gilded lily, p.jackson

003, hunters of artemis

CHAPTER THREE.
hunters of artemis

——Danica stared at him, continuing to play with the ring on her finger. Luke grinned slightly, he tilted his head.

"I'm not here to fight, Dani." Luke said, calmly. It chilled Danica how calm he was about this full situation.

Danica hesitated, again. Even now, once Luke's betrayal was out in the open, she had never felt her heart break quite like it did then. Danica didn't know why she hesitated. She knew right from wrong, she knew what Luke was doing was wrong, or at least the wrong way to take things. But something inside her wanted to join him, make her mother pay for ignoring her for years.

"I'll see you soon, Little shadow." he said, as if it were a known fact that they'd meet again soon, then he turned on his heel and walked back down a darkly lit hallway.

Danica sighed, rubbing her hands down her face then through her hair. "What the fuck?" she muttered, looking down at the ground. She turned her head back up, blinked once, twice, and then she took off again, to find her family.

Pointlessly wandering around the school, until she heard Percy shout for something, or at someone. She took off towards his voice, a sense of relief filling her body.

She arrived not even five minutes later, skidding to a stop when she noticed the amount of Hunters of Artemis and lack of her blonde haired best friend.

"Where were you?" Percy asked, ignoring the hunters and walking close to her.

"I got lost, that school is like a maze with all its stupid turns and dead ends, and pointless hallways." she told him, deciding against telling them about Luke right now, she would rather tell them back at camp, when she knew no one could be listening in.

Danica walked past Percy and to Thalia, who gave her a small, slight side hug. She looked at the hunters in front of her, noticing Zoe Nightshade standing near by, Danica sent a nod in acknowledgment, receiving one back from the hunter.

Zoe Nightshade and Danica Cassidy might not have seen eye to eye, but unlike Thalia and Zoe, there was no hatred or dislike between them. In the past, when a younger Danica Cassidy first encountered Zoe Nightshade, the hunter was almost certain that Danica would join them, but she obviously never did.

Danica finally spoke up about the absence of the blonde. "What happened to Beth?"

Grover, Thalia and Percy looked at her with sorrow filled eyes, unsure on how to approach the situation. Thalia felt like hitting out with it, while Percy wanted to easy into it. Although they never got to tell her, Danica knew. She knew Annabeth was gone.

"Lady Artemis," she smiled. "It's nice to see you, again."

"And you, Danica Cassidy."

Percy's sea green eyes clouded with realisation, this wasn't the first time his friends had come into an encounter with the Hunters of Artemis and the goddess herself. A few years back, Danica had met them, but the young girl declined the offer. She wanted to live her life and grow up, fall in love and maybe break a few hearts along the way.
Now, at fourteen, she realised maybe she should have taken the offer.

"I'm going to assume they know." Danica said, looking at the two siblings.

Percy nodded, mumbling a soft "yeah..." He was unsure what to say. He watched as Danica's hands balled into a fist, then she breathed three deep breaths in, calming herself. Percy stared unsure, he didn't know how his friend processed grief, but it seemed to be the silent way. Feelings had never been Danica's strong suit, she rarely talked about them, but whenever they bottled up she'd storm off to the arena.

"There is another option." Zoe said.

Danica, not wanting to be between the two bickering, wondered off into the woods that surrounded them. Percy followed after her, he didn't care if she'd talk or not, but being there for her was all that mattered to him right now. The girl sat in the ground, her back leaning against a log.

Percy silently sat down beside her, watching as she looked up at the moon. Her face bathed in its light, she looked unreal. Percy had always thought that Danica's beauty was ethereal, but somehow with the moons light, she looked innocent and pure, like not a single bad thing had ever touched her.

"Talk to me," Percy muttered. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even in a months time. But when you are ready, talk to me, moon girl."

Percy, still staring at her face, watched as a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. Danica fiddled with her fingers, a nervous tick that Percy had picked up almost immediately.

The longer they spent away from everyone, Percy slowly began to realise why the moon was so special to Danica. It was like herself, it shinned the brightest when no one was around to see it.
The comfortable silence between the broke as a hunter came over and informed Percy that Artemis wanted to have a conversation. Percy nodded and reluctantly left Danica's side.

Danica sat there for a moment longer, before finding her way back to the school. She found herself sitting with Grover and Nico, the young boy engaged in a conversation with Danica about his cards and figurines.

Still listening to the boy, Danica watched as the Hunters set up a camp around them. Her mind was at ease after she had sat with Percy, letting themselves bathe in the moons light. It had always calmed her thoughts. Annabeth was gone, she was alive and somewhere. She could feel it.

Nico's excited talking came to a stop, causing Danica to turn her face to him. "That hunter said you're a daughter of Nyx." He started.

"She's the Goddess of night, right?" Nico asked, Danica nodded. "That's coolZ I mean, I read that even Zeus is scared of her...Does that mean people are scared of you? You don't look scary." he rambled on, Danica laughed slightly.

"Well, if you don't think i am, then i must not be." She smiled.

"I'm pretty certain you aren't." he gave her a toothy grin. "Can you do anything cool?"

"Uh, let's see." Danica thought for a moment before closing her eyes, she pictured the camp around them, the soft glows of the candles and lanterns. She flickered them off then opened her eyes. "woah..."

"Dani! Not again!" Groaned Thalia.

Nico laughed, looking over at where Thalia was before turning back to Dancia looking up at her. "What else can you do?" Nico asked, then he paused for a second and squinted his eyes. "Your eyes? Are they glowing? Or, is that stars in them?"

Danica laughed, "yeah. to both."

Dancia watched from afar as Percy walked out the tent, she excused herself and walked to the edge of the cliff, allowing her feet to dangle off the edge as a soft breeze shifted her hair.