Our Family

Chapter 4

Months had passed since they met Luke's father, the god Hermes. They were taking their time trying to get to New York like Athena had instructed Annabeth so long ago, but it wasn't really on purpose. Three strong demigods such as themselves attracted a lot of monsters, so most of their migration was spent trying to escape their latest pursuer.

After the encounter with his father, Luke was always looking to pick a fight. Instead of trying to sneak around a monster camp in the rare event they caught the monsters unawares instead of the other way around, Luke charged in with his weapon drawn, forcing Annabeth and Thalia to follow him. Annabeth admired his courage and skill, but she didn't miss Thalia's attempts to stop him each time.

Unfortunately, the monsters had gotten the drop on them in this instance. They were cornered somewhere near the border between New York and New Jersey. They were deep in the woods with no sign of shelter, and surrounded by empousai, which Annabeth liked to think of as vampire cheerleaders. It made them less scary.

No matter how many they killed, more followed. Their hunting party had grown each time Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke had escaped them, so by the time they had been cornered there were dozens of them. Annabeth was the smallest, and while she was a skilled fighter, she was still young and inexperienced, and most importantly—tired. Luke and Thalia seemed to have realized that and tried to keep her in between them to protect her, but they were both fighting off three monsters at a time.

Just when Annabeth thought they were about to be overrun, silver arrows appeared and sliced the remaining empousai to bits. One by one, they disintegrated into golden dust, leaving behind arrows that were barely even damaged. Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke gathered in the middle of the clearing they found themselves in, all of them breathing heavily and sporting new wounds, but still unwilling to let their guards down.

Girls emerged from the trees around them, some of them collecting their arrows and others pointing their bows at Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke. Annabeth couldn't help but notice that more were pointed at Luke than her and Thalia. The girls were all dressed in silver parkas over white t-shirts and camouflage pants, with weapons strapped to their belts and tucked into their combat boots. Somehow, they still managed to refrain from making any sound as they moved. All of them seemed to have a silver glow about them. Their ages ranged from about seven, like Annabeth, to sixteen or seventeen.

Without a word, one of the girls walked towards them. She looked to be the oldest, and her long black hair pulled into a tight braid was adorned with a delicate silver crown. Annabeth guessed she was in charge, or at least held more authority than the others.

"I am Zoë Nightshade, lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. What are thy names?" The girl demanded.

Besides Annabeth letting out a slight giggle at Zoë's old way of talking, neither she nor Thalia moved, both looking to Luke for approval. He lowered his weapon ever so slightly and said, "I'm Luke, this—"

"Males do not speak here!" The girl, Zoë, snarled, and every bow in the vicinity was aimed at Luke. "Silence, filthy pig."

"Hey!" Annabeth said indignantly just as Thalia said, "Don't speak to Luke like that."

Zoë glared at the two of them and repeated, "Names."

Thalia folded her arms. "Thalia. This is Annabeth, and that's Luke."

Zoë sneered at the mention of his name and Annabeth frowned. Why were they being so mean to him?

"It's all right, Zoë." Another girl said, gliding forward. She was about twelve-years-old, with auburn hair and brown eyes that reminded Annabeth of a doe. "I am Artemis," she smiled warmly at Thalia and Annabeth but didn't look at Luke. None of them reacted to being in the presence of a goddess, as they had expected it once Zoë announced who the girls were. "You must be a daughter of Athena, Annabeth."