A web of fates | Percy Jackson and the Olympians

III| the goddess warns Daphne

"Uhm... Okay."

Daphne facepalmed. It was a stupid response and not one many gave the Olympians but then again, Percy had fought Ares at the ripe age of twelve.

The son of Poseidon didn't have many brain cells.

That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so... you're so... Wow!"

"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

"Yeah!" Theo seethed, glaring at the hunters as if they had personally kidnapped Annabeth.

"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."

Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of them in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who... who are you people?"

Artemis's expression softened. "It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you! Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.

"Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..."

She faltered. Daphne guessee she could tell from their faces that they didn't believe her.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."

"You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded old-fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

"An Olympian. athlete?"

Daphne looked at Theo, knowing it was something the two of them would laugh at under normal circumstances.

But Theo looked distressed - not that Daphne could blame him. Had one of her siblings been kidnapped she would've ran straight after them no matter who had told her otherwise.

So, in her opinion, Theo was reacting a lot better than she would have done. Although she guessed he already had a plan.

Children of Athena always had various plans.

"No," Zoe said. "One of the gods."

"Cool!" said Nico.

"No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"

Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for-"

"Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"

Thalia must've been feeling emphathetic, because the anger in her eyes subsided a little bit. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well... Our lives are dangerous."

"Very dangerous." Theo nodded.

"Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."

Theo and Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained.

"Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

"Then why won't you let us go look for her?" Percy asked.

Daphne looked at the goddess with a raised eyebrow. "He does have a point."

"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."