The Hunt for His Heart

Ana: Part thirteen

                                                                         XIII

                                                                        Ana

        Ana put her head into her hands, looking over towards the Hephaestus cabin longingly. It was cruel. She was stuck in her own mental prison. She fixed the covers on her bed and dropped her bow beside her bed and laid down, staring at the ceiling. She hated that ceiling. She hated the silver thing in her hair. And she hated her bow. She hated it all!

        “Uh, Ana, there’s someone who wants to talk to you,” Thalia said, disturbing Ana’s thoughts. Uncertain, Ana made her way to the front of the cabin as Thalia guided her. Who would want to see her at night, she had no idea. What appeared to be a thirteen year old girl with auburn hair and a bow in hand stood, with a welcoming face.

        “Hello Andromeda, I’m Artemis, goddess of the hunt,” introduced the young girl. “Please sit.” Ana sat in a wooden chair that stood beside her. Fumbling for the chair, Ana fell into the chair ungracefully.

        “I know of your connection between Hephaestus’s child and yourself.” Ana nodded admittedly with shame. “And I understand what you are going through. I was in love once myself, once with a very handsome hunter named Orion. In the end, I killed him, thanks to my blindness of situations, but that isn’t important. He returned and killed off a few of my best Hunters. May they rest in peace. And so, I’m prepared to make an offer. In trade of your immortality and eternal service to me, you will become what you always have been, Poseidon’s child. And you will never be allowed to become a Hunter again. Then you will be able to be with whomever you like and it wouldn’t be breaking any rules. Love is always a big sacrifice, Aphrodite agrees,” Artemis said. Ana, dumbfounded, didn’t think Artemis was anything like Aphrodite. The only thing they seemed to have in common was that they were both one of the twelve Olympians and were both goddesses.

        “I will take your offer!” Ana exclaimed with full confidence.

        “Then please repeat after me,” Artemis said. “I, say your name.”

        “I, Andromeda Stone.”

        “swear by the river Styx that I will turn away to Artemis’s services and may be able to join the company of men once again. I will decline the offer to become immortal and once again remain mortal.”

        “swear by the river Styx that I will turn away to Artemis’s services and may be able to join the company of men once again. I will decline the offer to become immortal and once again remain mortal,” Ana said slowly. Suddenly, it was as if she was running for an hour, and her knees buckled beneath her while everything was beginning to turn black.

        “May you use your wish wisely,” said a voice (she wasn’t sure whose) before she blanked out.

                                                                             …

         

        Ana awoke in a foreign looking cabin with a feeling of the ocean. It was odd, it was as if she were right next to the ocean, but instead, in a cabin with Percy asleep, drooling. Not intending to wake Percy up, she changed into clothes that were set up at the foot of her bed silently. She smiled to wear her Camp Half Blood t-shirt once again and some comfortable boot cut jeans. As she was about to walk out the door, she noticed Percy turn and murmur something that Ana couldn't depict from the gibberish. See ya later Perce, Ana mentally said.