The Hunters of Artemis: The Return of the Hunters

Chapter 3: Introductions

An hour later, I was completely baffled. I was a demigod? Or... actually, I wasn't sure what I was. An hour ago, I was so sure, and now I had no idea. What do you call a child of two demigods? It's one whole (techincally) on the godly side, but also one whole on the mortal side. Don't those contradict each other? Never mind. For now, just to spare your little mortal brains, I'm just going to say I'm a demigod.

Finding out I'm a demigod shines a light on some things I'd never realized were... different. Like how I always hit a target in the center when I threw or shot something. My love for music was another. I mean, who doesn't like music, but who can play twenty different instruments after only seeing them once? Yeah. Exactly. (P.S. Don't try it. It will only hurt you in the long run.)

Oh, and my super competitive spirit. I thought that was just me... until I found out my grandma is the goddess of victory. Yeah. I know. 

And that super competitive spirit made it a little hard to make friends at school. People called me mean, or obsessed with winning, but... it's just me. You know? I can't change who I am. 

"Rhea?" It was Mom. 

"Yeah?"

She sighed. "It's time for us to go. Are you going to be okay? Do you need anything else?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I'll be fine." Hugging her, I said, "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Rhea." She crouched down a bit so we were the same height. "Be good, okay? If you need to contact us, ask Chiron to make an Iris Message. Got it?"

I nodded. "Iris Message. Got it." 

Dad smiled at me. "That's my girl." Hugging me, he said, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. A whole summer away from you guys?" I forced a laugh. To be honest, I was only pretending to be brave. On the inside, I was terrified. It was like, Hey! You're a demigod. Now live without us for two months. Don't die! Oh-so-happy, right? Not.

"I love you," Dad said. I repeated it back and he pulled away. Mom and Dad started up the hill, leaving me at the bottom alone and scared. 

Turning back to camp, I went to talk to Chiron about my sleeping situation. Would I sleep in the Apollo cabin or the Nike cabin? I had equal claim to each, and would probably sleep in whichever had less. 

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"What do you mean I get to choose?"

Chiron had abandoned his wheelchair and was in his centaur form. The horse part of him scared me. And I was still getting used to the idea of him being immortal. Living forever? Awesome. It would be so cool to live forever.

He replied, "While Apollo cabin has more campers, it is only fair that you be able to choose. Remember, the day is young. You can go around, meet the other campers and see which one is more appealing to you."

I nodded and left the Big House. 

There were campers milling around all over the place. There were teens, and kids, and even some college-age people. 

I stepped down the small stairs and started walking around. I saw a volleyball pit, and a basketball court. I had been given a tour earlier, so I knew where everything else was... 

Walking past the dining pavilion, I felt a sudden tug on my arm. Looking over, I saw a pretty brunette with bright green eyes and freckles with her arm linked through mine. "Um, can I help you?"

"Just pretend I just said something really funny," she said.

I fake laughed for a few seconds until the girl said, "Okay. We're good."

"What do you mean good? Who are you and what are you doing?" I tried to pull my arm away but the girl held it tightly as three other girls passed by.

She let out a breath. "Sorry. I'm Anna. Anna Poulverati. I was just trying to avoid some girls."

"Why?"

Anna sighed. "They've been... teasing me lately. That's all. Thanks for that..."

"Rhea." I gave a small smile. "I'm Rhea Montgomery. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Anna smiled at me. "Are you new? I haven't seen you around before."

I nodded. "Yeah. I came an hour or so ago."

"Do you know anyone here? I mean, other than me and Chiron."

I shook my head. "No. I haven't gotten the opportunity to meet anyone. People just seem so... comfortable with each other, and then there's me. The newbie. I'm going to stand out like a zit on a movie star."

She laughed. "Come on, then. I have someone I want you to meet."

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I stared at this boy that Anna was introducing me to. He was hot. Like, hot-hot. He had light brown hair and brown eyes like melted chocolate. His light tan skin gleamed in the sunlight. "Hey," he said.

"Uh, hi." I managed a slight smile. "I'm Rhea Montgomery. What's your name?" I said stupidly.

He smiled back. "I'm Jack Liston. Nice to meet you." He held his hand out and I shook it.

Anna smiled. "That makes two new people you know. Who are you the child of?"

I paled. "Um... I'm not sure."

She waved her hand. "Oh, that's fine. If you're undetermined you--"

I stopped her. "No. I mean, I'm a child of two demigods. One a daughter of Apollo and one the son of Nike. Chiron said I could choose which cabin I want to stay in... I haven't seen either or met anyone from either."

Jack nudged me. "I have a friend from the Apollo cabin. His name is Colin Courade. I can introduce you to him if you want."

I looked down at my feet. "Sure, I relented. Why not..." And so we went to meet this son of Apollo. I hoped he was going to be as nice as Anna and Jack were...