Roman Chronicles: Book 1, Apollo: Chapter 4, Quests

I stare at her, my jaw dropping. "No. I can't do that. Why, My Goddess?" She stared at me, no emotion in her cold, wise eyes. "Then you shan't join the hunt. Leave me at once and don't return." Thalia looked to Artemis. "My Lady, why must she do this? This is wrong. This is just plain wrong! You never told me to kill Percy, did you? Why must you do this to her, goddess? Are you bitter? Will you do this to me? My Lady Artemis, one I pledged to 3 long years ago, I beg you, stop." She glared at her. I never imagined. Artemis looked to her, not an ounce of fear in her cold yellow eyes. "Thalia, Lieutenant. Dismissed at once, good day to you." Thalia calmed herself, swept in a deep bow, and walked out. "You must only come back when you have killed a male or saved a maiden. Daughters of love do not count. Dismissed!" "Yes, goddess." I did not bow, I simply strolled out of the tent. Nicholas was outside. "I heard the conversation. And... thanks." He muttered nervously. "For what?" I asked. He looked down. "For not... y'know. For not deciding to murder me." I nodded. "You're welcome. I will not murder anyone." I shook his hand. He held it for a second to long. He tried tugging it off. "Jeez Louise! What did you put on your hand?" He was right. We both tugged, but something sticky was there. "THALIA!" I yelled. She came running over with the speed of a lion. "Oh. You must have touched the melting drachma I threw in the fire." She pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow. Nicholas pulled. "She's gonna shoot me!" I pulled him back. "No, she's not." She pulled back on the nylon. Thank the gods she was a perfect aim. I passed clean through our stickiness. I saw half of a glooped-up drachma sizzling and and melting right there in my hand. Thalia pulled out a glowing silver knife, the handle shaped like a crescent moon. On the bolster of the knife, there were small carved silver pegasus wings. I looked at it with wonder. I knew there was celestial bronze and imperial gold. But I knew the followers of the gods only used blessed metals. So what was this? "Astral silver," Thalia said as if reading my mind. She bit her nail, then said, "It's- it's yours now. I found this in a cave when I met L-L-Lu-" She wiped her eyes, forgetting the thought. "Never mind. Just... be careful with it, Okay? Maybe you'll get lucky and Nicholas won't ever... you know."  She walked away, with her bow tightly held in her hand. I got the knife and cut the remaining gold off of my hand. Maybe Thalia won't be so bad after all.