Victorious

Alex

I woke up in a tent.
Okay, I was pretty sure I went to sleep on a bench last night after Cleo and Carter said See Ya! From the back of a Sprite truck.
I rubbed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair. Arg. I thought. I mind as well be Harry Potter. I don't usually show in any way, shape or form that I might be related to Aphrodite, but I draw the line at hair. I hate mine, mainly, but that's not the point.
I jumped backwards once I found out I was in a sleeping bag. And then I did just that and a yelp once I found out there were other girls in this tent, in which case I got ready to draw my sword. But then I panicked. I wasn't wearing my jacket, but thank goodness I was wearing my t shirt and jeans from yesterday.
But my pin was on my jacket.
Come on, Alex. I thought. Get it together.
I didn't look at all the creepy girls because I was looking for an exit.
"Get lady Artemis." One said. Her voice seemed eerily farmiliar. Almost like it was-
"He's awake." She finished.
Mine. That voice was mine. Well, a female version of mine.
My mind started to process everything. Artemis.. Hunters... Silver jackets..
I almost smacked myself on the head. The hunters of Artemis!
I calmed down. Now I knew this wasn't a creepy band of stalkers. These were Artemis and her hunters. The band of girls that hunted with the goddess and sworn off boys.
I looked at the girls. They seemed extremely bored. Two were playing goldfish or something with cards. One was polishing her bow. Another, was reading a book...
That was the one! The book girl!
I looked through my mind. That was the one you saw yesterday.
"You're very lucky," someone started. I looked towards the front of the tent and and saw a blurry girl with long auburn hair.
"Sure?" I said uncertainly.
Someone snorted. I squinted to the person next to the auburn hair girl.
"I- ah, don't have my glasses." I confessed, squinting. The same one snorted and dug something out of a pack. She (I assume) threw them to me and I cradled my glasses in my hands and put them on.
And then I wanted to take them off.
The auburn hair girl was Artemis. The Artemis. I've met her once, and I would remember that I hate you steely like glare anywhere.
The girl next to her was her lieutenant. My aunt, Thalia Grace. She because a huntress at 15, I think? And she's been to most of my birthday parties and is probably my favorite extended family member.
"Aunt Thalia?" I asked for reassurance. She smiled. Artemis gave a confused look.
"My brother Jason's son." Thalia continued.
Artemis nodded. "I see. Well, Alexander Caesar Grace, you are fortunate your fellow colleague begged us to take you in."
"You mean Thalia?" I asked stupidly. Anything to get off the subject of my name.
"No." Thalia said. "I supported her decision, but I didn't notice you were on a bench about to get eaten by a gorgon."
"Well who?"
The tent "door" ripped open.
"My lady," the person said firmly, turning to Artemis. "Time's running tight. The wolves said we don't have much time until you-know-what catches up to us." She pushed her her hair behind her ear and looked at something she was holding. "I also have the bandages."
"Good. Bandage him up." Artemis said. She smiled devilishly, and that made me back up even more into the back of the tent. "Hunters, pack up camp."
And the rest of the hunters, except the girl, left the tent. The girl knelt down next to me and I recognized her instantly. That scar on the left of her chin from when she tried to climb a tree and fell. Those sea green eyes that looked like they had the reflection of the ocean in them. The blonde, wavy hair that kind of looked like gold in the right lighting.
"Hold still." Kenzie said, blankly. She peered up at me through peeling a bandage. Our eyes met, and we looked away.
"Alex, I have absolutely no idea what you were doing sleeping when you were being attacked by a gorgon."
"I didn't know how it happened. I was asleep."
"You're a deep sleeper." She said. "As usual."
She rubbed some cream and a band aid on my arm.
"Why don't you just give me ambrosia?" I asked. I heard some girls snickering outside a tent.
"You don't get it, do you?" She asked, sighing.
"What?" I asked.
She tucked her hair behind her ear again, which was her cute little habit of I'm nervous.
"They hate me. The hunters all liked me but when I said we should save you they have been eyeing me and testing me to see if- well,"
"You'd break your oath." I said. "But you're 14."
"13." She corrected. "I'm immortal."
My stomach clenched. "Sorry. Still getting used to that." I said.
"They hate boys. And that girl, Delia-who's annoyingly hecka hot-" I almost laughed out loud. Kenize. Oh, Kenzie. She'd never been afraid to speak her opinion. I remember when she told me she was bisexual. I remember in 6th grade she saw some pretty girl and whistled. "The gods did a nice job on that one." She had said. I had given her a look, and she snorted, and said, "I'm bisexual, babe. Got a problem?" Oh, I love her.
"is the worst." Kenize continued, snapping me out of my trance. "One of the leaders, she is." She rubbed her hands on her ripped jeans. "She wants me busted. She's outside the tent right now."
"Leave it to me." I said grimly.
"What?" She asked, in disbelief, her sea green eyes wide.
"You can leave the tent. I'll fix myself."
"But they won't let me leave without you-"
"Why?"
"Because they'll be like you have to finish healing him or he'll die!"
"For gods sake, I'm not going to die!" I grumbled. "I have an idea. Hand me the cream and face the corner."
She handed the cream to me. "Why?"
"I have claws on my back, that's why. And those- idiots- will walk in and be like she's breaking her oath!"
"But I see you shirtless all the time." Kenzie said. "We go to the beach together all the time. And it's not like you're muscle worthy."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm doing this for you, just follow my directions."
"Fine."
She stood in the corner. I applied the cream.
I threw my shirt on.
"All clear?"
"Yeah." I said.
"Are you sure?"
"Gods Kenz, this isn't a twilight movie. Now where's my jacket?"
"Over there." She pointed behind herself by twisting her arm. I grabbed my jacket off the table and was happy to find my pin still on it.
"You're leaving?" Kenzie said half-heartedly out of joy or disappointment. She peered out from under her arm and then turned and straightened.
"Not yet." I said, about to rip open the door to the tent. "I have something to do."
I ripped open the flap to the tent and almost quite literally ripped it off.
"Hey, listen up!" I said, putting will into my voice. I turned behind me.
"Kenzie, get out here!" I called. Kenzie walked out of the tent with a confused look on her face.
"Whoever the hades Delia is, Mackenzie is and did not break her oath. We've known each other since we were born and always thought of each other as," why was I hesitating? Brothers and sisters. "Brother and sister. We wouldn't date each other, and if you think we would, then you're wrong. Okay? So don't make fun of her about it." I put extra charmspeak into my voice so no one would argue.
"Mr. Grace," Artemis said, petting a wolf in the center circle. "Charmspeak or men are not allowed in my camp-" a few ooohs erupted from the crowd- "but I believe you. You are given my permission to leave."
"I was going to leave-"
"Just leave Alex you're lucky she didn't behead you." Kenzie whispered.
I smiled. "Bye Kenz."
She smiled back. Ka-bump. "Bye Alex."
"New Rome next summer. Be there." I said as I walked out. She smiled sadly.
"I'll try."

I walked through the woods.
Now what? I should've thought of a plan before I left that camp. I needed to get out of here.
I shook my head and pulled out a soda that I bought a few days ago. I popped it open and drank it with annoyance. You're probably wondering how that's done. Give a disgusted glare at a bottle of pop when you drink it and there you go.
"Neigh."
I turned around. I detached my pin and it turned into my spatha.
There was a beautiful brown horse with thirty different colors in its coat standing in front of me. On instinct, I backed away. I didn't have Kenzie's thing with horses.
"Um... Don't eat me." I said quickly in charmspeak. It looked at me, confused for a second, and shook it's head almost like it was a person.
The horse came up to me and I backed into a tree.
"What do you want?" I asked the horse. "Food?"
I reached into my bag. The horse watched me with interest in its intimidating dark eyes.
"Here." I handed it some jerkey. It looked at me for a second like to say really? Then it ate it.
It nudged me in the shoulder.
"What?" I asked. "I know you can't talk."
The horse neighed like obviously.
It nudged me again and jerked its head sideways towards where it seemed to have came from.
"Oh!" I said. "You want to take me somewhere? No."
The horse slammed into me and I slammed into the tree.
"Ouch." I said. "You remind me of my friend Cleo. Here, fine. I'll get on."
I jumped on, or at least tried to.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." I said as I landed on my back.
I tried to jump on again and grabbed onto the hair.
"Good." I breathed. "Now I just have to-"
And the horse took off.