{1} 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐒𝐄𝐘𝐄 | p.jackson

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯

| chapter seventeen |
in which nia's uncle makes a dramatic entrance

IT WAS DARKER AND COLDER THAN EVER OUTSIDE. Nia thought that it was fitting. she buried herself deeper into her jacket, trying to protect her body from the cold. She kept thinking about Annabeth. Was she okay? Did she figure out how to escape? How were they going to find her?

The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they had set it up. Artemis stared off into the east, expecting Nia's godly uncle — Apollo. Nia glanced over at Bianca and Nico, who were talking off to the side.

Percy stood beside Nia, also shivering in the snow. "Hey."

"Hey," she said back blankly. Nia still kind of blamed Percy for going after the manticore himself. She knew that it didn't make much sense. Annabeth was gone and she was upset over that? It seemed pointless.

But right then, she didn't really care.

"What'd your mom ask you? Before I came in, I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Jackson," Nia spat out, then deflated. "She asked me about joining the Hunters."

Percy's eyes bugged out of his head. "What?"

"Yeah," Nia nodded, not really picking up on Percy's panic. "Like she always does when I see her. I told her that I didn't want to. At least, not now."

"Wait, why?"

Nia shrugged. "I'm happy at Camp Half-Blood. And maybe one day things will change, but for now, camp is where I want to be. My mom said that if I ever change my mind, the option is always there for me."

Percy just stared at her. Finally, he asked, "Why do the Hunters not like you?"

Nia inhaled sharply. Why was Percy always asking her hard-to-answer questions? "They do. . . Since Artemis is my mom, they respect me. They're even obligated to protect me because of my status as the child of Artemis. It would've been much worse if I was a boy."

"Shit, thanks."

"Oh, that's not what I meant and you know it," Nia scowled. "Anyways, they just kind of see me as. . . as an anomaly, I guess. I mean, they serve under a goddess who has renounced romantic love. . . and then she has a child. Admittedly, one with a woman, and she didn't actually have. . . you know. I was born like children of Athena are."

Percy nodded, having already known that.

Nia went on: "But still, it's just weird. That's why I don't want to join the Hunt. Because even then, I wouldn't be part of the crowd, Percy. I'd still be the daughter of Artemis, not just her follower. I wouldn't fit in — for eternity, no less. At least at camp, people get over it eventually."