[A/N]: HEY GUYS.
I'm back again with yet another brilliant story, and I'm flattered that you're here to read it.
It's fairly self-explanatory. Go for it.
Lunar Halo
Chapter One: Running
The goddess shifted to her left slightly, glancing nervously behind her. She had gotten separated from her Hunters several hours ago, but thought nothing of it. That is, until she remembered the eclipse tonight. She hated eclipses. They weakened her greatly, to the point where she was almost unrecognizable.
Her heart was beating a little faster than normal as she searched for a place to hide. The eclipse was due to last only seven minutes. She was immortal. Nothing bad was going to happen.
She found a small outcropping of rocks, and crawled under the largest one. She sucked in a jagged breath and waited for the agony to begin. With her eyes locked on the full moon, she watched as the earth's shadow began to eat away at the bright body of light. The full eclipse would leave her powerless and vulnerable.
Just as the final bit of the moon was inside the shadow, she heard a twig snap. Then another. Something heavy was stumbling through the woods. She pressed herself against the rocks as hard as she could. Her breathing was shallow and her heart was racing.
Six minutes left, and she could make out the body of a man. He was tall and lanky, and walked awkwardly, like he was still getting used to his long legs. He was coming straight towards the rocks, and as he approached, she began to panic. She tried going into her immortal form, but her source of power was under a heavy veil, and she couldn't even produce a spark.
The man crawled under her rock and suddenly realized he was not alone.
Five minutes left, and she could smell the heavy alcohol on his breath. He couldn't have been a day over seventeen, yet he looked like someone had aged him greatly.
Four minutes left, and he stared at her for a long while before speaking. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, coming closer to her.
She stuttered with her words, "Go away."
Three minutes left, and he smiled wickedly.
Two minutes left, and he grabbed her roughly.
One minute left, and he left her broken and crying under the rocks.
She glared at the bundle of cloth at her feet. The hell it had put her through only made her more willing to draw her bow on it. A silvery arrow was pointed at its heart, and she drew the string tighter. Just as she was about to kill the creature, it woke up, and stared up at her with big, foggy blue eyes.
It only took this one moment for her resolve to weaken. She sighed and lowered her bow. She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill an innocent creature.
She sank down on the hard rocks and stared at the thing. For nine months she had hidden away from the world, telling only her closest advisors. She couldn't afford for this secret to get out. Yet, here she was, poised to kill the only thing that stood between her and complete freedom from this burden, but she couldn't bring herself to draw its blood.
It cooed and stretched its tiny arms up towards her. Her head fell into her hands, and frustrated tears built up. Why couldn't she just kill it?
And then it hit her. She couldn't kill it because she felt something. It wasn't love, but it wasn't the distain she had felt just moments ago, when her sharp arrows were notched.
When she picked it up, she didn't cuddle it closer to her, but instead held it away from her slightly. She carefully pulled a drachma from her hunter's pouch, and searched the area for a source of water.
But the rocks were bone dry, and her search was in vain. Exasperated, she threw her head back and rubbed her eyes to sooth the building frustration. When she finally opened her eyes to stare blankly at the heavens, she was greeted by a surprise.
A perfect circle surrounded the full moon, casting a silvery glow. A bleached rainbow shimmered above her in the winter sky.
"Lunar halo," she whispered.
If she was lucky, this would work. If she was incredibly lucky, this would work. But obviously she wasn't having the best of luck as of late.
"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering," she said, her voice barely audible.
The drachma evaporated out of her open palm, and a faint mist conjured in front of her. For a moment, she stared at her reflection in the glow. Then the thing squirmed in her arms and she remembered her purpose.
"Chiron, Camp Half-Blood," she said clearly, and the mist shimmered.
A smiling man with a scruffy beard greeted her. "Goddess, to what do I owe the honor?" he said, bowing his head slightly.
She kept a hard face as she lifted the bundle in her arms into view. "I need you to take care of something for me."
The centaur's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
Artemis may not have loved her son, but she was going to protect him.
My hair was always in my eyes. I could never seem to keep it neat or combed, no matter how hard I tried.
I guess that's why, when the javelin came flying at me, I didn't see it. Either way, it hit me square in the chest, throwing me to the ground and knocking the wind out of me. It was a blunt weapon, but the sheer force of the throw was enough to make me see stars.
I gasped for air and struggled to find my voice. "Son of a b—"
"Ryan, are you okay?" someone asked.
I shot the kid a glare. "Do I look okay?"
He cringed at my harsh tone and helped me up. "I'm fine," I said, and brushed the dust off my armor, smiling at the kid.
The other instructor laughed lightly. "And that's why you always pay attention," he said, stooping to pick up his javelin.
I smiled wryly, even though I was still breathing a little funny. Sam and I were finally old enough to teach the younger campers, and we relished in the opportunity to reek havoc on the next generation of demigods.
Sam lightly tossed the javelin to a small girl and she caught it clumsily.
It had been a long day of training when we finally let the new campers go. Sam sat down next to me in the dust of the arena.
"So how does it feel to finally be sixteen?" he asked, glancing sideways at me.
I shrugged. "No different than fifteen, I guess." I had turned sixteen three days ago, but the day had just been a normal one.
I drew random lines through the dirt with a knife. "I'm bored," I finally said.
Sam smiled crookedly and said, "Then let's do something."
"That's not what I meant," I mumbled, but he ignored me and got up. Sam extended a long arm towards me and I took it reluctantly. "It's almost dinner anyway," I said.
Sam shrugged and started walking towards the pavilion. I followed behind him, stumbling along, my breath still ragged from the javalin hit.
"So what's up?" Sam finally asked, breaking the silence between us.
I shrugged lightly as we passed the cabins. "Just doing the same thing I always do. Waiting."
Sam stopped and looked at me. "Dude, just ask for a quest already. You've been at this place for your whole life, and the only thing you've done is train. Train for what?"
I sighed. "I train so that one day, when I leave, I can defend myself. That's all. I don't want to go on a quest. I'm perfectly happy sitting here wasting away waiting to get claimed," I said angrily.
"Chill, Ryan," Sam said harshly.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
Sam's expression softened. "It's okay. Look, I know you've been waiting for sixteen years and no one's claimed you yet. But it's not because you're not special. It's because you're not...loved?" He smiled weakly.
I rolled my eyes. "You're really helping."
"Shit man, I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say at this point. I want to be optimistic, but you might just not want to get your hopes up anymore," Sam said quietly.
I shrugged it off and bit back anger. Sam may have been my best friend, but he was brutally honest with me, whether I liked it or not.
I needed that though. Without his bluntness, I'd still be eagerly waiting to be claimed, and each birthday would be another year of disappointment.
I put on a mask of happiness, and followed Sam all the way to the pavilion.
I sat next to Sam, at our usual spot. The Hermes table wasn't as crowded as it used to be, but we still had more campers than the other cabins. The food looked delicious as usual, but I couldn't bring myself to eat.
Sam had been claimed years ago, as a son of Hermes. I thought times had changed, that I would be claimed by my mother or father, but unfortunately for me, no such thing had happened. I was stuck in limbo.
As midnight approached, I was still wide awake. I had never had trouble sleeping until a few months ago, and the stress it had put on me was building up. I hadn't had a full night's sleep in weeks.
I quietly crept out of the cabin, and made my way to the lake. Silently, I lifted a canoe, snatched an oar, and clumsily got it in the water.
I paddled to the middle of the lake, then laid down on the floor of the canoe. With Nyx's silent rise, the moon emerged. I usually watched the parade of stars and planets, weaving themselves across the black tapestry. The bright lights above me would soothe my thoughts, and the sounds of a quiet sky would calm my raging nerves.
But not tonight. Tonight, I felt restless and frustrated. I wanted to get up and move, to run out of this place and into the world. I felt trapped in this tiny canoe. My thoughts were racing at a million miles an hour, and I couldn't stop them.
Finally, I stood up. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I was in a canoe. I fell into the cold lake with a splash, and broke the surface with a gasp. The frigid water helped clear my head, and as I searched for the oar, I glanced over my shoulder at the Big House, and realized that all the lights were on.
I stared for a moment, taking in the strange sight before me. The Big House lights were never on this late. I climbed into the canoe, and paddled back to the shore, and sprinted to my cabin, in hopes of finding dry clothes.
I rushed into new clothes, and stumbled out of the door pulling a shirt over my head. I ran all the way to the Big House. I crept onto the porch, and ducked under one of the tables just as the front door opened. Chiron strode out, followed by a girl who looked to be about my age.
She held her head high and proud, and walked like she was royalty. She was pretty enough, but something about her scared me, like she was the type of girl that could kick my ass.
"If you find her, please, Iris message me immediately," she said urgently. "She disappeared not far from here."
"Of course, Lady Artemis," Chiron said, bowing low.
My mind was wiped. I was in the presence of a goddess. I'd never met anyone more important than the cabin leaders before, and I felt my heart speed up as her feet passed beside where I was hiding.
Her footsteps stopped and she turned back towards Chiron, staring at him in silence. "How... how is my son?" she asked quietly.
I stifled a gasp. Artemis had a son? What the—
Chiron's hooves against the wood brought me out of my thoughts. "Ryan is doing very well. As you know, he recently turned sixteen."
I was completely floored. My mind went blank as I continued to listen.
Artemis nodded. "Of course I know. How could I forget?" she said softly. Her back was turned to me, and her voice was barely audible, but I could hear the deeply buried pain.
Her wavy auburn hair was the only thing visible, and I reached up to my own messy hair, and pulled out one strand. I held it up so that it was in line with hers, and the colors matched perfectly. I slowed my breathing as best I could and pressed myself against the wall, staying under my table.
Chiron touched her shoulder, and she shook off his hand. "I really must be going now. The Hunt is off to Zion in the morning. Jackalope season, you know." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Remember, if you hear any word of Wallace, contact me immediately," she said sternly.
Her skin began to glow and I closed my eyes. When I finally reopened them, she was gone, and Chiron was striding into the house.
I was out from under the table and sprinting through camp within seconds. My legs pumped back and forth, carrying me back to my cabin. I raced in, not caring to be quiet. I grabbed my slouchy old backpack off the floor and stuffed a few clothes into it.
I trekked to the camp store, and picked the lock quietly with a bobby pin. I stole a compass, an old roadmap, a pocket knife, and a small amount of nectar and ambrosia. At the armory, all I managed to snatch was an old sword. I didn't dare take anything better than that.
And with the final essentials, I stumbled across camp, through the gate, and into the world.
[A/N]: I did what I said I would never do...PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.
I know it's kind of a fucking weird as shit concept but bear with me hear. I wanted to write an original, slightly realistic son of Artemis story and this was the only thing I could think of. Because it is my personal opinion that Artemis would never willingly give up her virginity and have a kid. So bite me.
Obviously fast paced. I'm sick of writing stuff that doesn't get exciting until chapter twelve. So shoot me.
You likey? Show me some love, baby. I like reviews and favs and alerts. I do it for the love.
-camille