This lunch was the best that I’ve had in two months. It’s funny since I spent those two months in Camp Jupiter. Then again, I was in a prison cell.

The Hunters tossed a little silver box onto the ground. It expanded into a buffet table and food magically appeared on it along with silverware and glasses of water. I didn’t bother questioning the logic.

I told Thalia all that happened with Jason and in Camp Jupiter. Though for some reason, I couldn't say his name. I thought maybe it's because I'm worried sick about him or maybe Gaea’s messing with my head.

"Air Head, yeah, he's gone and my Camp sent me packing,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” Thalia said. I shrugged.

“So... what have you been up to?" I poked a slice of steak with a fork then brought it to my mouth.

"Well, Percy Jackson. You know him? He's a son of Poseidon. Your half-brother," Thalia said after swallowing a spoonful of gods-know-what.

I nearly choked on my steak.

Another kid of Neptune, er, Poseidon? Percy Jackson? Nope. Definitely don’t know the dude. I mean, I would probably know if I had a sibling, right? Why didn’t he end up in Camp Jupiter? Thalia probably wondered the same about me. I mean, Camp Half-Blood? She mentioned that before. I wonder what that place is. Probably another place for demigods.
That would be weird.

"Not really. What about him?" I asked. The daughter of Zeus sighed.

"Well, he went missing. And I'm leading the Hunters on a search party. He disappeared a few days ago," she answered. I felt the gears in my head beginning to turn.

“This, um, Percy. Was he like a leader in Camp Half-Blood?” I asked Thalia. Thalia thought for a moment. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her. With the Zeus/Jupiter and Poseidon/Neptune thing and all. Then again, Thalia was leading her own band of merry women.

“I guess he is. He led the Battle in Manhattan after all,” Thalia replied.

“The Ba in the who with the what now?” I sputtered. Okay, I felt confused. “I’m sorry when was this?”

“Last August. Kronos’ Army marched to Manhattan and tried to take Olympus. Percy fought Kronos,” Thalia explained. I thought I was confused before but this new bit was even more befuddling. The Twelfth Legion attacked the Titans in Mount Othrys. Jason fought Krios while I took on Epimetheus, the titan of afterthought, who was hell-bent on revenge though he wasn’t exactly bright. His last words were “I should have done_____ instead.” Yeah I couldn’t remember what he said exactly. Anyway, Jason destroyed the black throne of Saturn, Kronos’ Roman name. That was what beat him, wasn’t it?

I didn’t tell Thalia any of this. I wasn’t sure what to think of the situation.

“Okay, that’s nice,” was all I said. Thalia shrugged then tossed me a little box that looked like a pack of gum. “That’s my spare tent. Lady Artemis appeared to me last night. She looked different, though. A little older. She said that you’ll be arriving and to treat you as if you were one of us. She also said that you were one of the few ‘mortals to win her favor’ or something like that. I didn’t really get what she meant but you would, apparently.”

I looked at the little box. A tent. Really? Ah the demigod world doesn’t really make sense. If a fox can have a destiny, why can’t a box of chewing gum be a tent?

“Thanks Thalia,” I said.

“You can have it. It has a bed, air-conditioning and a bathroom. Along with a few other… necessities,” she said, chuckling. Thalia looked up. “It’s getting late. We should get some rest. We’ll be continuing our hunt tomorrow.”

“You’re supposed to be looking for Percy. What are you hunting for?” I asked. Thalia gave me a sly grin.

“Lycaon, the immortal lycanthrope.”

---

It felt nice to sleep in a tent. It was much better than a bed of grass or a creaky prison bed. The bed was soft and comfortable. So why can’t I sleep? Dreams. Right. That and the fact that the Hunters are hunting Lycaon. I was too tired to ask why they were hunting that annoying werewolf.

We encountered one another before. It’s a long story. It would probably take one entire novel to explain why I had ended up fighting Lycaon. It was all Jason and Reyna’s fault. They didn’t meet him but they were the main reason why I had to. Conspiring little verberos. They’re like a match made in Olympus.

I sighed and leaned further back into the bedroll. I closed my eyes thinking that some sleep would be good for me. Sleep is good. Dreams are not.

"Damn the Fates," I mumbled. Whoops. I hope they didn't hear that. I rolled over to my left and closed my eyes. You know what that means? More dreams! Oh joy…

---

Maelstrom and I were gliding near the Appalachian mountains when something suddenly lashed out and grabbed one of my pegasus' legs. Maelstrom shook and I fell off. For some reason I still didn't wake up. Usually, when I start falling in a dream, my eyes snap open and I bonk my head on something. Doesn't that happen to everyone?

I hit the ground hard. I was still alive. Just as I was about to get up, the earth wrapped around me like a coccoon, pulling me deep in its cold earthy, slightly damp arms.

"Selene," a voice whispered. It was female. It sounded cold and sleepy. It whispered my name again. I tried squirming around.

"Join me," it said again. What? Join her? Who is this, anyway?

"Who are you?" I tried asking. It sounded weird, being surrounded by earth and all. I don't know how I'm still alive. It's a good thing this is a dream.

"We are kin," the voice replied. "Quite distant, yes. But kin, nevertheless." That so didn't answer my question.

"O-o-okay then. But who exactly?" I was running out of breath. Dream Me squirmed around, trying to claw out of the ground.

"I am Gaea. Mother of the Giants, the one who bore-"

"Wait. Gaea? So you're supposed to be my great-grandmother, right?"

"Blast it, girl, I am not that old," Granny mumbled. Even though her voice sounded sleepy, there was still a hint of irritation.

"Well you're technically Mother Earth. The Earth's four-point-fifty-four billion years old or something. Ergo, you are old." Oops. I have a tendency to word vomit when I’m nervous. But hey, this is a dream. Gaea can't kill me in a dream... right?

"The only reason why I'm not having you killed right now, Daughter of the Earthshaker, is because I want you on my side. Otherwise, you'd be dead," Grandmother Earth said. "Your powers will be of great assistance to me. Together, we shall bring an end to the Romans. Camp Jupiter will fall along with all those who cast you out. Do you not seek vengeance? What is your answer?"

Revenge? I don't want revenge! Sure I'm mad at Octavian for forcing Reyna to cast me out but he has always been an irritating little stick man. The gods... sure they seemed to not care about their kids but they’ve brought good into the world (some bad too but, eh). I knew what my answer is.

"No." And right after I said that, an ear-shattering shriek pierced through my dream and brought me back to reality.

---

I peeked out the tent and saw that the sky was still dark. I sat outside my tent. Then I realized that I was sitting on the ground. I looked down and, imagining Gaea’s earthy face appearing.

‘Hello again-aaaah! You’re sitting on my face!’

I shuddered. Sometimes, I hate my imagination. Instead of looking at the ground, I turned my gaze upwards, towards the sky. The stars were shining bright. There’s one particular constellation that caught my eye. It was that of Perseus, son of Zeus. I admired him because he was probably the luckiest demigod. He and his mother may have been sent away to the sea but that was only for his own good. His luck was the complete opposite of mine. I envied and admired him at the same time.

Was there any child of Poseidon or Neptune who had luck as good as Perseus’? I doubted it.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. The kids of the Sea God were… complicated.Sometimes I wonder why my mother sent me to Camp Jupiter. Was it upon my father’s request? I never asked her. I visited every time we were given a leave. Jason and Reyna sometimes came with me since they were my best friends. Usually it was just Jason. Reyna preferred staying at Camp even before she became praetor. Not Jason, though. He liked going outside Camp. I guess, it was to get away from the pressure everyone insists on putting on him.

I shook my head.

‘Stop thinking about him too much,’ I thought to myself. ‘You’ll find him.’ There’s no use remembering the past. I ducked back inside my tent and picked up my knapsack. I pulled out the first extra shirt. It was a Camp Jupiter shirt (all of the extra shirts were), but it was too big for me. A note was attached to it with Leila’s half-elegant half-messy handwriting.

‘If you find him, the stink ball will probably need to change,’ it said.

If I find a way to return to Camp Jupiter, I’ll smack Leila so hard she won’t be able to get up for a week. I stuffed the shirt back into the bag. I pulled out my royal blue cape. I stared at it for a moment.

I was appointed as the Camp Prefect after Vergil, the prefect before me, died. Vergil was from the First Cohort and one of the nicest people from that Cohort. At first glance, he seems just like a typical legionnaire of his cohort: Spoiled, arrogant, power-hungry. If he warms up to you, you’d see that he just has trust issues. Jason beat himself up pretty bad after he died.
I slapped my face. Why do all my thoughts always end up to Jason? I shook my head. Right now, I needed to focus on helping the Hunters. Once I’m through, I can go on my way to find my best friend.

I unfolded the blue cape. I stared at it for a while before folding it again and putting it back in the bag. I picked up the wolf medal and the Naval Crown pinning them on my chest, the way they used to be, right next to each other. For some reason, I felt a bit better, more complete, I guess.

I leaned back against the walls of the tent. My mind felt more at ease. I closed my eyes and a dreamless sleep followed.

---

My opponent raced towards me. I waited, watching her body movement. I looked at where she was most tense. I saw the parts that seemed to be the least guarded. Still not enough information, though.

Thalia and I were having a little sparring session. She hadn’t used her spear since she became a Hunter. It was her ‘last resort’ weapon. We were fighting within a circle drawn by the Hunters. Whoever gets pushed out first, loses.

Thalia jabbed at me. I side-stepped and brought my sword around. Thalia raised her spear just in time. It connected with my sword with a clang. The daughter of Zeus smirked then electricity exploded from her spear, blasting me backwards. I skidded and I ended up really close to the edge. I gritted my teeth and stood up. I ran towards her then hit the ground baseball style. As I slid, I hit Thalia's ankle with my sword's pommel. She buckled. I boosted myself up and did a round-house kick. Thalia rolled onto her back and twirled her spear to stop my foot from connecting with her abdomen. Fortunately for me, I anticipated that move.

My foot shot out, dug under the spear, and I wrenched it out of Thalia's grasp. Zeus' daughter was now weaponless. I twirled my sword and raised it, waiting for Thalia to get up. Once she did, I stabbed my sword downward and the ground shook and Thalia lost her balance. I raced forward, and slammed into her with my shield. She flew backwards and landed near the edge, just as I did. Thalia got up and pointed her finger at me.

Thalia yelled and lightning flashed, hitting her. Electricity travelled down her body before moving through her outstretched arm. Energy shot out straight towards me. I immediately crossed my arms and created a wall of ice. It exploded on impact and absorbed the full blow. I dashed straight through the debris of melting ice, using the shards of ice to help propel myself forward. Thalia had recovered her weapon. Her spear was pointing forward, and I nearly ran through it. However, at the last minute, I re-directed the ice to propel me upward. I spun mid-air and kicked Thalia's back. She rolled and recovered.

I yelled as I charged. Thalia swung her spear. I parried then did a quick strike on her right wrist. Thalia cried out in pain and she almost dropped her spear. She transferred the weapon to her left hand then thrust it forward. I side stepped then knocked her arm aside with my shield. Ice formed on my blade then I hit Thalia's shoulder which immediately started to freeze. Finally, I slammed the butt of my sword down on the ice-covered part, cracking the ice. It stunned her. I jumped back, sheathed my sword, then thrust my right hand forward. Streaks of white blasted from my fingertips and collided with Thalia’s chest. She fell and skidded along the ground, ending up outside the circle.

Artemis' lieutenant sat, stunned. The other Hunters also seemed just as surprised.

"That… was..." she mumbled. I snapped with my left hand. My sword and shield were reverted back to a ring.

“Uh… I’m sorry-” I began.

“What? No! No need to be sorry!” Thalia said. She jumped up and her spear folded into a mace canister. “That was an amazing sparring session. You’re almost as good as Percy!”

I twitched. Almost as good? I closed my eyes and decided not to say anything about that matter.

“Whatever. What’s for lunch?”

---

"Hey Thalia," I sat down next to her. I just finished eating our latest hunt. Thalia was just finishing hers.

"Hm?"

“Do you have any other family members?” I asked her. She shook her head.

“My mom was an alcoholic. I ran away from home when I was pretty young,” she replied. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“There’s something more to that,” I said. For a moment, Thalia’s eyes looked like a cornered animal’s. The look disappeared quickly.

“How would you know?” she scowled. I gulped. Thalia was close to snapping. I had to be careful with what I say.

“You just seem like the type of person who would be able to withstand a deadbeat mom. She must have done something to set you off. I won’t ask what it is,” I quickly added. “I’m just making assumptions. You’re a strong-willed person, Thalia. You wouldn’t run away for something as simple as a drunk mother.” Thalia didn’t reply immediately. I was honestly scared that I irritated her. Relief washed over me when she just sighed and looked at me.

“I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this,” she began. “I didn’t even tell my friends in Camp Half-Blood.”

“So why are you going to tell me?” Thalia shrugged.

“Something tells me that it’s a good idea to do so,” she said. “I had a little brother. His father’s also Zeus. He was so cute and adorable. He’s the reason why I stuck around with my mother. He needed someone to take care of him. I loved his little blonde head even though it got into trouble so many times.” She smiled faintly. “Then one day, mom just gave him up. I don’t know what happened. He was only two years old.” Her eyes were getting watery. “He would be the same age as you by now.” I tentatively put an arm around her.

“He might not be dead,” I said quietly. “For all we know, someone found him and took care of him. Maybe you’ll be reunited with him in the future.” Thalia laughed.

“I sure hope so,” she mumbled.

"We should get going," I declared. Thalia nodded, getting up. She signaled to the other Hunters who immediately packed up. We were running again in no time.

Thalia looked a little lighter. I guess, the little sharing helped her more than I thought. I allowed myself to smile a little. I was glad that I relieved her of some of her problems.

Something on the bushes caught my eye.

"Stop!" I yelled. Surprisingly, the Hunters did.

"What is it?" Thalia asked me. I walked to the left and knelt. There was something that was caught on one thorn. Carefully, I took it and examined it.

"Wolf hair," I mumbled. I looked up. There were a lot more caught in the thorny bushes all towards the same direction. "Lycaon and his pack changed direction. They're heading west."

Notes