The goddess stood in front of me. My bow and arrows fell from my hands as I fell to my knees. I was weak and tired and honestly feeling half dead. "Pick up your bow," she told me.

My body ached and I winced. "I... Can't..." I mumbled. My arm was throbbing from the monster having stepped on it. My body was dirty and sore from how overly far I'd pushed it.

"Pick up your bow," she repeated. "I know you can."

Taking a deep breath, I reached down, scooped up my bow, pulling back the string with my crushed arm, and aimed. I prayed to Artemis. To Apollo. To Posiedon, my father. I prayed to Aries and Athena. I prayed to every God or goddess that had anything to do with battle, victory, archery, or any that had a good reason to care about me at all. My fingers slipped away from the string and the arrow went flying. Just as it flew, my vision went black and I fell to the ground, unconscious.

But I did it. That's all that mattered.

---

My eyes opened slowly. A hand was intertwined in mine, the top of a head touching my side. A gasp slipped out of my mouth and the head popped up. Bags were under his eyes, his eyes blinking as if trying to shake the sleep away. Percy Jackson. My brother. My body relaxed again as his sea green eyes calmed me, familiar. "Hey," I croaked.

Relieved, he smiled. "Hey," he responded.

A pause. "My arm hurts," I whispered.

Percy laughed. "I'm sure it does. It's bruised, but we've healed it a lot. Apollo kids have serious skills." He smiled a little more tightly. "It was completely crushed but Will got it together again in a week. It's been healing for almost a month now and it's almost-"

"A month?" I asked, sitting up. "I was unconscious for a month?!"

He bit his lip. "Yeah. You were. We thought you were dead and everyone gave up finally a week ago. But Artemis herself brought you here and she said that if I gave up then I'd failed as a brother. But I didn't need her threat. I won't give up on you until Nico tells me you're dead."

A smile tickled my lips. "Thanks, Perc."

The hospital tent flap opened and Percy and I looked at the door. We froze. There stood Artemis herself. Percy and I looked back at each other, exchanging looks, and then looked back at Artemis. She smiled at me. "May I speak to you?" She asked me.

My brother shot to his feet, dropping my hand. "No!" Percy seethed immediately. I was shocked. What was his problem?

"Young hero, you cannot stop this. It's her choice either way, not yours."

Percy's hands clenched into fists. "You took too many! You took Bianca, who died. You took Thalia who is barely alive. You tried to take my girlfriend. You're not taking my sister!" Percy was tense and breathing heavily. It clicked as he spoke and I looked at Artemis with only one thing going through my mind.

Oh.

Resting my hand on Percy's arm, I pushed him back, pulling myself up and straightening my back to face her. My shoulders pushed back and my chin tilted up to show strength. My eyes were solid and my body calm, even though my heart ached and my body screamed out in pain. "I will speak with you," I answered her. Artemis nodded, but her lips ghosted a smile.

My brother looked at me, eyes searching mine. "Y/n?" Percy whispered weakly. I looked at him, smiling.

"I just want to talk to her," I assured him. "It would be rude to refuse a conference with a goddess. And if I don't shut her down now then she'll just come back later."

He sat down, relieved. "I thought you were going to leave me."

My smile faltered. I turned my head to look at Artemis, following after her. In all honesty, I was on the fence. I didn't want to leave Percy, of course, but also, I didn't really belong in this camp. Constantly I was sitting in Percy's shadow as his weaker, less important, younger sister. I was the second Percy. Everyone only knew me as "Percy Jacskon's sister." I wasn't my own person. I lived in a shadow. But not only that, I didn't have a family. I was an orphan. Or I had been for the longest time. I stayed here year long, never going even to school. Chiron taught me all I knew. I didn't belong here at camp. I didn't feel welcome and I didn't feel at home here either. I wanted a family. I wanted my acts of bravery and adventure to be recognized. I wanted more.

But I couldn't bear to leave Percy... Could I?

Everyone stared after me as I followed Artemis, amazement finally in their eyes. At first my back straightened and I felt proud to finally meet their standard of amazing, but then I realized they were probably staring at Artemis. I was in a shadow. As usual.

We went into Artemis' empty cabin and she turned to me as the door closed behind us. "You already know what I'm here to ask," she stated. I nodded. "I know all about you, Y/n. Ever since Poseidon claimed you I've been watching you. You're just like the boy... Your attitude. Your spunk. Your courage. Your strength. Except, you're a girl. And you're more determined. You're also more calm. You calculate more and know more and concentrate better. You're like Annabeth in your smarts and manner but like Percy in you're skill and attitude." She leaned forward. "I like you. You're interesting."

I simply sat down, overwhelmed. After years of thinking I was pathetic and inadequate and generally unloved, here was this Goddess, the goddess of something as strong and firm and fascinating as the Hunt and the freaking MOON and she was interested. In me. Uh, woah. "You..." I was speechless, too.

"I want you to be one of my girls. One of my Huntresses. I want your strength and skill and smarts and your... Spunk." She smiled as she said the word and I was reminded of her statement about my attitude earlier. "I want you."

I want you.

I'd only ever wanted to be wanted. That's it. And despite what I'd always thought, what I'd always believed, I found myself answering her. "Yes." And I didn't regret it, which made me feel heavy and guilty. I was leaving Percy but I didn't regret it. I was selfish.

She smiled proudly. "I think it's time for you to stop worrying about what others want and start making choices for yourself," Artemis advised. So, Me? Or Percy? My eyes met Artemis' and I thought of my whole life... And then I knew my answer.

---

"Hey!" Percy greeted cheerily and I exited the tent. He didn't notice my new clothes yet. My new stance. My new... Glow... He was refusing to believe that I'd ever leave him. And I felt horrible, but I was set on my decision. Even if I wasn't, it wasn't reversible.

"Hey," I greeted stiffly. Annabeth noticed immediately and took Percy's hand to keep him back. Then Percy looked down. He just stood there. I wanted to say something. Anything. But there was nothing to say. No way to explain. No way to tell him why I did it. Why I chose what I did. And to him, there was no excuse for me to leave my brother. So I left, and he was angry at me.

We didn't talk after that for a very long time after that. Not just because we were far apart or rarely saw each other either, because when I next saw him again all he had was hostility and glares to give me. It was only when I fought with him in battle and he could see how happy and strong I was. It was only after, when I sat him down after so much time apart and thinking and forming it all into words. Only when I talked and explained and answered every question and faced every accusation and accepted that what I did was selfish but that I also deserved to be a little selfish. Only then did he even pause for a second. When he did, he saw my side of it.

So I guess we were good. For now.