The thought of climbing more hills sent painful throbbing spiking through her legs, but if she was to remain on this expedition, she would see it through.
Testing Zeus wasn't something that she wasn't capable of. At least, in this wretched form. She promised herself that she would get vengeance for…
...
As the flames roared in Artemis's ear, another sound shook through the air, dwarfing the explosion of fire. It was the angry screech of a Drakon, followed by another screech, this one even more menacing than the first. Artemis didn't need to tell her hunters to be ready, they all knew what was coming.
The first drakon slithered out of the cave, enormous, with a green and dull brown coloring, screeching it's displeasure in the open air. It had furled back wings, and a narrow snout that was dripping with acid. The hunters immediately loosed a barrage of arrows at the beast. Arrows hit the wings, and armored snout with deadly precision. The Drakon screamed a challenge, and launched itself off to the right, where Artemis saw Zoe and a few other hunters dive out of the way from the flashing claws and fuming acidic spray. Artemis saw no need to assist. Already, Zoe had thrown her bow over her shoulders and was battling the beast with her hunting knives, carving deep cuts into the armored side of the serpent.
Then the second Drakon came out.
Unlike the first, this one was not angry at being disturbed.
It was furious.
Almost twice the size of the smaller Drakon, this Drakon squeezed out of the cave with no room to spare, splintering jagged pieces of rock from the cave exterior to crash amidst the nearby undergrowth. It glared at the scene in a frighteningly quiet manner, with beady red eyes inflamed with rage.
There was no mistaking what this Drakon was. It was old, wise, a survivor, and above all, it was something that Artemis had failed to foresee. A Lydian Drakon.
The other hunters not engaged with the first drakon fired their arrows at the sight of the monstrous serpent, out of instinct no less, but they were harmless, pinging off the armored scales as if they were twigs.
Artemis swore heavily, instantly bringing her bow to bear, to snap off a shot against the Drakon, which was easily the biggest she had every encountered. The arrow ran true, and hit the Drakon with the force of a battering ram, knocking it onto its side. Phoebe wasted no time, and charged the beast, dodging the swipe of the beast's tail as it struggled to right itself. She leapt forward, her spear raised, and brought down a crushing blow onto the serpent's wing.
Wasting no time, Artemis dissolved her yew bow for her trusted silver hunting knives, and dashed forward to join Phoebe.
She had left Alcibiades without much of a grateful impression, and she suspected that as she walked through the relatively wide confines of the mountain pass, that same junior officer Alcibiades was spreading stories of Cleoxene of the Amazons.
Alcibiades was welcome to spread stories, Artemis wanted some foolish young Macedonian to give her an excuse to plunge a knife into his chest. Right now, she was taking in the sight of the pass ahead of her.
Similar to the rocky valley that Perseus and herself had come into the Macedonian camp through, the crags and cliffs of the rock walls were being scavenged and searched by hundreds of men, milling about in small groups. The nearest of which were a mere bowshot away, but in the distance, Artemis could see the faint specks of human forms.
'Damn this mortal vision' She cursed softly to herself, rubbing her eyes to hopefully enhance her sight on the horizon. She paused, squinting, only to come up with similar results from before. A quick glance back at the palisade wall was closer, and thus, she could easily make out the Two figures atop one of the hastily constructed towers. Both were draped with purple cloaks, and Artemis had no doubt who one of them was.
Undeterred, Artemis strode forward, towards the nearest group of Perseus's men. It was a group of eight, who scurried amongst the rock slopes like mountain goats. As she neared, Artemis saw them carrying herbs, a small amount of wood, and one man was collecting stones. They all shouted and jeered at one another with the high-pitched sounds of youth. Indeed, as Artemis got a closer look at all of them, not one looked to be over the age of eighteen.
The young boy collecting stones spotted her first. Artemis caught his eye, and the boy froze, dropping his bag of stones, its contents hitting a large boulder, which spilled the pebbles over the rock. His friends were alerted from the mini rockslide that cascaded down the slope.
"Di Immortales…" One muttered, which somewhat amused Artemis, given the circumstances. The others made no move to ask for her identity, and really didn't seem to have a clue that they should ask. Artemis was intrigued that while a couple, the two boys who held small stacks of wood in their hands, gawked at her, the others were uneased and even afraid. Artemis hoped that the Amazonian disguise worked this way, but at the same time, she remembered that these were volunteer boys from Pella, who likely hadn't seen conflict before this expedition. She briefly wondered if any of these boys had been at the scene of the Chimera incident.
Regardless, Artemis assertively raised her voice, making sure that the boys could hear her clearly, "My name is Cleoxene of the Amazons. Earlier today, I led Perseus and his scouting party back from their mission in the South. After consulting with both your commander and Alexander King, I have been tasked to train you all in the art of skirmishing."
The was a pause before one of the boys responded uneasily, "Uh… I don't know if you are talking to the right people, we are recruits. You should talk to Alcibiades, or Lord Perseus. They are our commanders."
'Lord Perseus' Artemis internally seethed, those freshly spoken words ringing back into her mind from just an hour hence. The man was as irksome as her Godly brother.
"I have already spoken with both. Of the two, your 'Lord' Perseus is the more reasonable of the two" Artemis was cut off from a snort from one of the boys, but she continued hiding a slight grin, "and I am aware that Perseus sent you to search for supplies. However, I want you all to gather your companions, right now, and bring them all here. You can set your collected materials… and scattered stones," One of the boys cuffed the one boy, who had spilled the stones over the slope, over his head, "in a pile over here." Artemis swept her hand over a general area to the boys right.
"Any questions? No? Well then get to it, we are burning daylight. Go!" Artemis ordered sharply. That sent the boys scampering down the rocky slopes, some skipping in their sandals down steep sections of gravel. But all of them ran lightly onwards, all shouting and attempting to divide themselves to the maximum possible effect. Artemis winced, climbing the sharp angled slope to settle atop of the same boulder that the Pellian boy had spilled his sling ammo over. She watched the disorganized boys run from place to place, attempting to rally the other eight hundred and ninety-two men together. It would be awhile until they succeeded…
Artemis ducked under the furious lash of the Lydian Drakon's tail. For once, it was her job to distract the beast, and let Phoebe get the killing blow. No matter how she battered the enormous Drakon, it got u again to challenge her. Even her transformation magic was useless against this beast, impervious to being transmuted into a harmless mouse. Artemis quickly sheathed her hunting knives, and raised her bow, only to swear internally, as the Drakon coiled its head and bletched out a stream of corrosive acid at her. Only her ability to flash away saved her, and even then, the acidic heat and smell lingered in her senses. Artemis caught additional hunters, who had been stationed at the left flank, joining the fight with Zoe at the helm. That Drakon was on its last legs, and Zoe had just drove her hunting knife into the creature's neck, while Christina and Kathleen sent the beast to the underworld with knives to its skull. Artemis was then forced back into the fight at hand, secure in the knowledge of her hunter's safety.
Phoebe had thrown her spear into the Lydian Drakon's neck as the monster had spit acid, but it had only enraged the beast. Phoebe was now desperately weaving through the undergrowth and trees, avoiding the swiping tail and sharp fangs of the primordial serpent. Unencumbered, Artemis raised her bow, twisting the string down and to the left as she drew. She adjusted the aim a little higher, and let the arrow leap forwards off the bow with the slightest slip of her finger.
The arrow sailed true, beginning its flight high, before arcing down sharply atop the Drakon's head. The impact drove beast into the ground, its head catching a system of roots, which sent the body tumbling forward. Only the head remained behind.
CRACK.
The impact of the gargantuan body hitting the loose dirt sent up a cloud of dust and debris, but as it settled, the hunters and Artemis saw the results. The beast's neck was twisted unnaturally in at least two places, obviously broken. Its head made the minute movements, with a puff of steam working its way out of its jaws. Its curved horns were broken, and the jaw was dislocated as well.
The hunters raised a cheer, and Phoebe grinned wildly, drawing her hunting knife, and buried it in the Lydian Drakon's skull. The beast shuddered once, before dissolving into dust.
"My Lady, that was the best shot I've ever seen!" Angelina exclaimed from behind her, which Cinder agreed with, judging by her sharp bark. Artemis turned and dipped her head in acknowledgement, before Phoebe bounded up to her, giving her a sharp salute.
"My Lady, thanks for the assist, you should've seen my view of that Drakon's face when it found its own head shoved into the dirt."
...
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