The Unclaimed

Chapter 39: Reacting to the hint of the day

   By the end of the explanation, Artemis was pacing. Her facial expression had remained the same but her body posture suggested that she was nervous. Jason, Thalia, and I all sat quietly while we waited for her to speak. I wondered what the other hunters thought was going on in our tent. After all we had been in here for a while. Finally she stopped. Spinning so she could face all of us, Artemis spoke.
   "Normally I would be furious at you, a male, for tracking and surprising my hunt," she told Jason. A look of worry appeared on his face. "But I believe I must make an exception just this once. Based off of all of the evidence that I have been told, it appears that if it were not for you than Jessica would no longer be with us." At this point in her speech she shot me a look that made me blush and look down at the ground. But I didn't deny what she said because it was the truth; I would have been dead if Jason hadn't saved me.
   "Though you looked passed what I did, I still apologize for my actions," Jason said humbly. For a few moments I was confused but then I realized how smart he was to apologize. It was unlikely that Artemis would take the invasion of her hunts privacy well, and she had all of eternity to remember it and get revenge on Jason, so attempting to stay on her good side was very wise. She nodded in acknowledgement to him. Artemis looked at me.
   "Jessica, what were you thinking?" She asked me quietly. I shrugged but then caught myself.
   "I thought I'd be fine," I said honestly. "Throughout the quest, none of the monsters have ever come during the morning. I just wanted a little bit of time to myself." I told her. Understanding flashed into her eyes but then they skirted to the sheet of paper with my hint. Worry overcame her expression.
   "I know you thought you'd be fine but from here on out we're going to have to act with extra caution." Thalia and Jason shared a sad look.
   "You're saying that because of today's clue, aren't you?" I couldn't stop my voice from cracking in the middle of my sentence. Artemis sighed and proceeded to nod.
   "I refuse to lie to you Jessica," she said quietly. "A prophecy saying that you will soon take your final breath is not a good sign. There are very few ways that line can be interpreted." I looked down in despair.
   "My lady," Thalia's voice entered the conversation for the first time in a while. "How can we be sure that these hints are prophecies? I mean yes, they do sound irritatingly similar to prophecies but if they are just trying to mess with our heads." Artemis looked doubtful but intrigued.
   "Go on," she encouraged Thalia. While she only said two words, hope clearly rang through them.
   "Every previous hint has just been a hint," Thalia said. "Today's clue had no end goal for Jessica to try and reach, like most prophecies have. Jason saving Jessica happened before she got the clue, it wasn't like her being saved was foretold." Artemis looked to be deep in thought.
   "So what do you suggest?" Artemis questioned Thalia.
   "I think whoever is behind all of this, and I'm talking about the overall quest as a whole, is trying to mess with our heads." Thalia said. "I think they are trying to throw us off guard by making us nervous." I bit my lip before I could say anything. Her theory sounded plausible but I wanted to hear Artemis's reaction on it before I spoke.
   "You may be on to something lieutenant," Artemis said. The corners of my lips pulled up into a smile. "But we still need to take extra caution from here on out in regards to Jessica's safety. Is that clear?" Both Thalia and I nodded. Artemis looked Jason in the eyes. "I again thank you for your help. But I am afraid that we must now leave and continue with our travels. I will give you a few minutes of privacy to say goodbye; I wish you a safe journey." With that Artemis exited the tent and left me, Jason, and Thalia alone.