𝔅𝔲𝔯𝔡𝔢𝔫 - 𝔉𝔢𝔪𝔒ℭ𝔵𝔏𝔢𝔬 𝔙𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔢𝔷

3. We Aren't As Alike As I Thought. . .

After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you'd think nothing else could shock you. But when the goddess, Artemis, revealed herself to Percy, he said. "Um. . .okay."

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!"

I rolled my eyes, and crossed my arms, shivering from the cold. My adrenaline had left, and my shoulder was aching.

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

"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out." Everyone looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of us 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 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. I guess she could tell from our faces that we didn't believe her.

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

"You are a half-blood," Zoë 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."

Man, I really got to cough. It burned my throat, and my eyes watered up, but I kept it down. It's gonna be awkward. . .

"An Olympian. . .athlete?"

"No," Zoë said. "One of the gods."

"Cool!" Said Nico.

"No!" Bianca's voice quivered. "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!"

I coughed, zapping Thalia and Percy with extra energy around me. Welp.

As anxious as I felt about Annabeth—all I wanted to do was help Percy search for her—I couldn't help feeling sorry for the di Angelos. i remembered what it was like for Percy and I when we first learned we were demigods.

Thalia must have been feeling something similar, 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."

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

Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained. I took a ragged breath, and found Percy's hand. He laced our fingers together, and his eyes never left the snowy floor.

"Do not despair for Annabeth," said the goddess. "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, eyes still down.

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

"Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with the arrows! Is he dead?"