Hunter

Chapter Seventeen - Turning Point

"Hayley Hunter."

I opened my eyes. I turned, and the room collapsed in on me. The walls zoned in until I was trapped. Panic flared in my chest until a familiar face appeared before me.

"Your incompetence is worrisome. I am here to explain what will happen if you fail to accomplish that with which you have been tasked." Zariyah sat before me as though preparing for an interrogation. Her dark skin glowed, her earthly eyes intense.

"Your mother is a Celestial of Artemis. As a result, Artemis is your Guardian and has crafted you your third charm." My hand reached up for the necklace that I didn't have, but I knew which charm she was talking about: the crescent moon.

"It is her duty as the Goddess of the Hunt to make sure that all is well in Nature. Therefore, she crafted the Charm of the Wild. It is an amulet that holds the capabilities to protect or destroy Nature."

"Dee already explained this to me." Zariyah's eyes hardened.

"The charm provides certain powers and benefits that will expire after an elapsed amount of time." Apprehension tainted the taste in my mouth, a thick fear crawling up my throat.

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Artemis set up Terms and Conditions to which your parents agreed so that she could protect you. By the age of eighteen, you have to decide to accept Lady Artemis as your Guardian. If you do not, she revokes her charm, and you lose all of the powers that come with it."

"What? That's in two years!" No sympathy softened her glare. "I don't understand!"

"By accepting Artemis as your Guardian, you agree to become her Celestial once you have completed all Thirteen Labours."

"Why would I want to do that? My mother is already her Celestial: why would she want me?"

"What you fail to understand is that you have capabilities beyond any other Demigod. You are a Hybrid. As much as the gods may not want to admit it, you are valuable to them. It is no secret that you are powerful. That is one of the reasons that your necklace is missing, but even without it, you have proven to be a worthy opponent. Were you to commit to being a Celestial, your immortality would be guaranteed because you would be bound to Artemis by her rules and laws but were you to reject the gift, the gods would dispose of you after you've exhausted your use."

"Just like they did my parents." My voice was low as I processed what I had just been told. They would want to have me out of the way so that I wouldn't betray them. "But I would never do that to Sarah. She's my mother."

"But she is not your blood. Place trust where it cannot be bought. Power and strength are more valuable than any coin. When given the opportunity, a Celestial position is more important than a life." Something flickered in her eyes. Something dark and terrifying. I opened my mouth to speak, but Zariyah continued.

"You have only ever encountered gods in your dreams. Today was the first time that you came across them on Earth. You were unable to see Atë because, as a goddess, she is extremely powerful. The gods cannot be seen in their most powerful form on Earth: they simply come across as an aura. Were they to lessen their power, they would have the ability to be present before you, but no god would take that risk in your presence. However, were you to encounter them on Olympus, or in another Portal World, they would be able to appear in their true forms in front of you, because that is where they are most powerful."

"What's a Portal World?"

"To get from mortal dimensions to immortal dimensions, one needs to cross through a portal. The immortal dimensions are what we call Portal Worlds. Olympus, the Labyrinth, Ogygia, and so forth." Zariyah stood, her height towering above me in my cell. "My time here is overdue Hunter, and I have already shared more information that I intended. Let no ear hear that which has been said." She turned.

"What about Apollo?"

"Apollo is not where you are currently seeking him. The Sun will lead the way."

That day was the easiest that I had ever woken up. I was so exhausted, mentally and physically. I poked my head out of the open corner and realized that is was still night time. Not knowing what else to do with my hours, I sat up and focused, trying my hardest to meditate. All that I really needed was a moment to myself to recuperate, to at least try and come to terms with what happened. There would be no possible way that I could even try and make myself feel better about what I did, but maybe if I just tried... 

Closing my eyes, crossing my legs, and sitting up as straight as an arrow, I took in a deep breath and exhaled it.

When I opened my eyes again, the light was pouring into my tent as if Zeus himself was trying to blind me with his gaudy presence. Squinting slightly, I raised my hand to block the illumination. I didn't even realize how much time had passed. Unzipping the entrance to my tent, I finally stepped out into the daylight, hating how happy the day looked. Dee was awake, clearing all indications that may have revealed our location. I stepped out of the tent, and she glanced back at me.

She smiled, encouraging me to smile back. I felt a soft haziness in the back of my head that almost pulled me to smile. I knew what she was doing, which forced my already somber mood into the ground. I didn't smile back. The look of hurt on her face wasn't enough to elicit any emotion out of me. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted.

Jasper stepped out of his tent, his posture tall and confident. His hair was still messy from his sleep, his eyes still dark and angry. Above all, however, I saw weariness. Tiredness. He was exhausted, and so were we. He wrapped some cloth around his wrist before turning around to take down his tent. Dee and I followed suit, placing our made up tents in our bottomless bag. Our makeshift campsite was down in no time. Jasper immediately turned to Deirdre, addressing her directly, but leaving me entirely out of the conversation.

"The Sunsphere is in that direction. If we travel about thirty-six degrees east, there's-"

"There's been a change of plans." He stopped talking and glared at me. "We're going back home."

"Why?" Dee breathed out, exasperated.

"Because there's nothing for us in Knoxville."

"According to whom?" Jasper's voice was hard as he argued vehemently.

"According to Zariyah, Aphrodite's Celestial." I cocked an eyebrow, challenging both of them to say more. Jasper and I glared at each other, Dee standing awkwardly in between us. "Since you don't seem to have anything else to say, you can lead the way back." Jasper flexed his jaw before speaking.

"We'll go thirty-six degrees Northwest and connect with the I-57. We can walk that road for about two miles to a nearby bus station. Then, we can take the bus back home." The anger in his voice was hot, radiating a strong venom. The look in his eye was one of impassioned disdain. There was a palpable tension amongst all three of us. One that we had never experienced in all of our years of friendship.

In spite of my pride and my constant need to be right all the time, I feared for the future of our friendship. In spite of all that fear, in spite of how unsettling it all was, we trudged on.

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Hello my fellow Hunters,

Thank you all for sticking around even though I suck at posting. i love you all, and keep reading and letting me know what you think. I'm glad to see that our family is growing :) That makes me happy.

I hope you're all having a wonderful Day/Night or Morning/Evening

-Love ABD