Confused by Time

Chapter 3

With sunrise the day after came the arrival of the Hunters of Artemis.

Annabeth brightened as they arrived with the sun chariot. Already up and once again poking around at the new intended statue of Apollo, Annabeth was quick to close down her laptop and descend from the third floor of Athena cabin. Many of the young Athena campers were trying to scramble out of the door themselves, eyes wide as they looked over to the flatter area near the lake where Apollo had set down his sun chariot.

Annabeth hadn't slept well during the night, plagued by nightmares that she could hardly remember once she'd woken. All Annabeth could recall was the same horrible feeling from three centuries ago; the dread which had frozen her when the Primordial Tartarus himself had emerged before her and Percy in his terrible new form. The same nightmare that had struck often over her life of watching Percy in Tartarus stumbling around hallucinating and bloody, barely able to stand as he saw monsters where there were none. Dying of hunger and thirst in the depths of the earth.

Apollo stepped out first with a blinding smile and perfect looks, as always, the Hunters filing out behind him. Annabeth spotted Thalia amongst them and immediately made her way over to her with a brilliant smile of her own.

Thalia greeted Annabeth with a wide smile herself, throwing her arms around Annabeth and laughing. "It's been a long time!" Thalia exclaimed as she tried to crack Annabeth's ribs. "How have you been? You've heard the news?" She asked as she pulled away sharply, peering intently at Annabeth.

Annabeth paused. "About a possible quest? Yes, I've heard," she said.

Thalia smiled, but her smile was grim and wary. "It'll be good to get Percy out, but it's been three centuries now," she said. "It's not likely that he's the same person as before."

"I know," Annabeth murmured. "I've considered that. But he's still Percy," she said. "That much wouldn't have changed."

Thalia nodded slightly, though her eyes remained grim. "Yeah," she said, pulling back and slinging an arm over Annabeth's shoulder. "Now," she said. "Lady Artemis asked Apollo to drop us off here in case one of us is needed – it's the Pit, after all," Thalia added with a faint shudder. Fear gleamed in her eyes. "It'll be a nasty quest. Might need all the hands we can get," she said. "That, and Kampê was spotted in the area yesterday. Lady Artemis is needed on Olympus, but we figured we should stay in the area in case Kampê turns up again."

"Yeah, Chiron said," Annabeth said. "Any ideas what she's doing over here?"

"None," Thalia muttered. "We've been trying to catch her for decades," she said in frustration. "Ever since that Greece fiasco. And on Olympus."

Annabeth grimaced slightly. The first sighting of Kampê since three centuries prior had been in Greece, 130 years ago. She'd caused havoc in Thessaly and the gods were still tight-lipped about what had actually happened during that period. All Annabeth had been told was that some old relic had been stolen from a supposedly secret and protected chamber. Kampê had blown straight through those protections and flown off with whatever she'd taken. Something similar had occurred on Olympus that Zeus had thrown a fit over, though with no sign of Kampê having been present. Even despite being Olympus' architect, Annabeth had no idea what had happened on Olympus. "Maybe you'll get her this time," Annabeth offered half-heartedly. They hadn't succeeded yet and she honestly doubted that this time would be any different. Kampê was entirely different to any other monster that the Hunters had taken down, she was in a class of her own.

Thalia snorted in amusement. "Maybe," she agreed. "But she's a tricky one," Thalia muttered. "We're sure she's getting help from somewhere. It's just... odd," she said. "No other monster gives us as many problems as her."