Chapter Thirteen LUNA SILVER “Hi!” Despite the fact that she hardly knew us, Hazel smiled warmly. “This is Amanda, a former dryad, this is Katherine Walker, a former mortal, and this is Luna Silver, daughter of Artemis. Guys, this is Hazel Levesque, one of the seven,” Thalia introduced us. Hazel groaned. “Can people stop categorizing me like that? I have lots of other achievements.” “Okay, sorry,” Thalia said. “Let’s go to a more private place, though.” Based on what Reyna told me about Nico, I expected him to lag and tag behind, but he eagerly ran to the front of the group, which meant me. “Back to the-” Thalia was cut off by a blinding flash of silver light. “Artemis?” I asked. The goddess did not choose her usual form. Instead, she was a girl of about fourteen, with long black hair pulled into a ponytail, black boots, and a silver tunic with a bow and quiver slung over her shoulder. Hazel frowned. “That’s the form you chose on Delos, long ago, during the battle against Gaea.” Artemis nodded. “Can I speak with you privately, Hazel, Luna, and Thalia? The rest of you, well, entertain yourselves.” “What’s the problem?” Hazel nailed the point. “Ouranos is rising.” Thalia replied with the same straightforwardness. “Offspring of Artemis brings me here Five venture up in the zone of fear Ouranos risen, yearning for Gaea Blessing of Kymopoleia The son of Hades summons the dead Titaness Who alone can lead to Atlas. Prophecy. Received it in the woods.” “Okay. Well, when I deal with prophecies, I always try to summarize the meaning and check things off as I go.” Hazel suggested. “Good idea,” I said. “Let’s see… the first line isn’t an action, we don’t know what the zone of fear is, line four is more of a warning, the fifth line is, well, a tip, Nico has already summoned Zoe Nightshade-” “Hello,” Zoe interrupted. “-Who is supposed to be leading us to Atlas.” I finished. “The last time I led people to Atlas, I died! If you think I will lead another group to their doom, then no. I refuse.” “She’s a former Hunter,” I supplied. “Lived two thousand years ago.” “Wait, if you lived two thousand years ago, shouldn’t you be saying art and thou and thee and all that old stuff?” Hazel asked. “I changed my ways.” Zoe said simply. “She still says thee sometimes,” I said. “Just at the end of sentences. Like, ‘What about thee?’.” “She still says thine and thy too,” Thalia said. “It was a lot to deal with on the quest to free Artemis.” “And I suppose you have changed since then?” Zoe turned to Thalia. “Yes, I'm the lieutenant now.” Thalia said. “Technically, I should be the lieutenant,” I said. “Okay, but for once, can we just stop arguing about this? Artemis asked me. She didn’t ask you.” I huffed. “It was a last-minute change.” “Okay then, maybe it was. Now can we stop arguing about this?” “Fine.” “Swear it on the River Styx.” “I swear on the River Styx I will stop arguing about why Thalia got to be lieutenant when I was next in line.” Thunder rumbled. “If you guys are done arguing, we need to convince Zoe to lead us to Atlas.” Haze said. “Zoe, please. One last favor from me.” Artemis looked Zoe dead in the eye, and I had a feeling that when Zoe finally gave in she wasn’t forced. Artemis wasn’t like that. She would try to persuade you to do the right thing, but if you refused to take her advice, then she would let you to your fate. Or, in our situation, leave us to convince Zoe. “Fine. I will lead my comrades to Atlas, but let it be known that I did this for my sister Artemis.” Artemis exhaled. “Thank you. And please may I ask something?” “Yes?” “Why have you not been reborn into a new life?” Zoe was quiet for a second. Then, “I was not sent into Elysium. I was sent into…” “What?” The silence was unbearable. “The Fields of Punishment. My punishment was to get cloned while I slept, and in the daytime shoot other clones of myself. We all tried to miss, but it was impossible. Even if we somehow managed to forget our expert Hunter training, part of the punishment was that we never missed.” “What? You are a hero! You died sacrificing yourself!” Artemis exclaimed in disbelief. “Heroes in the Underworld are not paid much attention,” Zoe muttered. Artemis stood up. “I swear on the River Styx not any other Hunter will ever pass into the Underworld without going to Elysium or the Isles of the Blest.” As it did when I made my foolish oath with Thalia, thunder rumbled again. “This is a big oath, sister Artemis. And if Hades simply does not let you do what you wish, then the River Styx will curse thee.” Zoe said. “I know. But I also know I will not let Hades stop me. I will fight for this cause.” And then she was gone. Maybe to right a wrong in the Underworld.
