chapter forty-four

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ROBIN WAS NOT, IN fact, dead at all. He wasn't okay, either, but he was alive. Poseidon decided to do him a favour, and he didn't die from falling into the water, or staying there for as long as he did, or even the cold. A water nymph brought him to the snowy surface, where he laid for a few minutes, gathering his strength.

To his luck, a kind young woman had a hut nearby. She happened to be walking by, and helped Robin over. She was no taller than he was, but she was still very strong. Her eyes showed only kindness, and she had a glow to her.

He let him sit at the table while she prepared some stew on the fire. He sat quietly, trying not to fall asleep.

The woman hummed to herself as her let the stew cook, and went to pour a glass of water for the boy. She placed it in front of him.

"Drink, it will do you good," She said softly, offering him a small smile.

Robin accepted her offer and drowned it in one gulp. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was until then. The woman served him some stew.

While he ate, the woman patched him up a bit, the best her first aid kit would allow. Everything still hurt, but at least he didn't look as bad now, and it would heal faster.

The woman, who admitted to the boy that she was the goddess Hestia, let him rest. He needed it. She wasn't sure what happened to him. Wherever he had been was inaccessible by the gods, but it wasn't Alaska. There was something else at work there, some form of deeper magic.

The next morning, Robin woke up feeling much better than he had in weeks. His body was still incredibly sore, of course, but he felt better, even if by just a little bit. He walked out of the small room to find Hestia preparing yet another meal.

As he ate, she spoke. "I believe you have some friends you'd like to see?"

Robin nodded, not able to find the strength to talk.

"Artemis said she could help you out."

A small smile made it's way into his face. "You're an angel, Lady Hestia," He said, his voice hoarse.

"Save your energy for your friends. They will want an explanation, will they not?"

The goddess lead the boy outside and into a forest. The sky seemed to disappear as it was replaced by leaves and branches. Around them, animals could be heard scurrying around or flying through the trees. Snow coaxed the ground and any branch strong enough to support the weight of the centimetres of snow. Deeper in the woodland was a camp. At a fire, sat Artemis in the form of a young girl.

Hestia brought Robin over, letting him sit near the fire to warm up. She went to talk to Artemis, in private for a moment.

Coincidentally, Thalia Grace, Robin's half sister was there too. She spotted Robin's pink hair immediately and rushed over.

"Holy Hera, you look like shit," She said to him, engulfing him in a gentle hug so she wouldn't hurt him.

"Thanks," Robin said sarcastically, his voice stronger than it had been earlier. The raven-haired girl sat down beside him.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," She said softly. "The Hunters, both camps too." She paused, not sure if she should tell him the rest. "At first we thought you just went on a quest or something, but after awhile we started getting worried. So we went looking."

"I'm glad you did. Not like anyone found me, though," He said, more sadly than spitefully. Not even he knew where he was, and the Gods didn't seem to either.

"Where are you going to go?" Artemis asked from behind the two. Thalia bowed respectfully but Robin stayed staring at the fire.

"Back to the Avengers Compound. They probably think I'm dead." He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he wanted them to know he was alive. He wanted to stick around, too.

"Apollo said you were trapped there," The goddess of the hunt said, tilting her head to the side as she sat down beside him.

"Yeah, then I escaped. Now I'm there willingly," Robin explained, then coughed.

Artemis and Thalia seemed to have a conversation with their eyes, and the latter left, leaving only Artemis and Robin by the fire. The other hunters were all doing other things, either hunting or cleaning up from their recent hunt.

"You'll need a way to get there," She said after his brief explanation. She stood up, helping Robin to his feet.

He winced as he got up. He was not ready to be moving this much, but he had to get back. Back to the Avengers. Despite the pain erupting in his body, he allowed Artemis to lead him to a different area, where a majestic horse with a golden hide stood, eating some grass that wasn't covered by snow.

"This is Dakota. A horse we took from some guy who was mistreating her," The goddess explained. "You can ride her back to where you need to go. She knows her way back."

Robin nodded, and collapsed as soon as the daughter of Zeus let go of him. She quickly came to his aid.

"You can go tomorrow. For now, gather some of your strength."

The rest of the day, Robin stayed at the came, mostly just letting Thalia talk to him about all her adventures. He couldn't help but smile. She seemed to be enjoying herself so much, being a hunter. It suited her.

The next morning, Artemis accompanied Robin over to where Dakota was. She helped him get on the horse. She told the animal where to go, and, without warning, they were off. Despite all the pain he felt, Robin held on.

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