Introduction

"And that one there…oh, you must see it! That one's Pegasus. You do see it?"

Thalia turned her head irritably, scowling at Diana. The inhabitants of Tent Three had taken it upon themselves to teach her every constellation in the night sky. "I don't see anything!"

"Neither do I," came a sarcastic call from the nearby trees. "Talk a bit louder, why don't you?"

"Sorry, Kim!" Diana called.

Continuing in a much quieter voice, Cynthia asked, "Are there any constellations you do know?"

Thalia sighed. "The Big Dipper," she said, pointing.

"Ursa Major," snapped Alene. "A memorial to Callisto. After everything that happened, after…how would you put it? After all the crap she went through, the least you could do is show a little respect!" She leapt to her feet and stormed back toward the dim embers of the Hunters' dying campfire, and Thalia saw the shimmer of a tear on her cheek before she was swallowed by darkness.

Thalia was stunned. Alene was normally a silent observer, almost fading into the background. In Thalia's eight months with the Hunters, she had heard the wispy little girl say a total of ten sentences. This furious outburst was unprecedented in the current lieutenant's experience.

After a few moments of shocked silence, Cynthia pulled herself to her feet. "I'd best talk with her," she sighed, starting after the girl.

"Cyn, wait," said Thalia suddenly. "What…what did I say?"

Cynthia and Diana exchanged a long, meaningful look. Then Diana sighed and sat up properly. "You tell her," she said quietly. "It's your story, not mine."

Cynthia shook her head. "You tell it best. Stories are your forte, after all. Besides…like you said, I was there. That's why I need to talk to Alene right now. Tell her. Thalia deserves to know; it's her story too, now."

Diana nodded. The daughter of Apollo thought for a few moments, looking extremely upset. "Where do I start?" she finally said, giving a weak attempt at a smile.

"Just start at the beginning," said Cynthia softly, and hurried after Alene.

Diana nodded and paused for a few minutes, collecting her thoughts. Finally, she looked into Thalia's eyes and asked, "How well do you know the legend of Callisto?"

Thalia considered. "Not too well…she was a Hunter, right?"

"One of the first," Diana replied. "And one of the most loved. There are very, very few who can remember her; only four of us now since Zoë died, and one of the four is Lady Artemis."

Thalia nodded, unsurprised. "So she lived a while before Zoë joined, then?"

Diana hesitated. "Not really, no…not much before. Perhaps five years. The only current Hunters who were alive at the time are Cynthia and I."

"Not Alene?"

Diana looked pained. "Alene joined some time later. That's one of the reasons you need to hear this story. She was…she shared a very special connection with Callisto."

"Like Tori and Kim?"

"No," said Diana softly. "They were two of the only blood relatives we've ever had."

"Sisters," breathed Thalia in horror. "Poor Alene…"

"Something like that," whispered Diana, so softly that Thalia didn't hear her. "So, the story. Callisto was rather in disgrace after the incident with Zoë, which may—"

"What incident?" Thalia interrupted. Seeing her companion's irritated expression, she said, "Sorry."

"You don't know?" asked Diana. "No, of course not," she amended. "How could you? I suppose that's where I'd better start…"