|| Runaways ||

|| Chapter 4 ||

Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke scrambled after Diana as she easily navigated the woods, nimbly springing over rocks and fallen trees and roots while the other three stumbled behind. The darker the day became, the more Annabeth was sure Diana had a silvery glow around her. Ellie pranced in front of Diana, looking behind every now and then as if to see how slow they were being.

"Slow down!" Luke gasped as they almost lost sight of Diana once again. Diana stopped and turned, her silver eyes looking coldly at Luke.

"Listen, boy," she started. "Males do not make demands. It would do well to remember that."

"I thought she was kidding about that whole 'don't expect hospitality thing,'" Thalia muttered to Luke. He nodded but didn't trust Diana enough to say anything.

Annabeth's hand drew toward her dagger every step they made. The trees were thicker now, and with the rapidly receding light, the three stumbled over the smallest of branches.

Then Ellie pranced ahead and out of sight.

"We are close," Diana said. She shot a look at Luke. "It is not too late to leave."

There was something in her voice that told Luke that it would indeed be a good idea to leave. But one look at Annabeth and Thalia made him keep going.

Then they stumbled upon a clearing. Luke stood up from where he tripped, only to find to get pinned to the tree behind him.

"Hey!" Luke shouted and yanked out the silver arrow that had buried it's way into the side of his shirt. Then a series of arrows found the exact spot, his hand moving just in time. More rained down, outlining his figure perfectly. Luke froze. An arrow went into the cuffs of his shorts.

"Leave him alone!" Annabeth shouted. There were several girls in the clearing, all wearing identical clothing to Thalia and Annabeth, all with massive silver bows and quivers. The girls lowered their bows, but Thalia knew that they could rise, aim, and shoot in the blink of an eye.

"Drop the bows," Thalia said dangerously. The girls all looked to Diana, and Diana nodded at one particular girl. She had dark hair and a silver circlet like a headband, unlike everyone else.

"Release bows," she said. She eyed Thalia distastefully. "I don't see why thy defends a male," she added.

Luke yanked an arrow out of his shirt. "Thalia, Annabeth, and I--" yank. "Happen to--" yank. "Be--" yank. "A family," he finished.

"Some family," a girl with green tinted skin scoffed.

Annabeth glared, and the girl stuck out her bottom lip in mock sympathy. "Oh, is the wittle girl sad we attacked her big bwother?" She asked.

Annabeth drew her knife and slashed at the girl, but she was just as fast and parried it with a silver hunting knife. The two met again in a clash of bronze and silver.

"Enough!" Diana roared.

The girl dropped her knife to her side.

"Thalia and Annabeth are here to join," Diana said.

"Milady?" The circlet girl asked, her eyes narrowing in Thalia's direction.

"Hey!" Thalia protested. "We never agreed to that!"

Diana looked at them. "An agreement hasn't been made yet," Diana agreed. "Let's talk in my tent."

"Don't you--" Luke tugged the final arrow from the cuffs of his shorts and stood up. Another three arrows fired at his shirt.

"Males don't make demands here," Circlet girl hissed.

"Maybe it's just because no male wants to come here," Luke snapped.

"And no one wants them here," A girl with ginger hair said. "You'd think that eventually, they'll get the point, even as thick as they are."

Luke opened his mouth to speak again, fury tinged at his cheeks, but Circlet raised her bow.

"Come with me," Diana said, gesturing over to a silver tent.

Thalia crossed her arms and glared. "No. Whatever this anti-boy camp is, we don't want a part of it. Luke looks after us, like we him. He's a part of our family."

"Let them leave, Lady Artemis," green skin girl said. "If they don't respect you, then why should they join?"

"Artemis?" Annabeth asked. She looked around. "Artemis. You're the hunters of Artemis."

"She's a smart one," Ginger commented, but Circlet shook her head.

"Nay, Phoebe. If she were wise, she would join."

Annabeth's eyes flashed.

"We have a good reason for you to join," Artemis interrupted. "I found you three fighting for your lives and slowly dying. You were lost and homeless with no family but each other. I know your parents," she added. "And they've been -watching over you. They were worried about you. So I tried to help you to make sure you stay alive."

"Some help this is," Luke grumbled. An arrow whizzed by his head.

"Not you!" Phoebe snapped. "Lady Artemis is good to those that are good to her."

"I've never even met her before today!" Luke protested.

"Silence!" Circlet snapped. "Males do not speak without permission!".

"We can train you," Artemis added. "You will be able to fight monsters properly. You will be immortal to sickness and old age. Your powers will be enhanced than one of even a demigod. And you will be safe with us and never grow hungry again."

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. It was a good offer, she knew. And from her knowledge of Greek mythology, she knew why Artemis was so man-hating. It made sense.

Thalia folded her arms. It was a promise given by Artemis, she knew. But she couldn't stand Artemis and her hunters. And she hated promises. It was like the promise her mother had given Jason and herself-- that she loved them.

She didn't love them.

Luke was watching the girls through worried eyes. Annabeth, he could tell, was considering it. Thalia was dead set against it. But Luke knew that Thalia would stay if Annabeth did, just to make sure that Annabeth would be okay. Luke would too, if he were allowed. But he figured that he would be sooner dead than a hunter of Artemis.

The choice was up to Annabeth, and she knew it. She knew that Thalia wouldn't join if it were just her, but she also knew that if she joined, Thalia would follow. That part comforted one of her reservations about joining- Thalia would be there too. But then there was the problem of Luke. He couldn't join. And they were a family. They wouldn't leave each other.

"Family, Annabeth," Luke whispered. "I promised."

Annabeth looked up at Artemis and slowly shook her head.

So I'll update this more often now :) but probably not very consistently :( but after I finish WMMM 3, I'll take a short break to work on side fanfics like this :)