It almost worked ✸ Apollo ¹

XL. Starved of anything good

The one thing Lydia was not expecting when she met Artemis, was the goddess saying how much of a warrior she was. But Lydia had to remind herself that this whole thing with Apollo wasn't some weird but normal high school thing. Apollo and Artemis were Greek gods, and powerful ones at that. So maybe Artemis was cool about the prophecy?

Artemis glanced over at the girl beside her. She had long hair braided at the very end, dark eyes that had so much beauty, and there was a moon circlet in her hair. "Zoe, permission granted."

Zoe was about to shoot her weapon at Thorn, but the manticore lunged at the group of demigods. Lydia barely took a step before something pulled her down, she couldn't move forward. "What-" She looked back to see Artemis staring at her. Was this what it felt like when she used her powers on others?

Everyone cried out as Annabeth went towards Thorn, but Lydia still couldn't move forward. Annabeth climbed on Thorn's back as she stuck her dagger into his pointy skin. Lydia yelled "Artemis, let me go!"

"This is not your time to fight, Lydia" Artemis glared at her "I apologize, but you must understand what the fates have in store for you. Becoming a part of this group was not meant for you. You were never supposed to be here."

"What? That doesn't have anything to do with saving my friends!" Lydia shouted back, the hunters looked ready to murder her.

Lydia was tired of the gods dropping these random bomb shells and leaving her to figure it out alone. This whole prophecy she had ahead of her made no sense, and these random facts left her making a puzzle she didn't want. She hated puzzles. Yet this one she couldn't stop searching for pieces.

The hunters readied their arrows, not even caring that Annabeth was still hanging onto Thorn. Lydia groaned "Fine! But don't-"

With one last roar from the manticore, he tumbled off of the edge with Annabeth. Everyone went quiet. Except for Lydia, who was running towards the cliff in outrage. She kneels on the snowy earth to look at the bottom. The waves were still thrashing around each other. But Annabeth was nowhere to be seen.

Horrible thoughts clouded her mind, her head pounding with them. She wanted to scream at the hunters for letting their arrows go while Annabeth was still in the line of fire. But a voice in her head stopped her from doing so. Apollo's comforting voice made the terrible thoughts go away.

Just breathe, Lydia. Your friend is alright.

But your sister didn't even stop her hunters. She let them do this. And how do you know she's okay?

Artemis protects women, and she wouldn't have let her hunters attack if she knew Annabeth would be in danger. And I do not know if Annabeth is okay, but I know that you do.

She's smart. And she'd find herself a way out of this.

See? that's what you should tell yourself.

The conversation with Apollo was over, and Lydia found herself watching Artemis take down the helicopter. Thalia helped her back up to face the situation. Artemis was talking with her hunters when they approached.

Percy turned on Artemis "Please! You have to let us save Annabeth!"

Artemis gave Percy that same look she gave Lydia moments earlier. But Apollo made Lydia feel better about this situation. Annabeth was a smart friend, and Artemis would never hurt women like that.

"I'm sorry, Percy Jackson." Artemis sighed "But your friend is beyond help now."

Percy didn't take this very lightly. His expression of hurt but calm turned into anger. The hunters looked ready to hurt him as soon as his expression changed "No! Who do you think you are?!"

Zoe stepped forward to smack him, but Artemis stopped her "No, Zoe. I sense no disrespect. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."

Artemis gazed down at Percy "I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt."

Percy seemed stunned, but he was the only one other than the Di Angelo's who didn't know the girl was Artemis. So he didn't believe it much. He looked at Lydia for answers. "Is she really?"

Lydia nodded "Gods and goddesses can look however they want, Percy. Artemis chooses to look young like her hunters I guess."

Lydia's replies felt empty. She was too distraught about everything she could barely talk like herself. Her mind couldn't handle all this life threatening information all at once.

Grover 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!"

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

It was always hard to explain this stuff to new demigods, but they all learned eventually. Lydia just stood away from everyone as they talked. It was a bit unusual for her because she always had stuff to say. But now, what was there to talk about?

She wished there was some sort of magical way to forget some of her thoughts for a few hours, and maybe then she'd be okay. It had been a long time since Lydia felt this way.

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..."

Lydia finally spoke up "Bianca, there's a reason why Thorn came after you and Nico. You both are demigods. Children of some Greek god or goddess."

Everyone looked at her, not expecting her to talk. But she was starting to feel a little better.

"Cool!" said Nico.

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

It wasn't cool, but Lydia thought it was better for the kid to think that while he could. He was so young and he didn't need to worry about this stuff yet.

"Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage?" Nico jumped around excitedly "Does he get extra movement points for-"

"This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!" Bianca yelled.

Thalia must've 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."

Lydia always wondered what her life would be like if her father wasn't a greek god, and she was just a normal teenager. The thought made something tug at her mind. Like an alternate universe version of wishing she was in a life full of adventure instead.

She shook her head. Where did that even come from?

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

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."