"You're Nico di Angelo?" He nods. I didn't expect him to look like this. He was skinny, and he had shaggy brown-black hair. He was frowning at me, like i'd done something wrong. He had thin, faint muscles. He was frowning and glaring at me. Great. Just great. He pulled a square of who-knows-what that came from who-knows-where, and started chewing on it. "Why are you even here?" His lets out an exasperated sigh. "You know how many times I've been asked that today?" I shook my head. "I thought so. Now hand it over." I took off the leather jacket and handed it to him. He put it on and said, "Much better." The jacket definitely completed the look. "And about your question? I'm only here because Thalia's here." I perked up. The Hunters of Artemis? This was my chance! "When are they getting here?" I asked eagerly. "Ten-fifteen minutes." "LEAVE! No offense," I said. He smiled. "None taken." I turned around, but he was gone. I combed my hair and put it into a braid. I threw it over my shoulder. I thought about anything I could at once. My eyes started changing colors again. I cleaned myself, and then waited for the hunters. Soon I see them. A group of pretty girls, clad in silver everything. Silver shirts, jackets, jeans, hats, and shoes. Each of them had a silver-tipped arrows notched on silver-wooded bows. At the front, there was a girl in an orange leather vest. She had silver jeans, and gold cross earrings. She was wearing a white T-shirt with a striking lightning bolt. She had electric blue eyes, and it looked like an entire bottle of silver mascara on each eye. She was wearing black eyeliner, and her black hair was dark and choppy. A gold headband sat in her hair. She was wearing a few coats of super-light silver lipstick. To tell you the truth, none of her clothes matched. She had a grin that said, Don't come close. Then I saw something I hadn't seen before. A silver circlet, perfectly laced around her head. I glowed silver, duller and brighter than the rest. Also, she was wearing skull ear-buds. She was mumbling something that sounded like, "No. No. Yes. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. No." She must have been doing a quiz-monster thing. She looked up. "Oh, we're here. Down, Tiber." I didn't notice she was riding on a large, white-furred timber wolf. The wolf sat, and she jumped off. She patted the wolf on the head, and it licked her appreciatively. "Hunters of Artemis, Lieutenant Thalia, chosen by Artemis." She looked a bit more serious than she had in the books. Percy and Annabeth rushed forward, and Thalia gave them each a bear hug. "Percy," She ducked her head down, forming a reluctant bow. Then she said, "Annabeth!" She hugged her again. "Sure you don't want to dump Percy and join?" She asked. Percy looked up. "Hey!" He said. Annabeth gave her another hug. "Not today, Thalia. Not today." Thalia shook her head, then asked, "Any girls who want to join?" Nobody came. "Well, guess there aren't many from CHB. I liked this place myself!" I stepped forward. "I want to join." Nicholas looked up. "What? No!" He came over. "You're my only friend." I shook off his hand. "Sorry, Nick. Nobody accepts me here, anyway." Thalia squinted at me. "Goth Aphrodite kid?" I shook my head. "Hades kid wearing Nico di Angelo's old clothes." she stared at me. I heard her mutter, "Bianca." I gave her 'the look'. "Bianca died. She lives in Elysium." Thalia gave her head a vigorous shake. "She- she tried for Isles of Blest." "I am not Bianca." She tried clearing her head. "Fine. You aren't." She handed me a silver cargo jacket, a white T-shirt with a moon on it, silver boots, and black jeans. I took the jacket and gave her the rest back. She stared at me, but took it. Thalia tugged me out of camp and into a tent lined with silver chains. "Lady Artemis. This maiden- she wishes to join." I looked where she was looking, and saw a stunning girl in a silver shirt dress, silver jeans, and silver boots. She had long auburn hair in a perfect braid that went to her waist. She had eyes the color of a yellow moon. Her skin was pale and her lips were blood-red. She looked at me. "Tell her... to say the pledge." Her voice was cold and demanding, but I felt the warmth she had towards Thalia. Thalia bowed. "My Lady, of course." Artemis smiled. Thalia said the pledge and asked me to say it.
I took a deep breath. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood and..." I paused, took another deep breath and said, "And join the hunt." Artemis looked in my eyes. "No. I don't accept it. You will one day fall for the Athenian one." I stared at her. "NO! What- what must I do, My, -My goddess?" She looked at me, her eyes cold as the dark side of the moon. "You must kill. Eliminate the one they call... Nicholas."
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