Time passed quickly, and what felt like five minutes was truly two hours. I glanced down at my watch and realized that I only had fifteen minutes to prepare for the hunt. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me through the camp to my cabin.

Since my mother had nearly no time to spend around mortals, her children were few and far between. As an outcome, I am alone in the Iris cabin. However, due to my interest in archery, medicine, and poetry, the children of Apollo have accepted me into their clan. This offer was proof of that; the children of Apollo kept their hunts strictly members only. Well members and me only.

Iris's cabin was fairly simple. As the goddess of water, air, rainbow, and messages, it was difficult for the builders to choose one theme. The floor was harshly cut sea rock and the walls were marble. Cleverly designed by Hephaestus cabin, each window contained a prism. If one of my siblings felt like it, they could bend the light so you would see the spectacle of rainbows covering every inch of the ceiling above.

I, on the other hand, do not have the gift of bending light or communication like my siblings. Sometimes I feel like I don't even belong in the Iris cabin. I am so different from my siblings. I have nearly no godly abilities passed down from my mother.

Well... I do have the ability to detect every shade of every color.

I know what you're thinking. " WOW DANA THAT IS SUCH A WONDERFUL POWER! THAT TOTALLY HELPS WITH FENDING OFF MONSTERS AND OTHER DEMI-GOD STUFF."

Well, all I have to say is, "Thanks mom for nothing."

As I said before, my mother is the messenger and servant of the gods and barely has any time to spend amongst mortals. As a result, I only have 3 half-siblings on her side. Unfortunately for me, they are all males. However, they have all graduated, leaving the cabin for myself.

My mother also never shows up or communicates with me at all. You would think the goddess of messages and communication would be in constant contact with her children. Well, you would be wrong.

She only claimed me because she had to. That's it. That stupid oath with Percy is the only reason my mother acknowledged my existence.

When we offer food to the gods, I pray to Artemis. My mother deserves no acknowledgment until she willingly acknowledges me.

Nevertheless, I love my brothers. They have always been there for me. I have never been jealous over the fact that they communicate with our dear mother. They have never looked down on me for not having all the powers they do. They are my true family, my true protectors.

Somehow, all my brothers grew up alone. All our fathers left us, and so while other cabin mates have families they can go home to, making their half-siblings less like siblings and more like camp friends, my brothers and I are the only family any of us have.

This makes us very close, and I always know that at the end of summer I can go home to my older brothers, especially Butch. Two years ago he legally became my guardian, and I couldn't have been happier.

When I got inside the cabin, I ran quickly to my bunk and put on my hunting dress. The dress cut off right above my knee and the bodice was leather covering even my shoulders. The skirt had strips of leather to stop any of my loose arrows from ripping the cotton underneath. Most of the other hunters prefer camouflage or full body armor but I am perfectly happy with my dress. It allows me to move freely through the woods.

When I glanced down at my watch I realized I was already late for the hunt. There was no time to gather my weapons or put my hair up, all I did was run towards the woods praying that I could find the hunters before whatever we were hunting found me.

There was a strange air in the forest today. I had the feeling that both something sinister and something beautiful was hiding in here, and that something or someone was watching me.

I tried to ignore the feeling, but it kept pestering me. Eventually, I convinced myself that it must be a harmless squirrel or bird watching me and kept moving.

I loved the peace of the forest. This was where I truly felt home. The trees above me were hundreds of years-old monuments representing the world and how it has changed. No tree is the same, and none stay the same. Each year they grow wider and higher, reaching for the heavens.

I never thought about it much, but it wasn't just the trees that made me feel at home. Everything from the whistling blades of grass to the thousand-colored flowers (you may not see it, but I do) seemed to call out to me, to ask me to stay.

After thirty minutes or so I came to a cliff, housing a small but glistening lake below. At this point, it was clear that I was not going to find the hunters anytime soon.

Scaling the cliff was easy enough, definitely easier than the lava covered climbing wall at camp (don't ask).

When I reached the bottom I unstrapped my sandals and took off my hunting dress. Still covered by a black tank top and green Nike shorts, I entered the lake.

The coolness of the lake was refreshing after trudging through dense woods.

The more I walked the more I could feel eyes peering behind me. I quickly decided to ignore the feeling and kept swimming.

After a while I decided to get out and set my feet in the water, allowing the rest of me to dry a bed of sand.

The lake was surrounded by laurels, and it reminded me of the story of how Apollo lost Daphne.

Apollo offended Cupid, in return, Cupid took two arrows, one gold for love and struck Apollo, the other lead for hatred and struck a beautiful maiden. The gorgeous maiden was a huntress, and Apollo took an interest in her. When he pursued her, she ran from him, eventually turning into a laurel to flee from him.

I was never sure if the story was meant to grow sympathy for Apollo or hatred for him for pursuing someone who rejected him.

Nevertheless, the story meant a lot to Haidar and her siblings, so it also meant something to me.

I recalled a song that Haidar and her siblings commonly sing. The name was something like Apollo's Fight. Wait...not Fight... Plight was the word. Apollo's Plight.

Laying on my back, eyes closed, I started to sing the song in my head. Before I got to the second line I was singing allowed.

"Eros (Cupid) why do you hate me so

Your arrow struck me with a hard blow

My love hated me

Her fear brakes me

Why does my love flee from my touch

Her embrace is all that I want

From the moment I saw her hunting alone

I knew I wanted her to come to my home" At this point, another voice joined mine. The voice was obviously masculine but it was gentle, unlike any other voice I had ever heard. As the voice sang with me I felt peaceful but I was also in shock, and afraid to open my eyes. "All I wish for is her embrace

To feel her lips upon my face

But alas this is my fate

To be alone for all my days

But that fate I will not accept

So I pursued her to the death

And when I finally felt her touch

She fled far from my love

I followed her to the edge

And a tree sprang from her legs

Forever my love lost to me

And forever her part of my victory" I froze at the end of the verse. A strong hand squeezed mine. The hand was warm and almost hot, like the sun on a mild summer day.