September 1st, 1907, Night

In an instant, I was armed with a dagger and a bow.

The hunter named Peggy had opened the tents for the Hunt to take any extra equipment they could need, but also to arm this new girl (Hi! That's me!). The huntress had taken the time to explain how to hold a bow, but I wasn't sure I was learning anything over the sound of dozens of arrows being shot at the same time.

"And with the dagger… well. For now try not to get in any dagger fights. After we're done you'll be blessed and I'll teach you some interesting moves. Alright? This arrow is made of light, it was given by Artemis, and she always knows where it is, so keep that in mind." Peggy was extremely careful and laid back, even slowly taking care of her own braid as she spoke. "Oh, we need to get you clothes, and braid your hair. Well, everything to it's own time. What do you say? Should we kill some wolves?"

"Wait, but what was that part of the pledge…'I refuse men beside me throughout my life'?"

Peggy relaxed the muscles in her face. "I thought you'd ask the other part. I'm not ready to teach you that." She chuckled, I didn't, "Well, it means you will stay with the hunt, and not get any boyfriends, nor boy friends I guess."

"And what will I do with my brothers?" I sprinted in front of Peggy, not letting her keep on walking. I needed answers before going into some kind of battle.

"You mean Elisa's kids?"

"How did you know Mother Elisa's name?"

"Well, she's my sister. I wanted to come here to see her, but Eryth told me she found you, so-"

"Wait, sister? Mother Elisa is like…"

"94 years old. Yes," Peggy rolled her eyes, as if she was tired of the conversation being repeated.

"And you are…" I couldn't understand.

"Kalila, I'm 112 years old, even if I look 17. Didn't they tell you? It's a part of joining the Hunt, you stop aging."

I couldn't imagine myself, age 100, still looking like a 7 year old. I had always wanted to grow up, to understand the world further… But I had never heard of someone 112 years old alive, so that meant I would also become immortal, right?

"I know what you're thinking, and no. We can die in battle. We just can't age unless we break our vow or leave the Hunt." Peggy shrugged, but had to stop in the middle when a red-headed hunter (Not Eryth, this one was definitely human or demigoddess) called for her help.

"We can't find Lycaon, do you think you can if you were to come here?"

"Who'll take care of this one here?" Peggy signaled at me as if I was a puppy who needed to be taken care of. I didn't protest. I felt that way.

"Ugh. Hasn't she taken the pledge yet? What's keeping you from it?

"Kassandra, give her time."

Peggy packed some things in her pockets, some small square golden snacks and a small bottle of silver liquid. It reminded me of Eryth's eyes. Almost immediately she sprinted forward towards where more howls and arrows could be heard.

"So you don't know who your divine parent is… That's to be expected, don't worry. You will probably know in a few years, or if Artemis decides to share whatever she knows about you." Kassandra spoke with a jealous tone, and tapped her feet. I could understand she wanted to move, she wanted to fight, but instead she had to take care of me.

I couldn't tell for how long we were in silence. I wasn't expecting to go fight any time soon, so instead I played with my bow. In a moment, I tensed it and let go. I swear Kassandra had never moved faster, even in all the years to come.

"DON'T EVER DO THAT! DO YOU WANT YOUR ARM OBLITERATED?" She shouted at me, holding my bow string away from me and explaining why the force of the blow would damage my forearm. She was worse than Chris when it came to care. The only difference was one had accumulated shouts for 7 years, while the other had just screamed so loud it could make up for all that time.

Phoebe suddenly stopped complaining and lecturing me. She looked towards where the battle was happening, and then to the other side. The latter seemed the best option. She carefully headed away from the fire, bow in hand (Had it always been there?) and arrow in the other. I did the same, but I could barely raise my own bow. A seven-year-old was not usually fit to lift a bow almost of her own size.

The arrow I was trying to fit on the string fell off my hand when Kassandra was shot up the sky into a tree branch.

My hand gripped harder on my bow, but it made me clumsily kneel down to pick up the arrow. I had only one. Why had the hunters not given me any more? Oh. Perhaps because I didn't even know how to hold a bow. Probably.

"Do I smell fresh meat?"

A male voice spoke, but it was like nothing I had ever heard. Oscar had a high pitched voice, after all he was just a kid too. Chris was not much older, but his voice was decently deep. The guy from the store, Michael, his voice was deeper and masculine. Yet this voice was heard like the panting of a dying beast.

"Let Kassandra go." My voice shook, no matter how hard I tried to hide it. I was not brave, I was not a warrior, but Kassandra was surely like a sister to someone, and I would have done anything to save Chris, Oscar, or Lily from a situation like that one.

"Oh, but she's just the bait. I've been following this little beast for some time and everyone seems to like her." The man speaking walked forward. He was holding Kassandra by her neck and chest with his… Those weren't hands. His arms erupted fur, like a werewolf who had been forced to stop in the middle of a transition. And his face. Oh his face. I had called Oscar ugly many times, but now I felt guilty after knowing what true ugliness looked like. I didn't know how to start to describe this man. He had scars all over his face, neck, and every part of skin that could be seen. Plenty were fresh, still crimson red. Fangs could be seen from his open mouth, and they weren't like normal teeth. They seemed to have been forced out of his skull and down his face, with no room in his mouth to fit them, leaving the other teeth crushed between each other in a race for air.

"Come here. If you let me kill you quickly, perhaps I'll do the same with your friend right here."

I felt the cold sweat running down my back stick the shirt against my skin. This was not the only thing making me feel like something was behind me.

"Shoot him! The arrows are sharp enough to pierce two people, so you won't need to worry about shooting only me!" Kassandra fought in her place. Lycaon seemed to enjoy her struggles, so he didn't block her mouth.

"I don't know how to shoot properly!" I complained. I hadn't been taught yet.

"Have you not pledged yet?" Kassandra shouted in desperation. This sentence made Lycaon hurry to cover her mouth with his hand, accidentally alerting me it was important information.

Perhaps if I pledged, I could call Artemis for help. But the cost… I would never grow up with my siblings again. I could never return to my home.

But then I came to my senses. Chris was about to leave, tired of years of hunting to survive. And Oscar wasn't a great brother. But Lily… well. Lily wasn't much better either.

Thinking about it, I made my decision.

"I devote my life to the Goddess Artemis. I refuse men beside me throughout my life, accept to become an eternal maiden, and join the Hunt of the Moon." I raised my bow. Like a wave filling a bucket, I could feel information flowing into my brain. I knew how to hold a dagger, I knew about the gods, I knew about monsters, and now I knew who Lycaon was. And most importantly, I knew how to defeat him.

Raising my hand, I could see the silver lining now surrounding my body. I suddenly knew not to panic because it was normal in the Hunt. A silver lining that would follow me for the rest of my life. I gracefully placed the arrow on the bow, pulled back, and in little time shot.

The arrow flew right besides Lycaon's head.

The werewolf chuckled, and that chuckle soon became a laugh.

"You child, it takes more than a little demigod to defeat me."

"You may be right. Perhaps I need a goddess." I shrugged, trying to seem careless. The blessing of Artemis had instantly taught me how important it was to pretend security in moments of danger.

A light shone from behind me. The Moon had found the arrow she had gifted me.

"You aren't hiding from the Hunt anymore, Lycaon?" Artemis spoke solemnly. She reached over, taking my bow in her hands, like a teacher showing a student how to do things properly. I felt protected the instant the goddess touched my skin. She pressed my hand against the bow, engraving out palms on its wood as it turned to light, blessed to the touch of Artemis.

A silver arrow appeared in between Artemis' fingers, and she gently placed it on the string, pulling back with no effort. She pointed at Lycaon, who in between the stun of being presented with the goddess herself had switched places with Kassandra. She was still in front of him, but her feet were strongly standing on the ground, a grin on her face. Artemis never missed.

And she didn't.

I could feel the arrow be shot from my own fingers. The silver light around us followed the projectile until it was impaled right on the beast's head. Lycaon was no more.

The rest of the hunters ran back to the camp, no more howls were heard. Lieutenant walked first, panting lightly.

"Lady Artemis, you disappeared in the middle of the battle."

Artemis opened her eyes, and the Hunt went silent when they saw me holding the bow alongside the goddess.

"A pair of hunters found Lycaon. He has been dealt with." Artemis spoke like it was no big deal, but my knees were shaking. Thanks to Artemis, I had managed to save Kassandra. Even if Lycaon was to come back after some time in Tartarus, another information I learnt when I pledged, he was gone for now.

Even with the burst of energy I received by pledging to join the Hunt, I felt drained and empty. So much for the first day of hunting, I had been close to seeing a huntress die.

"Hunt," Artemis kept speaking without breaking a sweat. Some hunters were on the floor, hurt, while others were on their knees, healing. "Welcome the new hunter, Kalila Oasis Marull."

As if it had just then appeared, people raised their heads to look at the silver lining around me.

Eryth, the green-skinned nymph, had been hurt in her arm, but she stood up with the help of Peggy and they both approached me.

"Look, I didn't see what you did, but I heard Kassandra talk about it with our Lieutenant, and let me tell you Kass always tells stories lazily. If you're in the story, it means you did important stuff. Good job." Peggy placed an arm around my shoulders. Despite our ages being so different, she treated me like an equal. Must be a side effect of not aging for hundreds of years.

Eryth moved Peggy's arm to place a quiver around my neck, and passed the string under my arm.

"There. Now, whenever you need it, arrows will appear there. They're not our best arrows, but they are infinite. The special on3s are limited, and only Kassandra and Sipriotes are constantly crafting them. Almost like they were children of Hephaestus."

Both Eryth and Peggy laughed. It took some moments to search through my new mind, but I managed to find who Hephaestus was. God of craftsmanship, fire, and overall pretty ugly. I laughed along.

"All we need to know now is who your godly parent is, right Kalila?" Eryth asked.

"You know… I'm not so interested in finding out just yet. I want to grow closer with the Hunt and this world before searching for my mother or father. They didn't look for me all these 7 years, so I can wait just a few more years."

"Well, Kalila. You can keep your words, because you've been claimed." Peggy pointed over my head.

I looked at my hands. Its silver lining changed to a blue tone. When I opened my palms, a blue trident floated above it like an emblem. Looking through my new mind, I knew what that meant.

"Congratulations," Peggy said, "Kalila Oasis Marull, daughter of Poseidon."