How I Became a Hunter/Amazon

Charlie

Two figures could be seen through the mist. Children, little girls, judging from their height and long hair. If you came closer, you would be able to make out that the strange shapes around them were play equipment and that the girls were in a park. A high-pitched laugh cut through the air.

"Higher, Maia! Really, really high!"

"Okay Charlie. Hold on!" The tallest of the pair was pushing her, evidently younger, companion on a swing. A voice called from nearby and both of them turned in its direction."That's mum. Come on, let's go and see her."

"Oh," the child pouted. "I wanted to stay."

Her sister bit her lip. "I suppose, because we can still see you. Just stay on the swing." And she ran off to their mother. Charlie wasn't worried, although she should have been. For at that very moment, as she sat there swinging her legs and murmuring softly, a beast roamed the surrounding undergrowth.The manticore crouched low, licking its lips at what was sure to be an easy catch. His advance so far had been silent but, much to his annoyance, some of the spikes on his tail had become caught on a holly bush. The rustle did not escape the notice of the small legacy, who glanced around cautiously, her eyes narrowed down to slits. Grinding his teeth, he prepared to pounce. He'd have to be quick, and make sure that she didn't scream as he could smell a demigod was close. However, curse the damned thing, Charlie slid to the floor and started to back away. The monster, half-lion, half-human with the tail of gods knows what, leapt into the open, fangs bared in a gruesome grin. And so the chase began.There was no way she could outrun her pursuer but it was the only option. 

She fled, zigzagging through front gardens and across roads, all the while gasping for breath and screaming for her sister and parents.In her panic, her memory failed her and she turned down an alleyway that led to a dead end. The monster closed in. There was no escape.Looking down at the pitiful, sobbing heap among the bins, he snorted. The child's breathing was ragged and she hid her face in her hands, seeming to have accepted the fact that she was dead.A second later and it would have been too late. It couldn't have been shot from rooftops, or from the entrance of the alleyway. It was too fast, too bright to be a regular arrow.When it hit the manticore it didn't stick in its back. Instead it went straight through, piercing the heart and sinking into the tarmac. Realizing what had happened, the monster didn't bleed or sink to the floor, but let out an anguished screech and exploded into thick, pungent dust.Charlie peeked out from between her fingers, wondering why she hadn't been eaten yet. She edged forward and, with all her remaining strength, wrenched the arrow from where it had made a deep puncture in the ground. Her mother and sister had heard her cry for help and seen her rushing off. Now they entered the alleyway.

"Charlie!" Maia yelled and rushed to her sister. "Oh gods, I thought you were dead."

"I'm not." she answered firmly, "I found this." Their mother came forward, her face grave. However, after checking that Charlie hadn't been hurt, she was more confused than worried. There was no way that a five-year old could have defeated a manticore. But the daughter of Hermes was clever, and she soon realized who the silver arrow belonged to. The Hunters of Artemis.

*End of Flashback*

"So it was you!" she gasped. "It was you guys all along and we never suspected."

"I suspected, but I never could figure out why they saved you." The girl's older sister slunk forward, looking for all the world like a cat, and gave the Hunters a suspicious look.

"Well, there were multiple reasons," one of them stepped forward. She only looked about fourteen, possibly younger, and she was small for her age."You see, I'm an old friend of your mother's. We'd been scouting your family anyway. I wanted to see Lizzie again, and our lieutenant," she put her hand on the shoulder of a dark haired girl with a glittering silver circlet on her head, "saw Maia as a possible recruit, when she was older of course. Even if we hadn't known who you were, it would not have been fair to leave you to die." 

Maia, who had been listening intently, tilted her head and a thoughtful look came over her."So," she mused, "do you still want me to join? And what about Charlie? It wouldn't be very nice of me to leave her behind." The lieutenant spoke for the first time. She explained that they would like to offer both of the girls a place. Their faces lit up instantly. Then the light died.

"Ummm... Could you excuse us?" They got in a huddle and whispered for about a minute. 

"I want to join."

"So do I."

" Could we really leave Camp Half-Blood though? And all our friends?"

 We could come back and visit them. Besides, it's not like we could've stayed here forever."

" I know, I know. They'll probably be happy for us."

" It's decided then, we'll accept."

Before they could turn back to the group and reveal the news, a blinding flash of light was seen through the trees. They all looked away and when they turned back around, a young girl with peculiar silver eyes was standing among them. Percy Jackson, one of the camp heroes, had told Charlie a story once, about when he had first met Artemis and her hunters. The girl fitted his description of the goddess exactly."Di Immortales..." she muttered. The only Olympian that she'd ever seen was her grandfather, and that was only for a short amount of time.

"You have chosen well," Artemis said, smiling.

"Should they take the oath?" the lieutenant, Thalia, asked.

"Yes. Repeat after me.'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis, turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the hunt.'"