¹Mσɳ Aɱσɳ Cαɾα I ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ

1. Their journey begins

♡ Asteria had been fighting for a long time. She had been fighting before Artemis found her broken and wartorn and offered her a spot among her hunters, appointing her Co-Lieutenant along with her friend Zoë Nightshade. She remembers a time you used to hesitate and fear battles, but not anymore. She taught herself how to control her fear, and found out what would happen if she hesitates.

Now, almost 2 millennia later, Asteria never hesitated and never feared. She knew the consequences. Asteria considered this to be a good thing. Fear meant weakness, and Asteria Callisto was anything but weak. She would uphold her oath and pay back her debt to Artemis or die trying.

"We are approaching the manticore," Artemis spoke from the front of the group, the only sound that could be heard as she and the hunters rushed through the woods. "Ready on my signals, and may your aim be true."

Artemis has disguised herself as a young girl in order to fit in with the rest of the hunters. Her timeless face held her silver-yellow eyes that reminded Asteria of the moon. Her hair, auburn in colour, tied back into a ponytail. Asteria has spent centuries by the goddesses side, and yet she never got used to her beauty.

A roar broke the silence surrounding the woods, and the hunters ever silent in their movements waited for a signal from their lady. Artemis looked over at the group of girls. "Be prepared for an attack and be wary of the manticores attacks. On my signal, "

Zoe Nightshade, who stood by Asteria, took a breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, determination shone in them; Asteria knew her eyes were the same.

"When I blow the horn, we will begin the assault," Artemis said. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, My Lady." the hunters answered.

Asteria stood by Zoe as they both took aim with their bows. Artemis blew the horn, the sound, echoing through the woods. The sound of the hunters of Artemis.

Asteria saw the manticore freeze and, for a moment, time stood still.

"No," the manticore said. "It cannot be-"

He never got to finish his sentence as Asteria released her arrow, shooting through the woods like a bean of moonlight. It found a new home in the manticore's shoulder. He staggered and wailed in pain.

In the distance, Percy Jackson and his friends gaze in the direction the arrow came from and watch.

"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in mid-air and sliced them in two. 

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Asteria watched as a boy tried to swipe at him with his sword, idiot. He dodged the attack and slammed his tail into the boys' shield, knocking him aside.

Boys, Asteria sighed internally, rolling her eyes.

The hunters emerged from the woods. All girls and about a dozen in total. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, sixteen, Asteria. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

"Oh, wonderful." Thalia muttered.

Percy didn't have a chance to ask what they meant as one of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery coloured skin. She had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, and looked like some kind of Persian princess.