"So, will you join the Hunt?" Artemis finished her speech about all the benefits she could get from joining the Hunters and how much of a brave maiden Sylvia is.

"Um..." she thought about Annabeth, about Finn, about Clarisse, about Lux, about Lee, about Will, about Michael, about Austin, and about Kayla. She couldn't just leave them, could she? "Can I think about it for a bit?"

"Of course," Artemis agreed. "Take as much time as is needed."

Sylvia nodded. "Thank you."

Just then, Zoe walked in with Percy.

"Join us, Percy Jackson," the goddess said, and began to explain a few things, eventually switching from explaining to asking Percy and Bianca about what happened before she appeared.

A monster...a monster that could take down Olympus, most likely, Sylvia thought. What monster could that be?

Sylvia was pulled out of her thoughts as Artemis turned to her and asked if she would escort the Hunters to Camp Half-Blood.

"What?" Zoe blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there–"

Sylvia remembered that time very vividly. They'd "accidentally" burned the Demeter, Hermes, and Ares cabins down. Clarisse, Finn, Ethan (Finn's brother), Cecil Markowitz, Miranda Gardiner, and Alan Tyle had to stay in the Apollo cabin for a month, while their respective siblings stayed in various other ones.

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Plus, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

Sylvia nodded in confirmation. Zoe muttered something about foolish campers.

"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca and Sylvia. "Have either of you you made up your minds, my girls?"

She better not say yes, Sylvia thought. That'd just be abandoning Nico. 

Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."

"So am I," Sylvia said.

"Wait," Percy said. "Thinking about what?"

"They've...they've invited us to join the Hunt," Bianca told him.

"What? But you can't! Well, Bianca can't, anyways. I don't care about Sylvia. I'd rather have her gone anyways. But, Bianca, you have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive." (Artemis be there, knowing about Camp Jupiter, like: 👀)

"It isn't the only way for someone who isn't male," Sylvia told him, rolling her eyes at his ignorance.

Percy shook his head. "Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and...I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"

He's just going to ask that in front of Lady Artemis? Fawkes gawped at him, open-beaked.

"To begin with," Zoe said, "immortality."

Percy stared at her, then Artemis. "She's kidding, right?"

"Zoe rarely kids about anything," Artemis said. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters/siblings-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal...unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

"What oath?" Percy asked.

"To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?" Percy said.

The goddess nodded.

"So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods-" Percy started.

"Not just half-bloods," Sylvia interrupted.

Zoe nodded. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals--"

"Which are you, then?" Percy cocked his head to the side.

Anger flashed in Zoe's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca and Sylvia may join if they wish. It is their choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy," Percy said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."

I wonder...if Nico transitions to a girl, would Artemis accept him? Wouldn't it be transphobic not to? Sylvia thought.

I don't think anything similar to that has happened before, so I can't be sure, Fawkes said, but I think she would accept him, yeah.

"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that is the best boys can do."

"Hey!" Percy protested, sending Sylvia a deadly glare as she smirked.

"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him."

The ever-responsible Stolls, Sylvia thought.

"And thou will have a new family," Zoe said. "Us."

"A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily, and Sylvia suddenly realized what her answer was going to be. But it wasn't fair to Nico! "Free of responsibility."

"Bianca, you can't do this," Percy said. "It's nuts."

She looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it?"

Zoe nodded. "It is."

"What do I have to do?"

"Say this," Zoe told her, "'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."

Bianca repeated what she said, then blinked. "That's it?"

Zoe nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts the pledge, then it is binding."

"I accept it," Artemis said.

The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel...stronger."

"Welcome, sister," Zoe said.

"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."

Sylvia immediately decided she'd be Nico's new sister. One he saw more often, anyways.

"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said, for whatever reason. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."

If he doesn't stay...wouldn't he die? Sylvia thought.

Most likely. Or get recruited/killed by Luke, Fawkes agreed.

"Great," Percy said. "How are we supposed to get there?"

Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my father."

Apollo. Papa. Dad. This'll be interesting.

"Sylvia, do you know what time he will get here?" Artemis turned to the blonde.

She closed her eyes and focused on the sky. She told her demigod-sun-child-of-Apollo-weird-sense-things to reach as far as she had to, and she stopped them as they basically collided with a golden chariot. She looked at it and let her instincts figure out where and how far away it was. "About 18 minutes and...43 seconds."

Percy snorted, apparently unimpressed. She sent him a look.

Zoe headed outside, telling Bianca to follow her. As she was leaving, Bianca paused in front oof Percy. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really, really do."

Then she was gone, and Sylvia was left with the son of Poseidon and the twelve-year-old goddess of the Hunt.

"So," Percy said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"

"Show him some respect," Sylvia snapped. "He's my pa-dad."

Artemis's silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo."

Sorry, this is unedited. And it sucks. And is short; only 1.1k words. I just felt like I should publish SOMETHING, since it's been a few days for this and I still don't have access to TLH for a bit to be able to write Missing. And I haven't gotten any inspo for my imagines.

I think I might have writer's block T-T

AnYwAyS, how are y'all doing?

QOTD: (Oh, hey, the end of that is the D: face.) What is a good question to ask for these?

A: Idk. You tell me. P L S.

Cya later

-Eevee