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The first day of Summer was back which meant that they were officially back at Camp Half-Blood. Bianca was spending a lot of time with Tyler, her boyfriend, which meant that Zoe had more free time than she would love to. One morning some of the hunters arrived at Camp Half-Blood.
Zoe was getting ready for the day when someone knocked on the door. Both Charlie and Lana had left for breakfast 30 minutes ago. If she weren’t out of the room in 5 minutes, Bianca would drag her out of it. The door opened. “Does anyone know where can I find the world’s best goddaughter?” Thalia said and Zoe hugged her.
“I didn’t know that you were coming!” Zoe smiled. Thalia was more like Zoe’s honourable godmother as Percy and Annabeth never knew where she was. Thalia was practically the same age as Zoe and Charlie. “What are you doing here?”
“I was close, and I thought I could drop by,” Thalia exclaimed. “Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What about?”
“Artemis was impressed by you, but she didn’t have enough time to talk to you. She thinks you’d be a remarkable addition to the hunters. Do you want to join us?” Thalia asked her.
Zoe was hesitant. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “I don’t know. I want to, but I have to think about it first.”
“You can tell me until we leave the camp in a week, and who knows maybe you’ll come with us.” Thalia winked and left the cabin.
Zoe sat on her bed. What was she supposed to do? Bianca came into her cabin “Okay, you’re officially super late. Are you coming to practice? I can’t handle the 6-year-olds alone.” Zoe just nodded. “Are you all right?” Bianca dragged her out of the cabin.
“I am thinking of joining the hunters,” Zoe said as they started walking towards the training field.
Bianca paled and she almost dropped her sword. “Really?” Bianca was not happy about it. “I mean don’t you want to grow old?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s cool. You get to be immortal and fight along with a goddess. You can join too and- “
“No. I don’t want to. I’ll never do something like that” Bianca replied offended.
“I just suggested something. You don’t have to snap to me like that.” Zoe replied. “A lot of time has passed since the last time they asked you.”
“I have a boyfriend. I am sure Artemis won’t be happy about it.” Bianca sighed, trying to keep her patience. “We have a sword class to teach. We can talk later.” Bianca started walking ahead of Zoe.
Bianca and Zoe didn’t talk to each other for the rest of the day. At the campfire, Charlie realized the tension between the two girls. “What is going on with them?” He asked Colin without them noticing.
“I don’t want to know,” Colin said. If Bianca and Zoe weren’t talking, things weren’t going to end up well.
“Did you two drink the silent water? You haven’t said a word all day.”
“We’re fine!” They said in unison and continued not even looking at each other.
May, one of the hunters, came and sat next to Zoe. “I just found out that you may come with us. It will be so nice having you around all the time!”
“What are you talking about May?” Charlie asked confused. Zoe spoke just as much as Bianca, so none of them knew what they were fighting about.
“Didn’t your sister tell you what she is planning to do?” Bianca said without looking at Zoe. Bianca calling Zoe his sister wasn’t good.
“No?” He turned to Zoe. “Zoe, what is going on?” Charlie started getting worried.
“I may join the hunters of Artemis. That’s why Bianca is mad with me” Zoe said.
“You want to join the hunters? Did you tell mum and dad?”
“I don’t know,” Zoe said in a monotonous tone.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Charlie started getting annoyed.
“I mean that I don’t know if I should tell them,” Zoe replied dumbfounded. “I might not even tell them.”
“So, you won’t tell them you’ll just show up one day and you’ll be like ‘hey mum and dad. Sorry I am not staying at home, but I am busy being immortal with Artemis”.
“You are unbelievable,” Zoe replied and got up.
“It might be the one time I agree with him Charlie 100%,” Bianca said.
“What’s your deal today.” She said to Bianca. “Where has the ‘we always agree with each other pact’ gone?” Zoe had never been so angry with Bianca.
“That’s serious Zoe. You might get killed.”
“I can get killed every single day. That’s our life, Bianca.”
“So, let me think. You stay forever 15, you won’t be allowed to fall in love, you will miss out on everything in life and you’re going to watch us all die. That’s the life you want?”
“Being a hunter is not like that. It’s- “May started saying.
“No one asked for your opinion here!” Bianca was furious. And she didn’t even need an excuse on a regular day to fight with May, imagine now that she was angry.
“Don’t talk to her like that! And maybe that’s what I want. You know Bianca not everyone likes their life. I am not like you. I don’t have my 20-year plan and I don’t have the potential you have. I don’t brag all day long about how great I’ll be in the future. I don’t have one million dollars in the bank to go and do as many masters as I want. Just because you like your life that doesn’t mean the rest of us like our lives as well.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me right. I don’t brag all the time as you do. It’s quite tiring having to listen to you brag and brag all day long. Of how great and brilliant you are. And partly Bianca, I don’t want to hear it anymore. Enough is enough with you being the centre of the universe.” Zoe shouted.
“Go do whatever the hell you want. Just don’t talk to me ever again.” Bianca walked away.
Zoe sat next to Colin and Charlie who didn’t look happy about what she said. “What? You are going to scream at me too?”
“It wasn’t cool Zoe. You were horrible to Bianca. To Bianca.” Colin emphasized. “The one person who never complains about anything. The one who shuts her mouth all the time and supports us unconditionally every single time, even if we’re doing the dumbest stuff in existence. I am just disappointed in you.”
“Colin I-“
“It’s getting late, I’m going to my cabin.” He left them too and headed to the Dionysus Cabin.
Charlie also got up “Go and sit with your new friends. You’ll be stuck with them for the rest of your life.” He started walking away with Zoe running behind him. He was texting a message. “Charlie-“
He stopped walking. “And I am going to tell mum and dad. They deserve to know what stupid shenanigans you’re planning on doing.”
Zoe was on the verge of crying “You are a huge dick. I hate you. You are the worst brother in the world.”
“I don’t care. You are a crappy sister as well. Some people care about you, but you prefer to push them away.” Charlie murmured.
“Can’t you for once be on my side? For once! I need you on my side.”
“That’s the problem, Zoe. We are always by your side—all of us. And you have done some pretty nasty stuff in the past. And you are not an easy person to be around, but we accept and support you. We care about you”.
“You don’t! If you did you would be on the same page with me.”
“That’s not how it works. We want the best for you and throwing your life away is not the best for you.”
“You want what you think is the best for me. Just stay out of my life.” Zoe shouted.
“I will. Don’t worry. And I sent mum and dad a message. They will come tomorrow first thing.”
Zoe hated Charlie so much at that moment. She didn’t say anything, she just walked away.
-
Zoe couldn’t sleep that night. All of her favourite people were mad at her. Charlie didn’t return to their cabin. Lana wasn’t exactly mad at Zoe, but she didn’t want to take her chances with her 10-year-old sister. She didn’t even want to imagine what would happen the next morning when Percy and Annabeth would come to talk to her.
She woke up earlier than usual, and she thought that it would be better to grab breakfast before the rest woke up as none of them were talking to her. She sat at her usual table, receiving a lot of weird looks and whispers from the other campers. She munched down some Fruit Loops and a glass of orange juice. She decided not to go near the Big House or the cabins. If there was a split chance that her parents wouldn’t find her, Zoe was going to take that chance.
She made her way to her favourite spot, the pier by the lake. None a lot of people liked to go there, especially that early in the morning. Zoe remembered that she had also hidden a book in the trunk of a tree, so she found what she was going to do while hiding.
To her surprise, someone was already sitting at the pier. “Dad?”
“Hey, Zo.” Percy got up like he didn’t know what his daughter what planning on doing.
“Where is mum?” Zoe knew that Percy had come on purpose to find her at the pier. She and Annabeth didn’t always get along which meant that they could start fighting at the pier.
“She is in the Big House with Chiron,” Percy said. He understood that Zoe wasn’t in the mood to talk about their issue. “Honey, we want to talk to you not argue with you.”
Zoe nodded her head and crossed her hands. “You just want to talk me out of it.”
“We are just going to talk. Nothing else. I promise.”
Zoe was pretty sure that was not going to happen, but there was no way she could get out of talking with them. What were they going to do if she didn’t agree with her? Banish her to a boarding school in Antarctica?
“Hey, Zo.” Annabeth hugged her daughter who wasn’t in the mood to even see her.
“To save you some of your very valuable time from your lives and your other three children; I have decided. I am going to accept.” Zoe stated.
“You decided so soon? Don’t you think that it would be better if you thought about it for a while before being absolute about it? We are talking about a very big life-changing decision. You’re giving up the whole growing-up scenario.” Percy warned her.
“Nothing is holding me back. I’m doing it, whatever you say.” She replied. Last night she had thought about the idea of turning down the offer, but just because everyone else didn’t want her to, she had to say no? She was going to do it out of spite.
“Zoe, It’s just-“ Annabeth started saying, but Zoe interrupted her.
“You just don’t want me to go. If you wanted me to go, you wouldn’t have come here. I’m telling you; it’s a finished deal. I’m joining the hunt.” Zoe frowned.
“Do you want me to be honest?” Zoe was always testing harder than everyone else Annabeth’s motherly abilities ever since she started talking. “I don’t want you to go. I want to see you grow up. I know it’s selfish, but you don’t get exactly what you are giving up.” Annabeth said.
“I don’t care!” She replied bluntly. “It’s my life. I can do whatever I want!”
“You can do whatever you want? You are not going to be a hunter. You are too stressed to take a lifelong decision. You can’t see how it will end up.”
“So you think I’m irresponsible and selfish?” Zoe asked.
“At this point? Yes, that’s what I think.”
Percy understood that the conversation was going out of hand. “Can you please both calm down?” Zoe and Annabeth were too similar, and their fights never ended well.
“Tell me why I am selfish. Why choosing myself is bad?” Zoe crossed her arms.
“Last night you fought with your best friend because she disagreed with you. Tell me a person that wasn’t in the hunters that wanted you to join.”
Zoe tried to think of a person who supported her decision, but she really couldn’t think of any. “That’s not a reason not to join. And Bianca was being even more paranoid than you two!” She cried.
“I love you more than my own life Zoe. I don’t want you to make a decision that you may regret in 10 or 20 years. Or even tomorrow. Living in regret is hard.”
“You are doing it for your benefit!” She accused her.
“It’s not as fun as you may think. The rest of us are going to continue growing older. And after a while, it won’t matter what a good time you are having.”
“I don’t care!” Zoe started sobbing. “I don’t care! I don’t care! I don’t care!”
Annabeth hated herself at that moment. She couldn’t watch Zoe acting like that mainly because of her. “You wouldn’t just say I don’t care all the time if you didn’t agree with me.”
“You are wrong. I want to do it.” Zoe cried. “It’s your fault I’m acting like that. Can’t you support me just for once? For once? Can you be a good mother for me and take my side?” She sobbed.
Annabeth had never felt so worthless. “We should probably take you home, but we don’t want you to think that we are punishing you.” She wasn’t going to cry in front of Zoe.
Zoe felt even more messed up. “You are punishing me. That’s how it feels.”
“Please think about it more. Think about the future. And if you decide that you still want to join, even though we don’t like the idea we are going to be there for you.” Percy said.
Zoe stared at them for a second and then left. Annabeth started crying. “We’re going to lose her.”
“No, look at me. We will be fine.” Annabeth continued crying. “I don’t want you to cry. I’ll figure everything out.”
“She hates me, Percy. She hates me. There is no figuring out that. Even if she doesn’t join the hunters, it’s not going to be the same.”
Percy pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the temple. “You’re a great mother. Zoe knows it. She is just angry. Let her cool off. You will be fine. You won’t end up like you and your father. She knows that you’re there for her no matter what.”
Annabeth wiped her tears. “How about we go back home?”
“Whatever you want.”
Percy and Annabeth were on their way to leave the camp. “I didn’t know you were at Camp!” Thalia said happily. She soon noticed that her feelings weren’t mutual with theirs. “What is wrong?”
“We are fixing your mistakes” Percy replied as he unlocked the car.
“What are you talking about?” Thalia’s expression darkened.
“You should have come and talked to us first before asking our 15-year-old to become a hunter,” Annabeth said.
“I was doing my job. I thought you would understand. I didn’t do it out of spite. I love Zoe and I want her good. I just saw too much of me in her.” Thalia explained.
“But the difference between you and Zoe is that she has her parents who love her and understand that she is just a kid. She has a choice while you didn’t.” Percy said.
“So you’re mad at me?” She asked.
“Thalia, It’s not the right time to talk now” Annabeth got into the car.
“Guys, come on! We used to be best friends. You can’t seriously hold a grudge like that!”
“As you said. We used to be best friends. We are way too different now. We have kids that are our responsibility. You can’t expect us to not be a little bit angry, she is just a kid, she has so much to lose by being a hunter.” Percy said.
“No, we are going to talk about it. Have you ever thought that Zoe needs to get away from here?”
“It’s not your place to judge. There is something deeper happening with Zoe that joining the hunters won’t solve.”
“What if I go talk to her? Maybe she and Bia-“
“No, you’ve done enough already,” Percy stated. “Not maybes nothing. Zoe needs some time on her own. She’ll come and talk to us. That’s how we always work. And don’t ever mention the hunt again to Bianca. Nico doesn’t even know about you asking her last year, and I bet you don’t want him to find it out.”
“Really mature Percy. You are just being toxic now. Threatening me? Who do you think I am? I’ll do whatever I want.”
Annabeth couldn’t take it any longer. “Have a great eternity Thalia”.
-
Zoe was sitting at the pier by the lake. Her feet were in the water, and she was fidgeting with her necklace. She had officially made everyone hate her. Sure, there were times that she felt like she was the black sheep, but she knew deep down that she would always be loved, no matter what. She had wished Annabeth weren’t her mum. She had wished Charlie weren’t her brother. She had wished Bianca weren’t her best friend. That was too much even for Zoe. Why did she have to ruin everything good in life? Why did she have to feel like she was a mistake? Why did she have to be so explosive and angry all the time? Charlie was most times calm and a fun person to be around. Why couldn’t she be the same way?
Thalia came and sat next to her. “Hey,” she said.
Zoe was distracted that she didn’t notice Thalia. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“It’s fine. I just wanted to talk to you.” Thalia stated.
“My mum told you to take back the offer, didn’t she?” Zoe exclaimed.
“No, Annabeth has nothing to do with me talking to you. She didn’t even want me to talk to you.” She replied. “I want to tell you a story. If I am bothering you, you can tell me.”
“No, it’s fine. Stay. You might be the only person in Camp who wants to hang out with me.” Zoe felt so pathetic.
Thalia took a deep breath. “I joined the hunt almost 30 years ago. I mostly joined because being the child of the prophecy wasn’t who I wanted everyone to remember me for. Lady Artemis was generous enough to offer me a place in the hunt. She is the protector of young girls.” She looked at Zoe. “There are some things about the hunt that nobody tells you. I stopped growing old a day before I turned 16. I am 15 for almost 3 decades and I’ll be 15 for Gods know how long.”
“I know that you stop growing old.-“
“I liked someone.” Sadness sparked in Thalia’s eyes. “I hate to say it, but I liked someone so much I was ready to give up everything. But that someone reminded me that we couldn’t be together. My friends got married. My friends died and got buried. Some had children and careers. She was one of the many people who I had to give up.” She said with sorrow.
“When she was 20 we had the best time of our lives. It was the happiest time of my life.” Thalia remembered hanging out with a certain demigoddess in Bacchus’ gardens discovering each other. “I left her for three years. I told her to wait for me.”
Tears started forming. “For me, three years was nothing. For her, apparently, was a whole lifetime. She had gotten married and had a son. I was right where she left me. That’s the reality of being a hunter Zoe. You stop growing up, but all the people you love no matter what grow up and move on. The hunt is like a family, I can’t deny that, but you have a big blank inside of you. You are a runaway. After a while, you decide that it’s better to stop visiting certain places, certain streets, and certain people.”
Zoe was shocked that Thalia said something like that. “Thalia-“ She felt sorry for her. It was like she was stuck in a time machine on her own.
“When you join the Hunters of Artemis you have to do it with all of your heart and soul. You have to give everything you own and think. The human you and the hunter you can’t coexist. It’s one or the other. Never both.” Thalia stated. “You join because you want to fight because you are willing to kill or to get sacrificed. Not because you want to run away from someone or something.” Zoe felt like Thalia looked through her. Like she knew her secret. “You remind me too much of myself, Zoe. But not because we felt like outcasts. Because we both like people we know we can’t have.”
Zoe paled. Thalia was right. “Who was the girl you fell in love with?” Zoe had teared up without even realising. She quickly wiped her tears.
“I’ll tell only if you tell me who you want to run away from.”
“Fine, you go first.” Zoe agreed.
Thalia chuckled. “I wanted to give everything up for Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. I even proposed her to join the hunt so that we could be immortal hunters together, for the rest of eternity.”
Zoe knew Reyna mostly from Bianca as she was coming to her house all the time. She could never imagine her and Thalia together.
“I want to run away because love is stupid. It’s a big pile of bullshit that everyone thinks it’s the best feeling in the world.” Zoe said. “I’m 15. I shouldn’t feel like that. It’s wrong.”
“Who is making you feel like that.”
“I have ever liked only one boy who I am sure can’t think of me as something more than a childhood best friend.” Thalia wanted to say, ‘all of this for a boy?’
“But no. I am not feeling this way because of a boy. It’s because of a girl. She is a dream to me. The way she talks, the way she touches me, she smiles at me, all of her existence. Her dimples, her freckles, her blue eyes, it all just ruins me.” She took a deep breath. “And the worst part is that she can’t even realise I love her. And now she thinks that I hate her.” She smiled through her tears. “She is a Miss Perfect. Everything figured out and pretty.”
Thalia realised how right Percy and Annabeth were. Zoe wanted to run away. She took her hand. “You should stay here. The pain will get worst if you leave. I am saying this to you because I care.”
“Will it make things better? Will everyone accept me?”
“I don’t know what everyone means to you, but if it means your friends and family, it won’t change anything for the way they see you. Especially, for your parents.” Thalia emphasized.
“That means that I won’t see you anytime soon,” Zoe said to her.
Thalia hugged her. “You’re making the right choice Zo. I have to do some errands. We’ll talk later.”
Zoe stayed at the pier. Water was always soothing her and helping her think. Soon someone sat next to her. “The lake looks nice. Not as nice as the beach, but still good enough.” Bianca babbled. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and she was probably all day at the sun as she had more freckles than usual.
Although Zoe and Bianca swore not to talk to each other that didn’t last long. It could never last long with the two of them. Zoe was surprised that Bianca came to her first.
“Bee, I am sorry. I was a huge ass. I am sorry I said all the horrible stuff about you, and I am sorry that I pushed you away when I needed you the most just because you disagreed with me. I-“
Bianca hugged her. At that moment Zoe wanted to start crying. “Stop apologising, it’s fine. I guess it was a normal reaction. You are going through a lot. I am sorry too. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. You can do whatever you want, it’s your life, not mine.”
She truly was Zoe’s person. Even if she could never be hers to lose, she was her soulmate and she knew that Bianca felt the same way about her. “I won’t become a hunter.”
“That’s great. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to you yet. I will never be ready to say goodbye to you. I need you more than anyone else. That’s why I reacted like that.”
“Well, I need you too. Especially now that everyone hates me.” Zoe laughed with tears in her eyes.
"They don’t hate you. There is nothing a sorry can’t fix.” She consulted her. “And If it can’t fix it, which I doubt, I’ll be there for you.”
-
Bianca was right. Charlie and Colin forgave her almost immediately, but she knew who was the one who deserved an apology most of all. She was just trying to figure out the best way to do it. On 4th July, Camp threw a huge feast which everyone attended.
Zoe had told Annabeth to come to find her at the pier. Which she did. As soon as she sat next to her, she felt a big lump in her throat. “I’m so sorry for saying all that stuff about you. I don’t know what got to me and you’re always doing your best for us and you’re there for me and I am an ungrateful brat that takes advantage of your efforts.” Zoe cried as Annabeth held her.
“It’s alright. Look at me.”
Zoe was shaking her head. “It’s not alright. I’m a horrible daughter.” She sobbed.
“Everyone makes mistakes and eventually snaps. It’s human. We both said some things that we shouldn’t have, but we move on. I’m sorry as well, I should have tried talking to you before trying to make you do what I thought was best.” Annabeth told her.
If there was one thing that Frederick had taught her, was that she was never going to use her kids’ pain and mistakes against them. She sure had some moments where she felt like everything was falling apart, but at the end of the day, she was only human and she deserved a break.
“Can you forgive me?” Zoe asked her with a small voice.
“Of course.”