Love Against All Odds

Oskar - The Six

The council convened in the recreation room, gathered around a Ping-Pong table. With a casual wave of his hand, Dionysus presented a spread of snacks—Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine. However, Chiron quickly reminded him of the restrictions against alcohol, especially given the underage participants. Mr D sighed, and with a snap of his fingers, the wine transformed into Diet Coke, though it remained largely untouched.

Seated at one end of the table were Mr. D and Chiron, the latter in wheelchair form. Zoe and Bianca di Angelo occupied the opposite end. Thalia, Grover, Percy, and I were on the right side while the other head councillors—Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers—occupied the left side. The Ares kids were meant to send a representative, but they all had acquired (accidental) broken limbs during a recent capture-the-flag game against the Hunters, leaving them recuperating in the infirmary.

Zoe initiated the meeting with her usual positivity, declaring, "This is pointless."

"Cheez Whiz!" Grover exclaimed excitedly, scoping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and generously applying the topping.

"There is no time for talk," Zoe continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" inquired Chiron.

"West!" replied Bianca.

I marvelled at how different she appeared after just a few days with the Hunters. Her dark hair was now braided like Zoe's, revealing her face more prominently. Freckles adorned her nose, and her dark eyes vaguely resembled those of someone famous, though I couldn't quite place who. She seemed to have been working out, her skin radiating a faint glow akin to the other Hunters as if bathing in liquid moonlight.

"You heard the prophecy. Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can assemble a group of Six hunters and embark on this journey."

"Yes," Zoe agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."

"You're missing something, as usual," I quipped. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."

I glared at her with frustration.

In the span of just a couple of days, she had slapped me, punched me, shot an arrow at me, and brawled with me.

The punch had surprised me; I hadn't fully understood it.

I was only trying to comfort her, sensing her distress and seeing her tears.

The next day, Grover and Percy immediately noticed my cut lip, and I explained to them the events involving Zoe and her dream about Artemis being kidnapped.

Grover attempted to console me, attributing Zoe's actions to the fact that I was a boy and advised me not to take it personally.

However, I pointed out that she hadn't smacked or punched Percy or any other male demigod.

Grover and Percy were left without a solid response.

We pondered why the Hunters had ventured into that particular forest part.

Grover suggested the possibility that they were scouting us. He then pulled out a brochure he had found in Annabeth's backpack and showed it to Percy and me. The cover read, "A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE!" Inside were images of young maidens engaged in hunter activities—chasing monsters and shooting bows. Captions included phrases like "HEALTH BENEFITS: IMMORTALITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU!" and "A BOY-FREE TOMORROW!"

Percy's expression turned furious when Grover suggested that Annabeth might have considered joining the Hunters.

Grover and I exchanged looks but said nothing.