Your dads, Nico and Will, had one rule for you and your siblings: don’t become a hunter of Artemis.

It was age-old, set in stone before you were even alive. When Nico had lost his sister, Bianca, to a huntress quest, he decided he would never let you die the same way she did.

It was the one thing you wanted, though. The one thing you craved. The forbidden desire left a hole within you that could only be filled by playing pretend. You’d pretend for hours on end: practicing archery, frolicking outside, just imagining you were one of them.

So, when your aunt Artemis came to visit, it was a bitter pain. You had to be kind but closed off, because you knew that if she approached you, you wouldn’t be able to say no.

Like now, you currently sit with your siblings, your dads, aunt Artemis, uncle Apollo, and a few of Artemis’ highest-ranking handmaidens: Thalia, Phoebe, and Reyna.

Your shoulders are tense and you thickly swallow, avoiding anyone’s gaze out of fear. Would you cry, would you beg, would you run away— if given the chance?