𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄

𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈

"Mene!" Percy hurriedly caught up to her, gripping her arm urgently. "Can we talk now?"

She turned to him, "Sure," Selene nonchalantly responded, crossing her arms. "What's up?"

Outside, Selene saw the Hunter's camp for the first time. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. Wolves were circling the camp like guard dogs and the Hunters walked among them feeding them treats, completely unafraid. Falcons watched them from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight seeming they were on guard duty, too. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the wind died down and the snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant being close to the fire.

Right across them, Thalia was pacing in the snow at the edge of camp, walking among the wolves without fear. She stopped and looked back at Westover Hall, which was now completely dark, looming on the hillside beyond the woods.

"You did nothing to prevent Bianca from becoming a Hunter!" Percy's voice rose, frustration evident in his gesticulating hands. "You should've done something! You were there! You knew how important they are for us and how we risked everything. Now Annabeth is go—"

"If you hadn't gone all by yourself to fight the Manticore, maybe they wouldn't have to risk everything."

"But you stayed quiet when Artemis offered to turn Bianca into a Hunter! We lost her because you did nothing!"

"Don't act like it's my fault!" Selene cut him off with a shout, her voice matching Percy's intensity. "You're the one responsible for Annabeth being lost, but I had nothing to do with Bianca's decision. Don't pretend I'm just at fault as you are to make yourself feel better!"

"I was just trying to help them!"

"And what did that get you?" She looked around, seeing that a few hunters, and even Thalia herself had stopped all they were doing and were stealing glances at them. They were yelling. Leaning closer to Percy, she lowered her voice, "You wanted to face the Manticore alone just to prove a point. Don't think I didn't notice the expression on your face when Thalia mentioned something Chiron taught her but not you. You brought this on yourself, Percy. Don't shift the blame to me now."

Percy's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white as he struggled to contain his anger. "You're being a bitch." His jaw tensed, and his eyes bore into Selene's, searching for a response.

Selene's eyes widened in shock, her brows furrowing as Percy's words hit her like a blow. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but no sound emerged. The air seemed to freeze around them as tension hung in the atmosphere. Pressing her lips together, she blinked rapidly, struggling to hold back any tears that threatened to escape.

She turned her back to him without uttering a word. The cold snow crunched beneath her boots as she walked away, retreating deeper into the woods and leaving Percy behind.