"BIANCA DI ANGELO'S CHOICE"

After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you'd think nothing else could shock Percy.
But when Vera, the pretty girl from earlier just seemed to be there. It made Percy do a double take. Like, what was she doing there?

And when a twelve-year-old girl told him she was the goddess Artemis, he said something really intelligent like, "Um... okay."

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

It was understandable, the shock of it all. The goddess was a powerful ancient deity that feared no human. And she chose to appear as a preteen.

"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 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. Everyone stared at her.

"You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said.
Her accent was hard to place.

Percy wondered if they should be talking about this in front of Vera. Since she was a mortal and all. He tried not to stare at her. Maybe she was half-blood too?

Zoe 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," a new voice interjected. "One of the gods."

They all turned around to look at the girl Vera. She cocked an eyebrow at Percy whose gaze hadn't strayed from her face. He observed her posture. She had been ready to run.

"Cool!" said Nico.
"No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"

Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus 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 Percy felt about Annabeth—all he wanted to do was search for her—he couldn't help feeling sorry for the di Angelos.

He remembered what it was like for him when he first learned he was a demigod.
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."
Thalia turned away. Percy grimaced. Vera sighed. 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."

Percy still wanted to jump off the cliff and search for her, but he had a feeling that Artemis was right. Annabeth was gone.

If she'd been down there in the sea, he'd be able to feel her presence.
"Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? It was so awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"

"He was a manticore," 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 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 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." He kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves.

Bianca swooned. Vera giggled.

Thalia admonished him, "Put your shoes back on, you're freaking her out."

"Hey, my hooves are clean!"

"Bianca," Percy said, "we came here to help you. You and Nico need the 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," He said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, and stay there year-round if you like."

He turned towards Vera, who now had a solemn look on her face. "Vera, you should come too. You're a demigod, aren't you? Lady Artemis would have killed you by now if you were mortal."

Vera shook her head.
"That place is not for the likes of me."

Percy wouldn't give up. "But it's safe there. You'll fit in. You'll have a home. And there are s'mores!"

"Sweet, let's go!" said Nico.
"No" she persisted at the same time.

"Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't—"

"There is another option," Zoe said.
"No, there isn't!" Thalia said.

Thalia and Zoe glared at each other.

Percy didn't know what they were talking about, but he could tell there was bad history between them. They seriously hated each other.

"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced.
"Zoe, 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, Vera, come with me. I would like to speak with you."

"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 ratings and a bunch of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca and a reluctant Vera along the cliff.
The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp.

Zoe 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!"

"I'm with you," Percy said. "I don't trust—"

"Oh, you're with me, are you?"
Thalia turned on him furiously.

"What were you thinking back there in the gym, Percy? That you'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? You knew he was a monster!"

She was furious.

"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. She was being unfair and she knew it.
He thought of some harsh things to say, and he might've said them too, but he looked down and saw something navy blue lying in the snow at his feet.

Annabeth's New York Yankees baseball cap.
Thalia didn't say another word. She wiped a tear from her cheek, turned, and marched off, leaving him alone to pick up the trampled hat in the snow.

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 Percy decided he would stick close to the tents.

Falcons watched them from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight, and he 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 pain in Percy's shoulder and the guilt weighing him down. The consequences of his actions were starting to sink in.

He couldn't believe Annabeth was gone. And as angry as he was at Thalia, he had a sinking feeling that she was right. It was his fault.

It usually was. People who stick around get hurt.

He watched Thalia pacing in the snow at the edge of the 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.

Percy 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 Percy his backpack.
Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and he helped Percy fix up his wounded arm.

"Hold still," Grover told him. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."

Percy winced as he dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped.
It tasted like a homemade brownie, dissolving in his mouth and sending a warm feeling through his whole body. Percy was always warm, his body seemed to regulate temperature differently.

Between that and the magic salve Grover used, his shoulder felt better within a couple of minutes.

Nico rummaged through his bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him, though how they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen, Percy didn't know.

Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes.

He recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, and 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."

Percy tried to remember a time he was so blissfully innocent and ignorant.

"You've been playing this game a long time?"
"Just this year. Before that..." He knit his eyebrows.

"What?" Percy asked.
"I forget. That's weird."

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

Percy showed him Riptide and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.

"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?"

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

"Are you the son of Poseidon?"

"Well, yeah."

"Can you surf really well, then?"
Percy looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh.

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

He went on asking questions.
How painfully young and stupid he was.

Did Percy fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus?
(He didn't answer that one.)

If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff?
(He tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.)

Was Annabeth his girlfriend?
(At this point, he was ready to stick the kid in a meat-flavored sack and throw him to the wolves.)

He figured any second he was going to ask him how many hit points he had, and he'd lose his cool completely, but then Zoe Nightshade came up to them.

"Percy Jackson."

No one that Percy had ever liked addressed him by his full name.

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 he had to resist the urge to sit up straight and say "Yes, ma'am."

She studied him 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."

Zoe led him to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved him inside.

Bianca di Angelo was seated next to the auburn-haired girl, who Percy still had trouble thinking of as Artemis.
Vera stood with her arms crossed next to Bianca, like she was a guard dog. Her piercing eyes trained on Artemis, distrustfully, barely noticing Percy entering but then focusing on him. He would have enjoyed the attention if she hadn't had such a serious look on her face. It was disconcerting, the way she had such old eyes for a young girl.

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 he didn't recognize.

Percy figured an animal rights activist would've had a heart attack looking at all those rare skins, but maybe since Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, she could replenish whatever she shot.

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

"Join us, Percy Jackson," the goddess said.

He sat across from her on the tent floor. The goddess studied him, which made him quite uncomfortable.

"Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.
Vera scoffed, earning little acknowledgement from the goddess.

"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?" He asked.

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

"Oh."

Zoe 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 Zoe. "Which one was it?"

"That boy in Colorado," Zoe said.
"You turned him into a jackalope."
(Not worrying at all)

"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 about the manticore. Bianca and Vera have reported some of the... mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from you."

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

Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"
"Yes."

"What scent?" Percy asked.

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

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

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"
"No, no. After that."

"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."

Zoe'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.'"

The goddess was so still she could've been a statue. "Maybe he was lying," Percy said.
Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."

Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away, my lady."

"No, Zoe. 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."

"But the risk my lady, it is too great. To do this alone would—"

The goddess raised an eyebrow and firmly put her hand on Zoe's shoulder, "Zoe, I must go alone."

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

Percy felt as if he was witnessing the deadliest tennis game as he watched the goddess' and Zoe's heated exchange.

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

"Can goddesses pray?" Percy asked.

A flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for you."

"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"

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

"What?" Zoe' 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."
Vera straightened at the name, suddenly alert.
"It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

Zoe muttered something about foolish campers.

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

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

Vera bit her lip. There were lots of options to be weighed.

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

"They... invited us to join the Hunt," Vera said.

"What? 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," Zoe said.

Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Bianca, Vera, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and
a sword-fighting arena and... I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"

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

Vera, who appeared nonplussed, had made up her mind. She wasn't quite sure what joining would have meant for her curse and thus, decided to stick with the plans that Grandfather had laid for her. She was immortal either way.

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

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

"Like you?"

The goddess nodded.
Percy tried to imagine what she was saying. Being immortal. Hanging out with only middle-school girls forever. He couldn't get his mind around it. It sounded cool, yet also like it was another trap. Maybe he'd like the idea better if he was a girl.

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

"Not just half-bloods," Zoe 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 Zoe's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca and Vera may join if they wish. It is their 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.
He turned to Vera, "And you, you can't leave. I promise you, camp will be better than anything they can offer you. I'll be there."
Vera smiled softly.

"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 Zoe. "Is it worth it?"
Zoe nodded. "It is."
"What do I have to do?"

"Swear fealty through an oath." She looked to Vera expectantly, "And you? Have you decided as well?"

Vera shook her head. "I'm not joining, although I'm quite flattered." She and Zoe shared a look of understanding.
There was something ancient in Vera's eyes that Zoe recognised in herself.

Zoe turned to Bianca.
"Say this," Zoe 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.'"

Bianca repeated the lines. "That's it?"

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

Percy couldn't speak. He felt like a trespasser. And a failure. He couldn't believe he'd come all this way and suffered so much only to lose Bianca to some eternal girls' club. At least he had Vera though. That mattered a bit more to him if he thought about it.

"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di Angelos and Vera your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."

"Great," Percy said, trying not to sound surly. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."

Zoe didn't look happy about this idea, but she nodded and told Bianca to follow her. As she was leaving, Bianca paused in front of me. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I do."

Then she was gone, and Percy was left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess and an awkward Vera.
"So," Percy said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"

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

author's note
So, it's been a hot second, I know, but I need to know if Vercy is a good ship name for them. Also, the chapters seem to be getting longer lol. Also, only Grandfather who if you don't know who he is (Kronos) can remember her bc his domain is to do with time. If you made it all the way down here, god bless and I hope you enjoyed this WAY TOO LONG chapter <33