The Unclaimed

Chapter 22: The start of the second day

   As soon as Artemis had left, Thalia and I went back to sleep. The moment my head hit my pillow, I was out like a light. Luckily no bad dreams came my way. Before I was ready to wake up, my eyes were fluttering open and I found Thalia staring down at me.
   "Wake up sleepyhead," I felt the corners of my lips rise into a smile. Then I yawned.
   "Why do we have to get up so early?" I whined; I hadn't known her for long but Thalia had an older sister vibe that emitted from her.
   "Because we need to eat breakfast and get going," Thalia said. "You didn't complain about getting up this early yesterday." She pointed put. I groaned as I sat up.
   "I got more sleep that night," I said and then remembered something. "I'm sorry I woke you last night. Though may I say, you're dealing a lot better with the lack of sleep then I am." She shrugged.
   "I've had more practice dealing with demigod dreams than you," she said with a matter-of-fact sound in her voice. "Now come on it's time to eat breakfast, tell the other hunters why Lady Artemis is not here, and then hit the road." I stood up and then froze as I realized something.
   "Umm Thalia, does Artemis disappear randomly in the middle of the night often?" I asked, praying that she would say yes. Otherwise I would be the hunter who made the others lose time with Artemis. As it was they were already so nice to me even though I was putting them all in danger. A mental argument seemed to be going on in Thalia's head, her eyebrows furrowed together and she bit her lower lip. Finally she spoke.
   "I'd love to lie and reassure you that Artemis leaves us all the time and it's not a big deal but I'd have to live with that forever," she told me. "Artemis only really ever leaves us completely alone when she is either forced or something major is about to happen. But don't worry, all the other hunters are extremely understanding about everything; especially when it's out of your control and their are gods trying to manipulate you. They won't blame you for Artemis needing to go away for the day." I felt relief spread through me. The last thing I wanted was to be hated by the first group of demigods who had ever treated me normally. Together Thalia and I left the tent to find all the other hunters gathered together looking nervous.
   "Where's Artemis," Maddison asked the moment she saw Thalia. The other hunters all looked ready to ask more questions but Thalia held up her hand.
   "Artemis left because she had to host an emergency meeting on Olympus," Nicole looked ready to say something but Thalia continued speaking. "Last night Jessica had a disturbing dream, which we obviously could not dismiss considering we are demigods. From what she heard in her dream, it looks like their are three gods who are trying to make sure she fails her quest. Artemis obviously was angered by this, as was I, and so Artemis left immediately last night to go confront her family." All the hunters looked shocked but nodded. Some seemed more familiar with Artemis having to leave in the middle of the night than others.
   "So are we just going to stay here and wait for her to get back?" Sophia asked. Thalia shook her head.
   "No we need to eat breakfast and then leave almost immediately," Thalia told the group. "She said to meet her at the Ohio-Indiana border tonight." All the hunters looked at each other, suddenly seeming a lot more rushed.
   "Why didn't you open with that," Chloe blurted out urgently. "We need to leave soon if we're going to make it all the way to the border tonight." Everyone started to scurry around the campsite. We ate, we packed up, ate some more, and before I even fully realized it Thalia was shouting that it was time to go. We all started running. As I ran, I prayed to whoever my father was that I would find the strength to succeed on this quest.