The Darkest Sunrise

(Tara's P.O.V.)

I'm wide awake, as I usually am, just before the sun rises. I'm packed and ready to go on this quest when I spot Cody. He looks like he didn't get any sleep. I join him, deciding to try and be civilized since we are about to spend an as-yet undetermined amount of time together.

"Hey," I greet him.

Cody nods in my general direction, which I assume is his idea of acknowledging me.

"Where's Ian?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Not a morning person?" I ask. He shrugs again. Yep, he and I are going to have some epic conversations on this quest, I can totally tell.

Ian comes rushing toward us. He looks disheveled. His few personal possessions are trying to escape from the messy pile he's made in his bag, which he didn't bother to close. His hair's adorably unkempt and he's pulling on his brand new Camp Half Blood t-shirt when he reaches us.

"Sorry!" He says breathlessly. "Overslept."

"Okay, where do Demigods go for coffee?" I ask, because it's clear neither of the boys is very functional at this hour. They stare at me blankly. "Uh, hello? Is there a Starbucks around here? Or do we go to, like, Godbucks or something?"

We are barely outside the Camp's barriers when life returns to Cody. A punk girl stands in front of us and Cody is foaming at the mouth. "Get lost, Thalia," he spits at her.

"Hello to you, too, Son of Ares," she says with a roll of her eyes. "I'm here on orders."

"Are the Hunters crashing the camp again? Because you aren't welcome here."

"That's not your call, Moron, but no, it's just me. Lady Artemis has asked me to talk to you, Tara."

"Me?" I ask. Now I'm the one blinking in confusion. Artemis. I know that name. She's the Greek Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, and she's supposed to be pretty awesome. For some odd reason, I find myself thinking of her as the Goddess of Girl Power and picturing her singing along to the Spice Girls. A guy who looks a lot like Will flashes into my head, doing an impression of that very image, and laughing. He has a great smile and it's comforting. I know him, but I can't remember why.

"Yes, you. She's asked me to give this to you before you leave for your quest." She hands me a smooth deep blue stone. "This talisman will protect you on your journey, and you can use it to call on your aunt if things are dire."

"My aunt?"

"You seem confused. Don't you remember me?"

I shake my head. I don't know what to say as I stare at the stone in my hand. It feels so familiar. Thalia is familiar, too. But I can't place either of them.

"Tara has amnesia," Ian supplies.

"We didn't know... Lady Artemis will be very upset. She likes you, Tara. She still wants you to join up with us," Thalia tells me.

"Join up?" I ask.

"No way! She's not some lesbian, so don't try to recruit her," Cody says sharply. I have no idea why he cares if I "join up" or why he assumes I'm not a lesbian. I mean, I'm pretty attracted to boys, so I guess I'm not, but what if I'm bisexual? I don't actually know, and that realization bothers me a bit.

"Listen, Cody, just because I'm smart enough to realize boys are idiots doesn't mean I'm a lesbian, either. So back the hell off with that homophobic talk!" Thalia says before punching him in the face. Cody is about to swing back at her when Ian grabs his arm.

"Dude! She's a girl. You can't hit a girl," Ian argues.

"She's a Hunter. They don't count," Cody argues.

I think he might actually hit her, so I interrupt. "What does she want me to join?"

Thalia calms down and turns her attention to me. "The Hunt. We're her immortal companions, fighting the good fight, hunting the good hunt, and staying the hell away from stupid boys. You've got the soul of a warrior, Tara. Artemis respects you."

"And she's my aunt... And we've met?"

"You and your father backed all of us up in a fight a few months ago."

"My father?"

"Yeah, your father. Apollo. Brother of Artemis. Sun God. Healer. Writer of really, really bad Haikus."

"He writes Haikus?"

"He tries. They seriously suck."

"That's an understatement," Cody mumbles under his breath.

"Did I want to join the Hunt?" I ask.

"You considered it, but you didn't want to leave Apollo. Most Gods don't want anything to do with their demigod offspring, but Apollo's attached to you. He can't manifest on the Earth often, but he did it for you. He's been looking for you. You got hurt and he lost track of you. He was so relieved when you found your way to camp. He came straight to Lady Artemis to let her know you were safe."

My dad cares about me. Well, that's good to know. "I don't remember him... Or her... Or anything." I shake my head. "Amnesia sucks. Where is he now, anyway? Maybe he can fill in the blanks for me."

"Zeus has called him back to Olympus. He can't help right now."

"Great. Because Olympic business is more important than your own kid. Right."

"Welcome to the Demigod life," Cody says. He looks genuinely upset, but not with me, or even with Thalia. "My dad only comes around to bark out orders, make demands, and tell me what a disappointment I am." He freezes, clearly embarrassed he admitted that aloud. "Don't you dare repeat that, Thalia."

"No worries. I get it. My dad's the big guy, remember? I never see him, even though I'm back from the dead, and he's clearly warped. His idea of saving me was turning me into a tree. A damned tree! Seriously? What the hell, Dad?" Thalia asks. "All of our parents suck."

"Who's your father?" I ask.

"Tree? Thalia? Oh wait! You're Zeus's daughter, right? My brothers told me all about your tree." Ian says in excitement.

"That's me. Tree Girl," Thalia replies.

"Any idea what our quest is?" Cody asks her. "Since Artemis sent you and all?"

"No. She just said it's very important and very dangerous. Why they'd send poor Tara off with two boys is beyond me... It's not too late, you know. You can join us and change your fate. I did it."

"She's not joining your stupid little club! Let it go!"

"Cody, you don't speak for me. Why are you so against this?" I demand.

"He's just pissed off because of Kalena," Thalia says with a nasty grin.

"Shut up! Just shut up about her!" Cody shouts.

Ian, sensing good gossip, says, "Who's Kalena?"

"No one. She's not anyone at all."

"She's a Hunter of Artemis and a daughter of Hecate," Thalia provides. "Until six months ago, she was also Cody's girlfriend."

"She broke up with you to join the Hunt?" I ask. "Why couldn't she do both?"

"No boys. It's a rule," Thalia explains. "We give up boys as part of our oath to Artemis."

"She chose the Hunt over love? Wow. That's hardcore."

"Talk about rejection! No wonder you're so bitter," Ian says.

Before I can stop him, Cody's attacking Ian. He gets in three punches before Thalia rips them apart. She's pretty strong.

"Shut the hell up! You don't know a damned thing!" Cody tells him.

"Cody... Calm down," I say. "Ian was just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Successfully, I might add," Ian says.

"Not helping," I point out to him.

Cody tries to lunge at Ian again, but I grab his arm. "Stop! Seriously, this is stupid."

"Boys. Stupid. Same thing," Thalia informs me.

"You're just pissed Luke turned evil, you dyke!" Cody shouts.

Okay, now I'm pissed. I punch Cody in the chest hard. He freezes in place and stares at me. I think it's with a mix of shock and respect.

"Don't use that word," I say calmly. "It's rude."

"Sorry," he says.

Did Cody just apologize? The apocalypse has come. "Seriously?" I ask.

"Yeah. You're right. It was a jerk thing to say. I'm not some homophobe. I just really hate the Hunters."

"Because of Kalena?"

"Because I'm a son of Ares, and my father's kids all hate them. Also, every time they come to Camp, all hell breaks loose."

"Well maybe if you didn't pick fights with us-" Thalia starts.

"The Hunters fight with everyone. Even the Aphrodite kids hate you guys. You're so against love and everything... Whatever. It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have gone there. Sorry. Let's move on."

I can tell Thalia wants to argue, but I don't let her. "We're good. Thank Artemis for me... And tell her I appreciate the invite, but I've got a quest to do," I say. The boys may be being idiots, but Thalia is no better, and I can't just up and join my aunt's group of boy-hating Hunters when I don't even know who I am.

Thalia nods. "I'll let her know. Good luck." She walks away.

Cody is looking at me with softer eyes than before. I must be imagining things, because the look vanishes almost as soon as I see it. Ian is keeping his distance from Cody. He's probably afraid he's going to get hit again.

"Now," I say, "to find that coffee..."

Notes