2,901As always, thank you to everyone for reading this story. I hope everyone is well and staying safe in this crazy world right now.
I hope you all enjoy
Naruto/Percy Jackson Crossover
Dining With Divinity
Part Vlll
"Prepare your bows!" The voice belonging to Zoe Nightshade, lieutenant of Artemis, and veteran member of the Hunters of Artemis carried itself across the pine grove deep inside Forest Park. She stood to attention off to the side of the Hunters Camp, her hands clasped together behind her back like a drill sergeant. Her dark eyes were focused and emotionless, scanning over the group of young girls that stood in a single file line. Each girl was upright, their feet shoulder-width apart, and toes pointing in 90 degrees at the target dummies set up thirty meters away from them. All of the inanimate objects looked like pincushions, dozens of arrows sticking out from them. Th girls all dressed identical, with a silver parka jacket and green camouflage pants. Their hair was all braided, with some flicking over their shoulder and others resting along their spine.
"Yes, Lieutenant!" Like they trained for, each girl kept a relaxed grip on the bow handle and nocked their arrow with their other free hand.
"Remember to position your fingers on the string with the index finger above the arrow, and keep the middle and ring finger below it."
Following her instructions, the girls all did so in unison.
"Do not grip the arrow with your fingers. Pull back the string using your back muscles, not your arm," Zoe warned, "Pull back until your index finger is under your chin and the string touches nose and lips. Once your comfortable, use your dominant eye to line up the shot."
The girls did as they were told and steadily began lining up their shot with the dummies. It took a matter of seconds before Zoe was pleased with what she saw. The newest members of the Hunt had come a long way in the last couple of months. This time a month ago, she was still showing members like Eloise and Lucy the proper stance when preparing to fire an arrow.
"Relax your grip on the string and allow your fingers to slip backwards. After shooting, maintain your body position until I tell you."
Ignoring the tickle on the tip of her nose from the chill, she stood still as the familiar sounds of arrows whooshing through the air reached her ears. A smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. Was there a better sound in the world than arrows gliding through the air? If there was, she didn't know what it was, nor did she care for it. Gazing across the archery field the hunters temporarily created for themselves, she examined the training dummies now filled with arrows.
Two in the left lung. One in the shoulder. One to the kidney. One that would have sent the targets intestines spilling across their lap. The final arrow hit its target directly in the right eye, with zero chance of survival.
'Not bad. Not bad at all.'
Nodding, Zoe walked onto the field and faced the waiting hunters. They were all still in their shooting positions, waiting for her to give the order to drop their stances.
"Okay girls..." Silence hung over them as they eagerly awaited her verdict, though their faces gave nothing away, "Good job. Drop your stances."
A sigh of relief rung through the field, and Zoe was forced not to roll her eyes as half of the lineup dropped to the ground, their arms and legs splayed out like a star. The others remained standing, though their shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
"Ow. My fingers are killing me!"
"Who knew shooting arrows could be so exhausting!"
"I've got blisters on my blisters!"
"If they thought that was bad, then they have no idea what they've signed up for." Zoe didn't bother turning around, recognising the voice of the only member of Artemis's hunt who's tenure expanded passed her own. Whereas Zoe's tenure with the Hunt was over two thousand years, Phoebe's was even longer. Somewhere around 2500 years if the ginger-haired hunter's count was correct. "I hope they know that I won't heal injuries as trivial as this."
"I'm sure they know. As Hunters of Artemis, it's expected of them to be aware of what injuries dictate the attention of our medic." As a daughter of Apollo and one as old as Phoebe was, there wasn't many who's knowledge in the healing arts surpassed the larger girl. Though there was no love between the daughter of Apollo and the God of the Sun, there was no denying the demigod had inherited her father's aptitude for medicine, which included her inheritance of Apollo's vitakinesis abilities. The ability to manipulate the healing process was a skill few children of the Sun God were lucky to inherit, and the demand for such individuals was high where ever you went. To this day, Phoebe was the only one Zoe was aware of who was still alive. None of the Sun Gods current batch of children at Camp Halfblood had yet to prove themselves capable of the skill. "I've made sure to drill that into their heads."
"I have no doubt."
Clapping her hands, Zoe drew the attention of the six hunters back to her, "Pick yourself up, girls. Training might be over, but the day isn't, and I know you still have chores around the camp to complete." A groan rang out between the girls and forced the lieutenant of the Hunt to narrow her eyes, "I wasn't asking if you wanted too or not. It's that, or bathing the wolves in the nearby creek."
Suffice to say, the threat of bathing the wolves was enough for the six to back peddle from their groans and made a beeline for the camp a short distance away.
A snort came from Phoebe who shook her head, "Sometimes, I wonder about the girl's milady allows in joining the Hunt. I don't remember Atlanta, or Alessandra, or anyone from the old day groaning about such trivial things. It's expected for the members of the Hunt to pull their weight, and not force their sisters to carry their workload for them. It's like girls from the current era can't do anything but groan about every little thing."
Zoe couldn't help but agree. The girls of the modern world were vastly different from the ones that existed in the old day. Back in ancient Greece, humanity needed to learn vital skills to survive. Men and women needed to know how to hunt for their food, whether that be tracking a deer or fishing in a nearby creek. They needed to know how to forage for medicinal herbs and explain what made one deadly and made the other lifesaving. Build a fire, stitch together their clothing, learn to wield a weapon of some kind. Every day was a battle, and those who got through another day could enjoy the small victory of surviving longer than another.
Then again, she could also accept that the way of life was vastly different. The world had grown in a way that no one could have imagined, not even the gods. No one could have expected things like healthcare, supermarkets, and televisions would ever exist. While it was nice to have these luxuries in life, Zoe felt they made the new girls that joined the hunt lack a drive that hunters like herself and Phoebe possessed.
"The world has changed. It's not the same one we once knew."
"Ain't that the truth."
Arriving back to the Hunt's latest campsite, the lieutenant and medic stood in the centre and watched as the Hunters of Artemis carried out their chores. More then a dozen silver tents were set up in the shape of a crescent moon, with a fire set up in the middle with logs big enough to seat five or six girls to huddle on in the evening. Like most evenings, the girls would spend their downtime sitting around the campfire, a giant bag of smores courtesy of Lady Hestia to share getting passed around. If she was lucky, she could get her hands on two, maybe three before they all disappeared. The Hunt didn't have many luxuries, but Zoe counted the treats as one of the few.
At this moment in time, the Hunt numbered precisely three dozen girls, ranging from the ages of twelve to sixteen. The most populous the lieutenant remembered the Hunters of Artemis reaching was around fifty, but that had been years ago. That was back in the old day when nymphs and other beings of nature would join them in their adventures. These days, nymphs stuck to their natural environment, and often the Hunt was comprised with little more then demigods, and clear sited mortals. Their number always fluctuated. Some would leave willingly, having fallen into the pitfall trap of falling in love. Others would break their vows and take a dishonest approach. As kind as Lady Artemis was for giving young girls somewhere to call home, she didn't tolerate her trust being abused and broken. Some though gave their lives for the hunt, and their souls rested together eternally in the Underworld.
As grateful as Zoe was for her long life, the sadness of watching friends die never lessened.
Before she could get lost in her thoughts, a light appeared from the centre tent. Across the camp, everyone stopped what they were doing as the light dimmed, and the zip to the centre tent began opening up. The moment Artemis appeared, everyone in the camp took a knee, their heads lowering as they showed respect to their patron and adoptive mother. As she often would, the Goddess of the Moon reverted to her thirteen-year-old form, the average age of her hunters.
"Milady, welcome back." Zoe greeted, being the first of the girls to get back to her feet and approach the Olympian. One by one, the girls around the camp followed suit and returned to their chores and duties. Phoebe copied Zoe's actions and approached the auburn-haired goddess.
"Zoe, Phoebe," Artemis replied, smiling at her veteran and most trusted huntresses, "Training with the girls was a success I hope?"
"Yes, milady. I'm happy to say none of the girls missed the training dummies this morning, and I saw no visible flaws in their stances."
"Good. As always, you have done a splendid job with the recruits." When she wasn't around, it was Zoe's job to keep the girls on their toes. The last thing Artemis wanted during their breaks between hunts was the girls becoming complacent. The newer girls, in particular, needed to keep training until everything felt like second nature. "I trust none gave any attitude?"
"None, Milady. I have ensured they know what will happen if they do not follow orders." It was safe to say no matter how respected the lieutenant of the Hunt was amongst her sisters, there was a healthy amount of fear when it came to the veteran huntress.
"Glad to hear it."
Quietly watching the exchange, Phoebe frowned when she noticed something off about the goddesses appearance, "Milady." She motioned to the corners of her mouth, "You have something around your mouth." Did the goddess have crumbs around her mouth? And flecks of icing? The red-haired daughter of Apollo recognised the residue instantly, having seen Artemis devour an entire tray of cookies curtesy of Lady Hestia on many occasions. The Goddess of the Moon thought no one was looking when she swept through the sugary treats, but in reality, they couldn't help but gawk in wonder at their patron's extreme sweet tooth.
Embarrassment consuming her, Artemis swiftly turned around and hurriedly wiped away the crumbs from around her mouth. The pair could hear her mumbling beneath her breath, something about chocking out the stupid blonde when she saw him next, and how dare he refuse to tell her she had food leftover on her face. Was she talking about Apollo? Or maybe Aphrodite? Neither knew of anyone else who could get such a response from the Olympian.
Blinking like a pair of owls, Zoe and Phoebe looked at each other silently, before turning back to Artemis. "Is everything alright, Milady?"
"Yes! Yes! Everything is fine."
"Were those crumbs around your mouth? Cake crumbs?"
"Uh...yes they were. I treated myself to piece of cake earlier." The goddess admitted, "It was delicious. You know how I get with sweet treats. The whole world disappears."
"I see." Zoe's face morphed into a frown, "May I ask where you disappeared too? I don't remember you mentioning where your intended destination was." She didn't want to say anything before, but recently, the lieutenant of the Hunt had noticed her Olympian patron and adoptive mother disappearing more frequently than usual. Often Artemis would leave her in charge of the Hunters when she needed to attend a meeting of the Olympian Council, or if the goddesses were convening for one of their meetups. Often, their goddess would meetup with Lady Athena and spent sisterly time together, and the hunters were all for it.
Lately, these visits were becoming more frequent. Not only that, but Artemis would also go for hours at a time. Sometimes, the whole afternoon. Beforehand, Zoe wouldn't have said a word. She would have done her duty and kept her nose out of her Lady's business. However, this was the second time this week Artemis vanished without telling someone from the Hunt where she was going.
She wanted to bite her tongue, but Zoe hoped her fearless leader wouldn't be insulted by her curiosity.
"I went to a cafe in West Village."
Oh? That was easy.
"The West...Village?"
"It's one of the districts in New York...I think." Phoebe added, though her face looked confused like Zoe's, "I'm not big on the layout when it comes to the concrete jungle."
Give them a week in the forest rather than an hour in a city like New York. New York was too populated for either of their likings. Too many people, and not enough room to move. Not to mention, the city that never slept was full of...men. Yuck. The thought made them want to vomit. There weren't enough arrows in the world to poke them full of holes.
Moving back to the topic at hand, Zoe squeezed her hands together in front of her, "Is there something special about this place, milady?" It was special if it caught Artemis's attention.
"Honestly, Zoe, it's become one of my favourite places recently." Clapping her hands loudly together, she drew the attention of every hunter at camp, "Which is why I would like to make an announcement." It took half a minute before every young girl in the Hunters of Artemis were gathered around the Moon Goddess, "I know we've only been here a few days, but I'd like to announce we'll be on the move again tomorrow."
The announcement made a noticeable impact as the hunter looked at Artemis in surprise.
"Are we really, milady?" One of the Hunters from the back row asked.
"That's right, Miranda."
"Are we going on a new hunt?" Another asked, and Artemis identified the person who spoke as Lisa, a member of the Hunt for over two hundred years, "What are we hunting next Milady?"
"Is it the Minotaur?"
"No! Let's go after the Manticore!"
"The Manticore!? We did that last year. There's no way it's reformed already."
"How about a real challenge? Like the Nemean Lion?"
"Nah! Let's chase after the Teumessian Fox! It's been over a century since we last saw it!"
"I say we look for a cyclops!"
"A Drakon!"
"No! The Hydra!"
"Girls! Girls! Settle down," Artemis laughed, failing from keeping the smile off her face. Their eagerness to chase after monsters and sent them on a one way trip to Tartarus was admirable. It made her swell with pride at their bravery to face such creatures in combat. "Your eagerness is admirable, but we won't be hunting after anything. At least, not for another week."
The face's of her hunters dropped, and some pouted. Even Zoe and Phoebe looked disappointed they wouldn't get to slay any monsters. "Oh. Then what are we doing?"
This time, it was Artemis's turn to hide her excitement. "Well, I thought since it's been a successful year of monster hunting so far, and to celebrate gaining new sisters into the Hunt, I would treat you all to the best hot chocolate in the world. I'll even throw in some of those delicious cookies I brought back with me a month ago." The box's of baked goods the blonde owner had provided her with before Hermes little prank had gone over famously with her hunters. Even Zoe had been unable to help herself and binged half a dozen cookies within a minute of opening the box.
"Really?" Excited chatter broke out amongst the Hunters. When their lady treated them, she went all out. They all remembered the box of goodies Artemis had brought back to the camp with her, and how big of a hit they were.
"That's right. However, it does mean we'll be heading into the city. The establishment I've been visiting is in the West Village of Manhatten." She noticed the faces of her hunters sour somewhat. Her hunters were not keen on cities, though would push that inside when it came to hunting a monster. "You might feel this is out of the blue, but I hope you come to enjoy this place as much as I do. It provides a warm and safe atmosphere that I'm sure you'll all enjoy. The owner of the Fox's Den is a good person."
"Do they make cakes, Milady?"
"The best you'll ever taste. My sister, Persephone and my Lord Uncle have visited too. Hades left with a smile on his face."
The Lord of the Underworld and Ruler of the Dead smiled? The ruling thought in all the hunter's minds was how it was even possible. The few that had seen the God of the Underworld looked like he never cracked a smile in his life. Before now, they weren't sure he knew how to smile.
"Woh!"
"Whoever this woman is, she must be one accomplished chef to gain such attention. I, for one, am excited," Zoe words made Artemis smile and nodded at her lieutenant as she and every other hunter all bowed to Artemis in thanks. So loyal were her hunters, and forever grateful to the kindness she gave them. However, before she could get too excited, she noticed an issue with Zoe's statement.
"I should clear something up," Artemis waved her hands in front of her, in a nonchalant-like fashion, "The owner of the cafe is not a woman."
The excitement came to a sudden halt.
"Not..a woman?"
"That's right."
"But Milady, that would mean..." Phoebe asked, before trailing off into silence. Slowly, Artemis nodded and kept a close eye on the facial expressions of each girl. Some were shocked, and other's had their jaws hanging from their mouth. Her older hunters, like Zoe and Phoebe, wore expressions of frosty indifference and disgust, and their eyes spoke volumes, despite no words coming out of their mouth. They all had their reasons for their dislike or hatred towards men, but she hoped they were willing to give Naruto a chance as she did.
'This...could take some convincing.' She thought, before sighing as chaos erupted within the Hunters Camp.
'Not long now,' Naruto thought, his arms crossed against his chest as he looked out through the glass window of the Foxs Den. The inside of the Fox's Den was empty apart from himself, with the last customer leaving nearly an hour ago. The closed sign was visible on the door, but the inside spoke the opposite with all the lights still on, 'Artemis doesn't strike me as someone who shows up late.'
The auburn-haired woman had been visiting him more often than usual, and the last time she visited, which was two days ago, she came to him with a request.
'Please, keep the Fox's Den open later than usual and let me bring my girls with me. I'd like them to try the amazing food.
He saw no problem with that and was quick to say yes. He liked the auburn-haired woman, and their chats when she visited never failed to make him smile. In a way, she reminded him a little of himself. She worked tirelessly to make young women feel safe, and give them the strength to stare cruelty, and abuse in the face and give them an ass-kicking. If he could help out and put a smile on their faces for one evening, then he would give it his best shot.
'Though, she did say not to get my hopes. These girls aren't fond of guys.' Her warning rang through his head. What level they hated guys was uncertain, but he had an inkling of an idea. Fond, might not be a strong enough word for it. If it was how he was picturing it, then he might have his work cut out for him. 'Nonsense! You're Naruto Uzumaki! You can get through to everyone if you work hard enough!'
Despite his age and his weariness to the world, he was still a spring chicken at heart. His belief in hard work and possessing the guts to persevere wasn't snuffed out yet. His Will of Fire was still burning and thought it wasn't as bright as it once was, he could feel it within himself. His goal was to make these girls smile, and by god, nothing was going to get in his way.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he regretted it.
From the corner of his eye, a figure sat three tables down from where he stood. They were dressed head to toe in a dark, almost muddy green robe that churned and shifted, and left little skin revealed. The robe swept around the figure's feet and covered their arms down to the tips of their fingers. Not a single feature was visible thanks to a veil made of dust and sand, tucking her hair away from view but it was clear the figure was that of a woman. Only one feature was visible for him to see.
The eyes.
'You,' He thought, looking at her from the corners of his eyes. She took many forms over his lifetime and was quick to recognise her current state. Focusing on his senses and reaching out around the area, he let out an uncharacteristic grunt, "You're not here. You're just a figment of my imagination." Clenched at his sides, he felt his fingernails close to breaking the skin of his palm.
The figure didn't say anything back to him. Instead, all the woman did was look at him with condescending eyes. From the way the skin shifted and crinkled around her eyes, he knew she was smiling beneath her veil. He could picture it in his head, and it took every ounce of willpower for the old shinobi not to power up a rasengan and drive it through her form.
"Leave. I won't ask again."
He closed his eyes and took soothing breaths to steady himself.
Half a minute later, when he opened his eyes and looked back to the corner of the room, she was gone. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth, and he leaned on the window with forehead resting against his forearm, "Thank god. The last thing I need is picturing that woman tonight of all nights." It didn't matter where he went in the world. That woman tended to follow him wherever he went, whether in reality or his mind.
Shaking the moment off, he pulled himself together when he sensed a large group of individuals heading straight for him a few blocks over. There were three dozen heading towards him, all of whom had connections to nature. They were similar to what he sensed from nymphs but at the same time, different in the sense that they felt more hostile. Wood nymphs felt to him like peace wielding hippies, wanting to spread the love for the good of the forest. This group, on the other hand, felt like warriors of the forest ready to protect it against invaders who sought to harm it with anything pointy they could find.
'Here they come,' He thought, before making any last preparations.
"I don't like this," Phoebe muttered, walking a step behind Zoe as they led the procession of hunters through the streets of New York. As ordered by Artemis, the Hunters had relocated the following morning and set up a new camp in the centre of Central Park. The campsite was concealed from mortals with the mist, thanks to the actions of Chelsea, a daughter of Hecate. Before leaving their camp, the Goddess had ordered them to leave behind their weapons. One because she promised them safe travel to the Fox's Den, and two, she didn't want any of her livelier hunters to get any ideas concerning their host. Though disappointed, the girls complied, despite how naked they felt without their bows and hunting knives.
Even their clothing was different. Though the theme was still silver and natural forest colours, the girls looked more like a group of regular young women, instead of monster hunting, semi-immortal huntresses.
Zoe made a tsk sound with her mouth, but couldn't help agreeing with her comrade and friend. She wasn't looking forward to being in the presence of some man. Even if, according to her leader, he made the best hot chocolate and cake in the world. It was hard for Zoe to believe anyone was that good. Much less some mortal man.
She would have to see it and taste it to believe such a thing.
"I'm not looking forward to it either, but this is what Lady Artemis has asked of us. It's a treat for the Hunt, even though it doesn't necessarily feel like one."
"Remind me again why Lady Artemis is meeting us there later?" It seemed strange that the Goddess of the Moon wasn't travelling with them. Often, Artemis had to reign them in where they wanted to get creative when a male walked passed them. Then again, the Olympian was responsible for the abundance of jackalopes throughout the North American Continent. Either way, even without their weapons, the Hunter's was adept in hand to hand combat when needed.
It wasn't hard to take down a man. One swift kick to the junk was usually all it took.
Gods, Phoebe loved kicking guys in the junk.
"As our Lady stated before she left, she will be joining us later with Lady Athena. They had a meeting with Lord Zeus earlier this evening." Zoe eyed Phoebe, "You know she can't turn her Father down."
"I guess."
Zoe patted her friend on the shoulder and looked behind them to check the rest of the Hunt was still following, and none had wandered off, "I think we're close. Lady Artemis said we would know it when we see it. She says it stands out against the other buildings."
"What does that mean?"
She shrugged, "I have no idea. I guess we'll know once we see it."
"Are we there yet?"
"No!" Zoe looked back and stared at the hunter that spoke, "Don't start that again, Tracey. We get there when we get there."
Huffing, one of the hunters crossed their arms and pouted, "Fine!"
Walking through the West Village, it didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. Like Artemis told them earlier, it stood out, but not for the reasons they had imagined. They were picturing some kind of sign with neon lights. They weren't expecting to see a building the brightest shade of orange imaginable. Even in the dark, the street lamp did a perfect job is displaying the outside of the building.
"Oh, gods. Please tell me that's not the place we're going to." It was Phoebe who spoke, voicing the sentiments of every girl in the hunt. Despite not being typical girly girls, even they had to gawk at the bold choice of colour. Why would someone do such a thing?
Zoe wanted to agree, thinking there had to be some kind of mistake. There was no way their Lady Artemis would visit such a place. Alas, when Zoe spied the sign hanging over the doorway, her feelings sank.
"I fear it is." She muttered, before taking a deep breath and gathering her strength, "Come on, let's get this over with." An audible groan resonated form the Hunters, but together, they followed their lieutenant.
There were few cars in the street that evening, and crossing the road had been a piece of cake for the group of three dozen girls. They got strange and curious looks coming from some of the passersby, but a collective glare from all the girls quickly sent them on their way. The last thing they needed this evening was to be stared at by strange men. They might not have their weapons, but anything pointy, be it a plastic spoon could be a weapon in their hands.
"Okay ladies, here we go. Best behaviour." Zoe reminded them and pushed the door open. A familiar jingle ran through the air as the warmth of the inside engulfed her. Like many before her, she couldn't help feeling like being cocooned in a blanket. Before long, the familiar aroma of freshly made hot chocolate tickled her nose. Only seconds to being inside the Fox's Den, Zoe Nightshade found herself trying not to unconsciously licking her lips. Behind her, the other Hunters all had a similar experience, though some were more vocal than others.
"Wow! Smell that!"
"That smells heavenly."
"Maybe this place won't be so bad after all?"
"Look at the tables!"
The voice prompted all the girls to look as they made their way inside. On every table, multiple cups of hot chocolate were waiting for them, each with a small mound of whipped cream sitting on the surface. A bonus, the girls spied rainbow sprinkles on the whipped cream, along with two small pieces of gingerbread sitting on the saucer. If that wasn't enough, in the middle of each table, a tray filled with bite-size desserts were waiting for them, sitting neatly in rows of seven.
One of the Hunters stepped forward and looked down at the tray, "So cute!" She muttered, letting her eyes scan each one, "There's so many here! There's Carrot Cake! Red Velvet! Coconut! Victoria Sponge! Chocolate! Coffee!" She stopped at the last one. The last bite-size cake was cream coloured, with a drizzle of dark-amber sauce. Licking her lips, she delicately picked it up and threw it in her mouth, just as Zoe was about to stop her.
"Wai-"
"Hmmmm!" The hunter groaned out, making the rest of the girls stare at her in surprise. "Oh my god! Girls! You have to try these! I've never tasted anything this amazing before. Get over here." She ushered them over, and one by one, some of the girls followed suit. They each mimicked her actions, and moments later, the girls all started to gush over the food. The tray, filled with treats, slowly started vanishing as the girls grabbed anything they could get their hands on.
The more subdued hunters watched their sisters turn into animals as they reached for the sweet treats and slowly made their way to the other tables. Zoe led them past, idly ducking out of the way from a stray elbow. Trying to appear more civilised than the younger hunters, the experienced hunters split into groups of four, taking a table between them and took their seats. Sitting down, Zoe found herself sitting with Phoebe, Celyn, and Amaya. Celyn had been with the Hunters of nearly three hundred years, while Amaya joined barely a century ago. Despite her youth compared to the rest of the table, she was a formidable warrior, working her way up the ladder before becoming one of their best fighters.
"So, who wants to go first?" Phoebe asked, taking her mug of hot chocolate. She could deny it looked and smelled amazing. She didn't want to voice a compliment to something a male made, but the smell was whetting her appetite more than the ones Lady Hestia would make them when she visited. Such a thought was ludicrous. The treats and beverages Hestia made for her family were legendary.
"Perhaps we can all go together?" Celyn replied, mimicking her senior comrade's actions. It didn't look poisoned, and it sure didn't look like someone has spiked it with something nasty. As someone who sadly had been on the receiving end of a spiked drink back in the day, the huntress would be on her guard if offered something by a member of the other sex.
Taking deep breaths, one by one, the four women brought their cups to their mouths. They took one last look at each other before letting the hot drink funnel its way into their systems. The result was instant as their eyes widened as if a unicorn farting rainbow and sprinkles from its behind appeared before them. A chocked gasp came out from Phoebe, and befoe the robust girl could realise what she was doing, she was necking the whole drink down her throat. Next to her, Celyn and Amaya weren't any better, with Amaya covering the top of her face as she took delicate sips. The dark-haired girl wanted to savour her drink. Celyn was in the same boat as Phoebe, with drops of hot chocolate splashing against her silver jacket and leaving a trail down her chin.
Beneath the table, Zoe's hand clenched. She hadn't taken another sip, but her body wanted nothing more than to take another swig. She didn't want to praise a man, much less a mortal man. Gods, it tasted so good. The other tables were in similar states, while the younger hunters on the other side of the room had moved from one table to another, picking away at the tray of mini-cakes.
Speaking of the mini-cakes, Zoe's gaze travelled to the tray sat in the middle of the table. For the lieutenant of the Hunt, her gaze drifted to the coconut cakes. Only a handful of people were aware of her weakness to anything remotely coconut flavoured. To her, nothing could beat the taste and had long conversations with her patron during the evening when it was only the two of them sitting around the campfire. If she could, she would lather every item of food with coconut. In her mind, it made everything all the sweeter. It was perhaps the only thing from her Father she was proud to inherit.
Gulping hard, the other girls watched as Zoe reached out and plucked one of the coconut flavoured mini-cakes from the tray. She brought it up to her face, looking it over to make sure nothing looked like it didn't belong. It wasn't only drinks that could get spiked. A moment passed, and the veteran hunter decided to bite the bullet. Taking one delicate bite, the other's watched as her mouth went into action and chewed on the sweet treat. Within moments, an explosion of coconut ran rampant over her tastebuds, forcing the huntress to slump in her chair.
Everyone in the room looked at her. Her expression started to morph, and the girls watched as their lieutenant internally tried to fight against expressing a look of pure joy. In the struggle, her face contorted into a look one related with when sat on the toilet.
"It's..."
"I thought I heard people out here." The room stopped what they were doing and turned to the swinging door behind the counter. Carrying a large tray of freshly baked cookies, which the girls all noticed and unconsciously licked their lips over, the blonde appeared from the kitchen with his usual smile, "You must be Artemis's girls." He tried not to laugh when he saw their faces. Not one of them didn't have crumbs or chocolate staining their faces.
Ignoring the overload of goodness, Zoe swallowed her coconut mini-cake and changed the expression on her face. She wouldn't let this man see how much she enjoyed the sweet treat. A mask of frosty indifference returned to her face, one that was mimicked by the rest of the Hunters. They took in the man's appearance, and couldn't help noticing how much like a child of Apollo he looked. Phoebe, in particular, levelled him with a frostier glare. Despite being a child of Apollo, Phoebe held no love for her demi-god and godly siblings.
'Lady Artemis told us he wasn't a demigod, but still,' Zoe thought, straightening her back as the man walked around the counter, 'He carries the features of a spawn of the Sun.'
Their eyes briefly followed the tray of cookies as he put them down on the counter, and levelled them all with a bright smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Artemis has told me a lot about you girls, and I was pleased to hear she was bringing you all to visit." His eyes travelled across the room, appearing to Zoe that he was searching for someone. "Speaking of Artemis, where is she? I thought she was bringing you all here?"
Seeing his confusion, Zoe broke the frosty silence that hung over the Hunters, "Lad-Miss Artemis," She corrected herself, remembering her Lady informing her of the story he created for the mortal, "Will be joining us later. She had family matters to attend to first. She will be arriving later on with La-Miss Athena."
His mouth formed an O shape but nodded nonetheless. He walked across the room, weaving his way past the tables until he stood in front of the table Zoe sat around. He looked at Zoe, his eyes running over her and tilted his head when the huntress narrowed her eyes at him and felt her sisters level him with frostier glares that before. Though her weapons were back at the camp, she was already visualising what she could use to batter the blondes face. She had a couple of options. The mug? The tray the cakes were on? Her chair? She could flip the chair over with her foot and break one of the legs off.
'He wouldn't see it coming. Maybe in the eye? Or the chest? Plenty of options.' She thought.
His fingers clicked, and pointed at her, "You must be Zoe."
"Huh?" She blinked in surprise.
"I said you must be Zoe. You look how Artemis described, and I can't help noticing the air of authority you have compared to the rest of the girls." He replied, his smile widening and showing the whites of his teeth, "She said your the one in she puts in charge when she isn't around, and I can see why. Your guidance counsellor has nothing but positive things to say about you."
Silently, Zoe nodded, though was thinking, 'Lady Artemis...talks about me? With this man?'
"She talks about all of you." He revealed, slowly melting the icy visages of the young women, "Every time she visits, our conversations always turn to you girls. This one time, she spoke about you all for nearly 30 minutes, talking about a trip to Yellowstone you all went on. Her smile was so wide I could have fit an entire cake in there. She's like a proud momma bear, and you're all her cubs. It's sweet to listen too." He looked across the room and watched a couple of smiles twitch to life.
'Lady Artemis...talks about all of us?' They always knew Lady Artemis cared for them, but to hear from this mortal man that she spoke about them so frequently to him warmed their hearts. Despite the kindness and guidance that Artemis showed them, the knowledge that they were more than her wards and followers often slipped their minds. When Artemis took them in, she was taking them in as her children and showing them how to survive in the wilds of the world. Before she came along, none of them would have lasted a week without her training. Sometimes they forgot they were more than her followers. Artemis adopted them and took them in as her children. She took them out of their pain lives before the hunt and gave them a place to belong.
It was a debt they could never pay off.
As the blonde spoke, one Hunter, in particular, caught his attention. She stared at him, her dark eyes never leaving his face, and it took him a moment to realise she was focusing on his lips. Thinking back on his conversations with Artemis, a tidbit of information had slipped through the crack.
'Ahh, I see.'
Keeping his smile in place, he took the tray of cookies and placed them on Zoe's table, "I finished baking these five minutes before you arrived." He made a motion with his hand, ushering the girls to take a handful each, "Don't be shy. Get them while they're still warm. I promise they won't disappoint." To prove his point, he took a bite from one, and let out a low hum of his own when he tasted the chocolate chips, half-melted from the heat. It was enough to get some of the girls moving, while others slowly followed after.
A mirade of hands appeared on the table. Some took one, while others took a handful. Overall, the cookies ended up being a big hit, and the blonde felt elated at how happy they looked.
Zoe didn't move immediately, though a hand slowly crept forward and took one from the tray. Her eyes narrowed, 'What's his game? Why is he acting so nice?' Next to her, it was clear on Phoebe's face despite his earlier words she wasn't buying what he was offering. Her expression remained an icy visage.
"Are you okay?" Zoe asked, leaning in to whisper in Phoebe's ear.
"I'm fine." She replied though it sounded like a grunt. Gazing down to her hands, Zoe noticed the strain Phoebe was putting on the arm of the chair and could hear the creak coming from the wood. Out of all the women in Artemis's Hunt, it was safe to say Phoebe's hatred towards men went above and beyond even her own. Despite the roles that men played in the world, the red-haired daughter of Apollo couldn't see them as anything more than a plague that she wished could be snuffed out.
Phoebe's past was marred in trauma and pain, inflicted on her by men she thought she could trust. Few in the hunt were made aware of her story, which including herself, Apollo, Artemis, and Celyn. She suspected some of the other gods of Olympus were aware, but few ever dared to visit the Hunt. When around men, Phoebe's whole personality closed up, and in its place was a woman who would sooner shove a knife through the eye of the man in front of her. Zoe, at times, could be civil when asked.
"We don't have to stay long. Once Lady Artemis returns, we can return to the camp separately if need be." All she got back was a grunt. Her old friend was not in the mood to talk.
Taking her eyes away from Phoebe, she looked around the room. Despite her worries, the man had yet to try anything funny, though that didn't mean she would be taking it easy on him. He may have gained Lady Artemis's trust, as crazy as that appeared, but that didn't mean he'd earned hers. She watched him slip away into the back, and this time bring out another tray, this one filled with puff pastries with some kind of chocolate twisting through the dough. It quickly gained the attention of the hunters, and like before, her sisters surrounded the tray and made a grab for the beautiful-looking delicacies.
'As much as hate to think it, they do look delicious. There's no harm in taking one.' She thought, leaning in and taking one into her hand. Unconsciously, she licked her lips and brought it up to her mouth, but stopped when Naruto moved to face Amaya. Judging by Amaya's expression, she wasn't expecting the blonde to turn his attention on her and watched as the black-haired girl leaned back in her chair when Naruto crouched down in front of her. To Zoe's, and Amaya's surprise, Naruto placed the tray of puff-pastries on the other table and started moving his hands.
"If it's easier for you, I can communicate with you this way. I could see you were paying attention to my mouth."
The surprise was evident on everyone's face, though none were more evident than the reaction on Amaya's face. After a moment of stunned silence, Amaya followed Naruto's lead.
"You can speak American Sign Language?"
The blonde shinobi nodded, "I can, and we can speak this way if you have any questions you'd like to ask me, or if you have any requests."
"Requests?"
"Do you have any desserts, or drinks you like? I can even make breakfast food if that's what you'd like." He signed, inwardly smiling when she saw her tense shoulders starting to relax. She looked sceptical at his statement. Was this true?
"Anything?"
Again, he nodded.
"Anything."
The young huntress thought for a moment before answering, "Cinnamon Buns?"
The blonde shinobi nearly felt his knee's give out when he saw the hopeful look on her face. The expression reminded him so much of Hinata that he blinked three times, before letting out a laugh. Cinnamon buns were his late wife's favourite food in the world. No matter what he made for her, cinnamon for Hinata was ramen for Naruto. It beloved to her core.
The action confused Amaya, who signed her confusion, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," He signed, though a few chuckles escaped his lips, "Nothing at all. I'm very familiar with cinnamon buns. I'll bring you a fresh batch from the back."
The girl tilted her head, "Won't that take all evening?" She asked. She wasn't familiar with making the sweet treats, but she was aware of the time it took to make.
He waved her question off, "I've always got stuff prepared, so don't you worry about a thing. You'll be up to your eyeballs in cinnamon buns if that's what you want."
"I swear Father holds those pointless meetings with us just to spend time with us," Artemis muttered, her face stuck in a pout the moment she and Athena exited their father's temple on Olympus. Within the first five minutes of the meeting, Artemis could tell it was one that didn't need to happen. Her father was complicated at best, and while she loved him as a daughter should, he could be unbearable when he was bored. The meeting went from the pair providing him with their monthly updates into a ramble about pointless things, which escalated into watching a movie in his theatre room.
Next to the Moon Goddess and dressed in mortal attire, the Goddess of Wisdom could only hum in agreement, "It's how he always been." To say Zeus treated his daughters differently compared to his sons was obvious, even to a deaf and blind man. When it came to his sons, Zeus acted as the strict parent who layed out the rules of his household on a marble tablet and expected those present to follow them. In fairness to the King of the Gods, his Olympian sons didn't make life easy, nor were they the type to follow the rules expectantly. Ares was a bloodthirsty bully who started needless wars. Apollo was a slacker who seduced mortal women to his bed most nights, though Zeus wasn't innocent in that category by a long shot. Hermes, though a hard worker, had a streak as a joker that often got him into trouble. Dionysus was a useless drunk who didn't deserve his godhood 364 days of the year. The only son that rarely gave him trouble was Hephaestus, who was a shut-in and a hermit. The only time they saw the God of the Forge was during the Summer and Winter Solstice. To see him outside of those meetings was a rarity.
Athena recognised her father needed to be hard on them. If he didn't, they would walk all over him. Artemis and Athena, however, he scarcely had to discipline them and bring the hammer down. Athena and Artemis, in Zeus's eyes, were still his little girls, despite Artemis being 4593 years old, and Athena nearing 4700 years old. The two goddesses had spent centuries being gushed over by their father, and admittedly they used that to their advantage to get what they wanted. However, in return, they had to tolerate Zeus's constant doting.
Having the king of the Gods wrapped around their pinkie fingers had its benefits, but it also had its consequences.
"It's over now, and he likely knocking on Hera's doors trying to find his way back into their marriage bed." Artemis quipped, though knowing her step-mother and Aunt, she would inevitably let him inside, "Now we get to reap the rewards for the night."
"As long as your huntresses haven't burned the place down yet. I'm waiting for the scent of smoke to tickle my nose and the fire engines to pass by."
"My girls would never do such a thing!" Artemis replied, "I told them how great the Fox's Den is, and how Naruto is one of the few good men in the world. I have the utmost trust in my lieutenant to keep the girls in line while I'm absent."
A single eyebrow rose on Athena's face, turning her head to look at her younger sister, "It's her I would be worried about the most."
"Zoe has her moments, but her patience and tolerance towards men have increased over the years."
"Really? The same Zoe Nightshade that killed a squad of Roman soldiers for cutting down a couple of tree's days before the Battle of Abritus?"
"Those trees were the homes of some nymphs friends of ours, and the soldiers were disrespectful to the forest."
"The same Zoe Nightshade that kicked a demigod off the White Cliffs of Dover back in the 1500s?"
"He was shouting and was drunk. Not to mention, he hurt animals for fun, and that's a big no-no in my book."
"The same Zoe Nightshade that cut off a mans ear for enjoying a hot dog too loudly back in the 70s?"
Artemis went to speak, but instead, slumped her shoulders, "I was hoping you might forget about that one."
"I'm the Goddess of Wisdom, dear sister. I don't forget anything."
Holding up her hands, The Moon Goddess pouted, "Okay, okay, I'll admit, Zoe's temper still gets the better of her from time to time. However, tonight I have the utmost faith in her. I know she won't let me down."
Laughing, Athena patted Artemis on the shoulder, "I'll take your word for it, sister. I've been waiting for this all day."
"You and me both."
Walking along the sparsely crowded streets of West Village, the two Olympians had memorised the quickest route to the Fox's Den as they made small talk. A couple of minutes later, the familiar orange-frame of the building came into view, and both hastily stepped up their footsteps.
"Well, I don't smell any smoke and nothings on fire. I guess your lieutenant was able to hold to her word." Athena muttered and snorted when her younger sister blew a raspberry her way like a child.
"I told you so." She replied, and threw the door open, "Come on. There's cake in here with my name on it."
As always, the scent of coffee and pastries tickled their senses. This time, however, the delightful aroma was followed by the sounds of music and laughter across the room.
"Your arms need to be more relaxed!" They heard from across the room. The two Olympian sisters found themselves look upon a sight neither expected. Even Artemis, who was confident her Hunters would enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the Fox's Den, couldn't do anything but gawk at the picture in front of her. In front of her, the newest members of the hunt, which included Eloise, Tracey, Lyanna, Amanda, Lucy and Mya stood in a line up with the tall blonde owner and proceeded to show him a dance routine the six had been working on in their spare time. All six girls were giggling and smiling as Naruto tried to mimic their movements, moving his hips in conjunction with his arms in the opposite direction.
"What did you call this again?" She heard him asked, his face a mask of concentration as he tried to get the movements right, "Flashing?"
"Flossing! We came up with it weeks ago, and we're turning it into a thing!"
"A thing? What do you mean?" The blonde shinobi bit his lip with the two goddesses hearing him mutter a curse underneath his breath as his hips fell out of sync once more with his arms.
"You know, like a trend. We're going to put in on the interwebs!"
"The internet, Lucy."
"Yeah, that!"
"I'd prefer if you didn't do that, girls," Artemis announced, making herself known along with Athena. "We've got more important things to do then making dance videos for the World Wide Web."
"Milady!" Zoe announced, moving from her seat and bowing to her patron goddess. She seemed to forget they were present with a mortal, but the last twenty minutes had baffled Zoe's brain. She'd never witnessed members of the Hunt having fun with a...male before.
"Zoe. I see everyone's having fun." Artemis replied, and couldn't stop the smile when over half of the Hunt cheered out their thanks. Looking across the room, Artemis was pleased to see it wasn't just her newest members that embraced the Fox's Den and the owner. Many of the girls were wearing smiles and cracking jokes with each other, enjoying the atmosphere and treats that came with it. As she expected, the blonde mortal had managed to make an impact on the Hunters the way she hoped.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up." Naruto welcomed, walking over and scratching the back of his head as he smiled at the pair, "It's nice to see you again, Athena."
"The same to you, Naruto." Athena smiled and looked around the room, "I don't need to ask how things are going, I see."
"Nope, everything's going great." He ushered them over and gave them two menu's, "There's not much left of what I made your girls, Artemis. These girls are like bottomless pits. There's no end to their appetites!"
"I guess they take after their guidance councillor then." She quipped back, half teasing and smirking. She expected no less from her girls. Taking the seat next to Zoe, and Athena sitting in a chair brought over by Naruto, the blonde was about to write down their order when the six dancing hunters grabbed his arm.
"Come on, Mr Naruto. We've still got some routines to show you." Eloise told him, guiding him back to the make-shift dance floor.
Amused by their actions, Artemis leaned back in her chair when she found Zoe holding out a napkin with cookies wrapped up in them, "Zoe?"
"I managed to grab some before the girls devoured them all," Zoe said quietly, before handing another napkin to the Goddess of Wisdom. Hiding them in her pockets, the girls were none the wiser they missed a couple.
Taking them, Artemis smiled and clapped Zoe's shoulder, "Thank you, Zoe. Once again, you prove that I can always count on you."
Athena replied in kind with a small nod in her direction, "Thank you, Zoe,"
"You're welcome, Lady Artemis. Lady Athena."
"It seems everything is agreeable?" The younger Olympian asked, taking a bite out of a cookie and watching her lieutenant closely. As expected, Zoe's face was a mirade of emotions, but she appeared to be more relaxed about it. While Zoe would never be rude towards her, her temper had been shorter with the other Hunters, resulting in a stricter regiment for the recruits.
"This place is nice enough."
"And the man that runs it?"
She took longer to reply as if trying to choose her words delicately.
"He's not been terrible."
In Hunter terms, Artemis might as well put a gold star next to the blondes name.
"I'm glad to hear that." She leaned back in her hair, watching from the corner of her eye as her youngest hunters continued to show another dance routine to the struggling owner. It appeared dancing was not one of his many talents. "I know we have strict rules when it comes to men, but he is one of the good ones. If he was like the rest, then I wouldn't bring you within a hundred-mile radius of this place."
"I understand, Milady. While I was not keen to be here tonight, the man has made an effort with facilitating us, despite unaware of our true identities." Artemis took another bite from her cookie, as did Athena, who slumped in her chair from the delicious taste, "If he can make an effort for Amaya, and speak to her in her preferred tongue, then I deem him worthy of a single chance."
Artemis's eyes widened marginally and turned to face Amaya, who quietly ate away at her plate of cinnamon buns. When feeling the Moon Goddesses eyes on her, Amaya turned to face her, "Milady?"
Like Naruto, Artemis started speaking to Amaya in American Sign Language, "He spoke to you in Sign?" Some would have called her crazy for accepting a deaf girl into the Hunters of Artemis, asking how could she teach a girl to hunt monsters when she couldn't use her sense of hearing, or how to communicate with her. Artemis has shrugged away their questions and saw Amaya's introduction into the hunt as a way to challenge herself. Unlike some of her other immortal siblings, Artemis would try to improve herself, and meeting Amaya gave a chance to work on that. She went to Athena, and her highly intelligent sister taught her how to speak in sign language to Amaya, and thus taught other members of the Hunt the same once she was proficient enough. Sign language became a mandatory skill for the Hunters to learn, not only for Amaya but for any girl they came across that sought out her aid.
Amaya nodded, "He did. It was surprising, though not unwelcomed." Her smile was enough for Artemis to give one back in kind.
"You like him?"
"I do, and he's is not like the others." Amaya looked thoughtful, before signing, "He has a good heart, but sad eyes."
"Sad eyes?"
"Like someone who's known hardship. Someone who knows loss." The dark-haired girl nibbled on a cinnamon bun, before adding, "Someone like us."
"I see," Artemis recalled a conversation with she had with Persephone some weeks ago. Her elder sister and Queen of the Underworld gushed about her time at the Fox's Den with the blonde man. The conversation naturally turned to Naruto, and the Goddess of Spring had let slip that he was once married and that his wife had passed away some time ago. Unlike her normal feelings on the matter of marriage, the Olympian felt sympathy for the man. She wondered if that was what Amaya meant. She had always been good at reading people by their expressions alone.
Looking around the room, Artemis returned to speech, "I can't help but notice there are two fewer Hunters then there should be." She looked back at Zoe, "Where are Phoebe and Celyn?"
A frown marred Zoe's face, "Phoebe had enough for one evening and returned to the Camp. I don't think this place is to her liking." Zoe made a motion with her head in the direction of Naruto, and Artemis was silently understood and released a sigh, "I didn't want her going alone, so I had Celyn go with her. Phoebe scarcely said a word all night."
"I had hoped she would give more of an effort, but I should have expected this."
"It's not your fault, Milady."
"Perhaps." She pinched her brow, "That girl can be as a stubborn as her father, as much as she doesn't want to admit it." Out of all of her Hunters, Phoebe was the one Artemis felt had the most pent-up frustration when it came to the other sex. Zoe's temper towards men was one thing, but Phoebe's was on a level that made even her worry. While Artemis could admit that some men were worth their respect and kindness, as well as Zoe to an extent, Phoebe firmly believed in the opposite. Her hatred was rooted deep, core and stem. She had hoped that meeting Naruto might alter her thinking, but that was wishful thinking on her part. Taking a deep breath, Artemis smiled at her girls, under the watchful eye of her elder sister across the table, "Perhaps another time then. I'll have one on one time with Phoebe later, and see how she's feeling."
"Of course, Milady."
Laughter broke out across the room, and the sister Olympians had to snort when they saw Naruto finally get the hang of the dance moves the girls were showing him. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this." He announced, wiggling his hips from side to side as his arms went in the opposite direction. The girls around him clapped while giggling at how silly he looked.
"Looking good, Mr Naruto!"
"It's a good look. Perhaps you should change careers." Artemis asked teasingly, a smirk gracing her face. Across the table, Athena sat and stared at her sister, watching the interaction between the mortal and Olympian. It had been a while she visited the Fox's Den together with Artemis, and she was surprised at how familiar the pair had become with one another. The Goddess of Wisdom scarcely remembered the last time she acted normal towards a male mortal.
'How curious.'
"And who would feed that bottomless pit you call a stomach?" He countered, "To think, I went to all the trouble of making a salted caramel chocolate cake just for you. I guess it will have to go to waste, or maybe the girls will would all like to share it between themselves."
A giggle ran through the room, with even Athena smiling in good humour as Artemis's eye widened, "You've had that in the backroom all this time, and you've let me sit here none the wiser." The blonde shrugged, irking the auburn-haired goddess even more, "Go and bring it out here, right now!"
"I didn't hear a please in that sentence."
"You don't deserve one!"
"Maybe I should keep it for myself and eat it in front of you!"
"Maybe I should rearrange your face!"
Athena snorted, but sat back and watched the back and forth with content an amusement. Next to her, Zoe and the older hunters couldn't believe the way their patron and leader was acting, and how casually she was treating the male mortal. It was bizarre to see, but not unwelcomed for many of the girls to experience. For many of them, while they understood they had to keep men at a distance as per the rules, it was nice to see their leader casually interacting with one. Many of them didn't think all men were bad, though there time before the Hunt was marred by experiences with the awful ones. Seeing the Goddess of the Moon befriending one of those good ones, it gave some of them hope that maybe friendships with boys were possible.
Amidst the positive attitude that ran through the Fox's Den, the blue eyes belonging to Naruto Uzumaki repeatedly flickered to the corner of the room. He gave nothing away, continuing his comedic back and forth with Artemis, trying to ignore the reappearing woman in the background staring at him with condescending eyes.
She wasn't here, but she wouldn't leave him alone. Whenever things started going well for him, she would appear and remind him of everything he lost.
He stayed calm, but the words reverberated through his mind like a ripple on the surface of a lake.
'Get out of my head.'
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This one has been a long time coming, and since first bringing Artemis to the Den, it was only a matter of time before the Hunters arrived. Zoe, despite only appearing in the Titans Curse, is one of my favourite characters, and I wish we got more of her in the main series. If Mr Riordan ever does a series following the Hunters or another mini-story, I hope we get more time with Zoe. She was with the Hunt for over 2000 years, so there must be plenty of stories to tell with her.
If anyone was wondering about Amaya, she's a character-based from The Dragon Prince on Netflix. I'm in love with the Dragon Prince at the moment, and anyone who enjoyed Avatar and Legend of Korra, I highly recommend it.
Thanks for reading and please review.
Remember to stay safe.
