Spoilers for the HG series!

This was requested by HeartstopperPJO

TW: Mentions of a cult

Katniss gazed warily around the forest, checking for any hidden people or cameras. There was always a chance they'd find her.

"They" being the government. Actually, more like the entire country.

Why would she be running from them, you might ask.

Well, that's simple. She killed their president. Not Snow, like she was supposed to. No, she killed Coin. And, instead of letting them take her wherever they wanted to and probably face a trial, she ran.

She ran as far away as possible. No one even attempted to stop her. They were all in shock. By the time what had happened registered to each of them, Katniss was out of the building. She could only imagine the chaos that caused.

Katniss shook her head, her tangled black hair flying everywhere. She couldn't be thinking of that. It'd just distract her.

Suddenly, she was surrounded by about thirty different people.

Frick, she thought, drawing her bow and furrowing her eyebrows as she quickly realized there was no way she was escaping. They all had bows, too.

They're all girls, the oldest being abut 16 and the youngest...9? That's really young, she noted.

"What do you want?" Katniss snarled, deciding there was no reason to be civil.

A girl who seemed to be the oldest there with short black hair and a silver circlet stepped forward. She somehow managed to radiate power and authority. "Lower your bow and we'll lower ours," she ordered.

Katniss pursed her lips, looking around her to see if there was any way she could escape. There were a couple of trees she could probably duck behind, and the forest was dark enough that if she got far enough, they wouldn't be able to see her, but all the girls looked to be in shape. There was no way her malnourished self could outrun them for even half a second. She glared at the supposed leader and lowered her bow, her eyes still darting around, looking for any possible escape routes.

Surprisingly, everyone actually slung their bows over their shoulders, though they still looked tense and ready to grab the weapons at a moment's notice.

"Who are you?" the leader asked. Katniss took note of her electric blue eyes that seemed...unnatural, somehow.

"You don't know?" Katniss asked, genuinely surprised. She had no idea how long she'd been on the run for, but she was pretty sure there'd be Wanted posters all over. Then again, these girls didn't exactly seem to be normal people who checked the newspapers and such that often.

"Is there a reason we should know?" the girl countered.

"Well..." Katniss hesitated, not sure exactly how much information she should share.

The leader shook her head. "Y'know what, we'll get back to that later. I'm Thalia Grace, lieutenant of the goddess Artemis. I know this seems extremely strange, but you're a demigod. Not sure whose daughter you are, but some Greek or Roman god or goddess is your parent. Our falcons saw you from afar and could sense that you were a demigod." She paused, most likely giving Katniss a moment to comprehend that information, which she definitely needed.

What are they...what? Isn't that impossible? What are they on? How did I not notice the falcons?

One of the falcons landed on Thalia's shoulder. It was a rich brown colour and had dark, intelligent eyes.

"Oh, so you're a cult and you're getting ready to sacrifice me. That makes sense. I won't be a very good sacrifice, though," she warned. "I haven't eaten anything other than a probably sick rabbit in a while, because I keep on throwing all the food up. Whoever you'll sacrifice me to won't be happy.

They all stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Out of all the reactions I've gotten out of saying that," Thalia wheezed, "that was definitely the best one."

Katniss wondered if this was her chance to escape. Clearly, these people were mentally unwell. She glanced at the woods again, beginning to plan her escape route.

Suddenly, one of the huntresses gasped and pointed at her. "You're Katniss Everdeen!"

Katniss tensed and gripped onto her bow tighter. I'm gonna die. I am going to die, whether it's by these people or the Capitol when they take me there.

"I didn't recognize you from the pictures because you seemed a lot more...lively in them. But it's really you!"

Thalia looked back at the person. "What do you mean, Robyn?"

"It doesn't matter," Katniss snapped. "Whatever you think I did, I only did to help all of you. Help all of Panem, really. She's just as tyrannical as Snow. She hides it better, though. I did you all a favour."

Robyn nodded calmly. "I know. I joined the Hunters because I couldn't stand to live in a society like District Thirteen. I try to stay updated on what happens in Panem, though. I'm glad  you did that. Now my old family can live in peace. I'm truly grateful."

Katniss blinked. She never thought anyone would actually agree with her reasoning, much less look up to her like she was some sort of hero. She decided to ignore the confused looks Thalia was giving her and switch the topic quickly. "You guys call yourselves the Hunters? Isn't that a little...unoriginal?"

"That's what I said," Thalia grumbled. "The Moonlit Maidens would've been such a better name, but nooo, Artemis wanted to stick to tradition or something."

Katniss laughed, startling herself with the sound of it. She hadn't laughed in...she wasn't even sure how long. 

"Anyways." Thalia clapped her hands together. "We have an offer for you."

Katniss raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening. As long as it doesn't include me being sacrificed to any gods."

Thalia grinned. "I can promise that much. But anyways: would you like to join the Hunt?"

Katniss stared at her for a moment. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to explain. Jeez, you'd think that after doing this for thousands of years, you'd get better at it, but nope." Thalia rubbed the back of her neck.

"Thousands?" Katniss repeated. "You're joking."

Maybe I should stay with them. Even if it is a cult, they all seem to like it. 

Thalia shook her head. "Nope. Joining the Hunt means you're essentially immortal. The only way you can die is if you fall in battle, which is extremely unlikely."

"What do you exactly do as a Hunter?" Katniss asked, all thoughts of running away mysteriously disappearing.

"Well, hunt, of course. Just...forever. We're like sisters or handmaidens for the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. We travel all around and recruit new members," Thalia explained.

"Huh. Sounds...really fun, actually. But what about the whole 'children of Greek and Roman gods' thing?" she questioned.

"We're all part-mortal, part-god. I'm the daughter of Zeus. Robyn here is the legacy of Mercury, meaning Mercury is her grandfather. It's all stuff like that."

"Huh."

"So, you wanna join?" the daughter of Zeus said, extending a hand. "All you gotta do is repeat after me."

Katniss nodded, stepping forward and reaching for her hand, but Thalia pulled it back at the last second. "Oh, wait, I forgot one thing."

Katniss frowned for a moment. "What is it?"

"You can't ever have a significant other or be...involved...with someone," Thalia said.

"Oh, easy," Katniss scoffed. "Romance is awful, complicated, and overrated. Trust me; I've got experience."

Thalia chuckled. "Okay, now actually repeat after me. I, Katniss Everdeen, pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."

"I, Katniss Everdeen, pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt," Katniss repeated, not really sure why she was doing this or why it felt so...right. 

They all waited a moment. It was so quiet, when someone's arrow fell, they all jumped. Then Katniss started to glow silver. She felt much stronger, much more powerful. A voice rang out, coming from inside of her, "I accept."

Everything went back to normal except how Katniss was feeling. She didn't feel sick or malnourished at all.

"Welcome to the Hunt, sister. That oath is your life now." Thalia smiled. "Oh, and we know who your godly parent is now."

"Wait, what?" Katniss asked.

The huntress pointed above Katniss's head. There was a floating, golden crown. "The god of archery, poetry, prophecy, medicine, music, the Sun, the Oracle, and other things I can't remember right now. All hail Katniss Everdeen, newly-accepted Hunter and daughter of Apollo."

So, uh, yeah. 

This is, like, half-edited

Jeez, I've updated at least one fic for three days in a row now.

QOTD: Apollo or Artemis?

A: Lmao I can't choose. They're both great

Love y'all. Cya!

-Aspen