Perseus Jackson: Titan of The Hunt

CH68: Answers

(Diana)

As we walked amongst the myriad of tents I would usually have considered it odd that none of the hunters were out and about either training or just socializing in general. Instead silence seemed to reign throughout the camp. Were it not for the fact I could tell they were all remaining inside their tents I could have thought someone had kidnapped them all. But after this morning's 'incident' I could tell why, they were wary of me.

'Trouble 12 O'clock.' Percy whispered as causing me to turn from the direction of Phoebe and Atlanta's tent back towards my own. Sure enough leaning against a support post was the one Hunter who I expected to want to confront me now. Curiously I noticed that she seemed to have removed the circlet from her head and was idly playing with it between her fingers before she suddenly noticed the pair of us approaching. Curiously she didn't reposition it though which didn't bode well.

'We need to talk.' She stated more as a matter of fact than a request before glancing at the Scythe wielding Titan who had the blade tipped over his shoulder. 'Alone.' She added firmly.

'Fine see you later Thals, Lady Diana.' Percy muttered before practically stomping off in the direction of his tent.

'After you Milady.' She said stepping out of the way of the tent door as I walked past her inside the sparsely decorated tent. Unlike in winter when it was filled with animal furs and hunting trophies during the warmer months I preferred to merely keep it simplistic with only a few major ones after all additional insulation would only make it oppressively hot. Besides it was not as if I ever spent the night here anymore.

Regardless as I summoned a pair of chairs facing each other a few feet apart and sat in one I could tell where this 'discussion' was gonna end up. It was more a case of damage reduction I thought to myself as Thalia sat down the circlet lying on her lap.

'With respect milady I want you to be honest with me, have I not done enough to earn that right. So what the hell was that all about? The mere sight of you was enough to scare Phoebe shitless and she refuses to talk about it, so what am I missing?' She demanded with far more profanity than usual which was generally a good measure of exactly how annoyed she was.

'Your right I should have told you but there are things even an Olympian is ashamed to admit to and that is one of mine. Regardless let me start from the beginning. You are aware that father gave Pandora the pithos full of sins right. After she inadvertently released them I attempted to hunt them down as foolish as it sounds. Eventually my hunt led me to a northern Greek town that had become completely possessed by their own vices. Considering it doing them a favor so to speak I slew the entire town to the last man, woman and child. And in doing so created the first Eidolons out of their disembodied spirits now hungry for revenge.'

'I fail to see what this has to do with you trying to kill me a simple Eidolon cannot affect a goddess.' She said her eyes narrowing and crossing her arms.

'No it cannot but several hundred can cause... Problems.' I said after a brief pause as I considered how to phrase it.

'Eventually I was able to banish them from myself but in doing so they became permanently bound within my bow's true form that which you saw earlier. Ever since then I have very rarely used it for fear of the consequences as in times of weakness I can briefly lose control.' I admitted.

'But today wasn't the first time was it, after all Phoebe has seen this and she has only been in the hunt for a few centuries this happened millennia ago. So why else would you let it happen?'

'You don't know Phoebe's history though do you, after all we would all rather not talk about our pasts. Be honest do you even know her surname or what country she was from?' I asked her with a sigh. I hated bringing up bad memories even if they had resulted in a fine hunter.