing monsters, shooting bows, etc. There were captions like HEALTH BENEFITS: IMMORTALITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU! and A BOY-FREE TOMORROW!

"This is a pamphlet," Sylvie said dumbly. "For... To be one of your Hunters."

Artemis nodded with a kind grin Sylvie's way. Sylvie already understood what Artemis was implying, and it did scary things to her chest.

"Yes, that is correct."

"And you... gave one to me?"

"I don't see why I wouldn't."

Sylvie pinched herself with her gloved hand, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She felt like her dad, confusing dreams from reality.

"You—What—You're serious? Is this a joke?" Sylvie asked incredulously.

Artemis was serious, and it was very much not a joke.

"I'm extending this opportunity to you, Sylvie, because I have seen how amazing of an addition to my ranks you would be," Artemis said, completely unphased by Sylvie's bewildered face. "You could be immortal, and hunt with me forever. Swear your loyalty to me. You've seen what it's like with us—you could be apart of that."

Sylvie found herself anxious, however much Artemis was trying to convince her she didn't have to be. The perfection of it all—Artemis and her Hunters—was a little... uncomfortable. She could feel her heart speeding up its beats tenfold.

"Uh—I don't—I really..." Sylvie's gloved hand unconsciously began fidgeting. "Um, I can't—"

"Just think on it," Artemis encouraged, but Sylvie still didn't feel at ease. She was the worst person when put under pressure. She didn't even know how long Artemis was giving her to "think about it," either. "You don't have to answer right now. All I ask is that you entertain the idea."

Sylvie had a sudden urge to laugh at the irony of Artemis's request. As if there was any way Sylvie wouldn't be thinking about it. Did Artemis know she was conversing with the world's biggest overthinker?

"That's—I can... do that," Sylvie sounded unsure, "for you."

She also had the sudden urge to salute, but that was another horrible idea. Sylvie felt so awkward, just staring at Artemis with a brochure in her hand. She opted on throwing the goddess a thumbs-up, then instantly regretted it, so she stuffed her hands in her lap.

"So," she tried changing the subject. "We're gonna get a ride from your brother, huh?"

Artemis's silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, my dear. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother. It's time for you both to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo."

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BAILEY YAPS...

I hate this chapter i hate it i hate it so much i've never despised a chapter more than this one I genuinely had to delete it all and rewrite it a second time because I just hated my writing so much Guys close your eyes pretend this chapter didn't exist i promise i'll do better please don't give up on me

Genuinely have no notes because this chapter is so bad. Like Sylvie cleaning Percy's wound I FUCKING GUESS...

I'm telling y'all right now because I'm a weak woman who can't hold it in that Cedar, Nico, and Will are gonna be such the ultimate trio like Cedar is Solangelo's third wheel but we love him bc he's Cedar and we love him And he's gonna wingman them both but the other isn't gonna have a clue and he's just the best boy

Any song suggestions for Persylv or just Sylvie are welcomed... if you feel like it...

Anyways Sylvie the type of girl to have a silly little edit made of her

Not by me though y'all stay safe xoxo