Phoebe and Zoe were looking intrigued as well, and her lieutenant voiced her thoughts, "The Siege of Tyre My Lady? Thou left thine mark in that battle?"
"Sounds like quite the tale needs to be told Lady Artemis." Phoebe followed up, nodding her head to Zoe.
...
Artemis looked at the morning sky, noting that time was of the essence. If she was to speak to Poseidon, she would need to hurry. Her hunt had their own challenges ahead of them. She glanced back to her gathered hunters, "Later, we have a busy day ahead of us. War between the Gods takes precedence in this moment, wouldn't you agree girls?"
There was a grumbling of dissent and, Artemis noted carefully, a slight nervous energy among the girls. The newer huntresses had not seen large scale conflict in the world, certainly not on the scale of the Titan War of Old, something she herself had only stories and artifacts to study. But she did have knowledge of the Gigantes, and the struggles she endured against Gaia and her children.
"I concur. It seems that we will have to part ways My Lady." Zoe said sagely, extending her arm.
Artemis smiled at her lieutenant sadly, "So it would seem." She walked up to her lieutenant, and grasped the tall girls forearm, looking up into her friend's onyx eyes, "I place the hunt in your capable hands my old friend."
"As for my newer huntresses," Artemis turned away from Zoe and found the eyes of Mara, Christina, Sarah, and Angelina: All four of which had been with the hunt for less that a couple of years. "You have been admirable huntresses, some of the finest new recruits in my long memory. I have faith in your abilities in the fullest." They stood a little taller at that statement, and Artemis looked over them all fondly.
"You will return soon My Lady?" Zoe inquired, her face devoid of any of the cheerful demeanor that her long-time lieutenant had displayed recently.
"When my business has concluded, yes. It should not take me too long to get a grasp of the situation on Olympus. Until I return, Zoe, be cautious. Report back to me on what you find at Medusa's Lair." Artemis ordered, seeing Zoe's immediate nod.
"I will help transport you all to a woodland near Medusa's Lair." Artemis turned to the nearby woods, and snapped her finger. There was a shimmering flash, as the woods before their eyes seemed to contort and stretch into itself. Opening such portals was straining on Artemis's power reserves, but she would not let her hunt track East for hundreds of miles. They simply didn't have the time to do so. Additionally, Monster activity on the Eastern side of the Appalachians had forever been more considerable than that of the West. Thousands of hellhounds prowled the forests, and drakons nested in caves and pools. Even worse, were the monsters who hid in human forms, and the 'megapolis' of the Eastern seaboard was full of those.
One by one, hunters saluted and stepped into the mirror like wall of the forest. Phoebe was the last, and she grinned, bounding into the portal without a second glance. Only Phoebe wasn't the last. Zoe stood before her.
"fortuna audaces iuuat." Zoe said softly, before saluting, "Fair travels My Lady." Then she too vanished into the distorted forest. Artemis closed the portal after her Hunt. They would arrive at their destination in around an hour, depending on their speed. Knowing Zoe, she would drive them hard on their mission to discover the Demigod's whereabouts.
A brief flash of doubt entered her mind. If this son of Poseidon had really killed Medusa, than her hunters might be up for a fight.
With that in mind, Artemis prepared herself to flash to Olympus. She needed to talk to her humble Father and loving Uncles. Quickly.
Tendrils of energy began to surround her as she was imagining Olympus high in the clouds. Just as the rush of energy hit her, sending her flying through the air at supersonic speeds, the last of her memory fell into conscious thought.
Artemis had to admit, after watching the men running through the scorching afternoon sun for a short while, that they were acceptably fit. The groups of five had passed by the gate twice, to a throng of milling onlookers from both the open gates themselves and the palisade wall fortifications. She had found a rock just paces outside the gateway to rest on and watch them run. The sun was just touching the horizon, quickly being swallowed below the red rock formations of the mountain range.
The Macedonian boys had to have known that they wouldn't make the five circuits, but whether they were invigorated but her smite of the Drakon, or fear on her bow, which rested on her knee half-way drawn with an arrow, she really couldn't tell.
What did matter was their forms. Artemis saw some of the Macedonian boys assisting their fellow countrymen, who seemed to be either winded or injured in some manner. None stopped. If anything, some groups tried to go even faster, to the cheers of some of the onlookers. Artemis hadn't glanced at the spectators yet, too concentrated on the running boys. Partially out of analysis, but also to be ready for a warning shot to any who disobeyed her. The only thing that distracted her attention was the one boy who had outspoken his lewd comments earlier. He was still ferrying supplies back into the camp, giving her a resentful look on each pass. She couldn't really be bothered by that. Resentment was tolerable. Lust was not.
All the groups of five had hit three passes, maybe even four to Artemis's estimation as the sun finally slipped fully below the hills. 'Right. Time to go.' Artemis thought to herself.
They were still running when she hopped off her rock. Artemis quickly raised her bow, and stepped in front of the nearest group to the Gateway. The group skidded to a halt, all breathing heavily.
"Wait over there to the left. Stay in your groups and pass the word to the others as they come in." Artemis clipped out to the forerunners. They were either the lucky ones to finish early or the best, and Artemis was satisfied to notice that these two classes of the skirmishers were intermingled in their respective groups. Training would be accomplished much quicker that way, for the boys who lagged behind.
They nodded heavily in reply, with their arms raised over their heads, heaving to suck in more air. She wanted to scoff at their stamina, but even while sitting, where she had stretched her legs and massaged any kinks in her muscles, it was hot. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and neck. Another mortal characteristic to loath. Running in such conditions would be daunting, had she joined the boys in their exercise.
The others trickled in slowly, where the clouds slowly lost their vibrant colors from the sunset. There was still light enough to see when the final groups staggered back to the Gateway. The last had been the unlucky ones, but Artemis noted that they too hadn't broke rank.
Eventually, Artemis, satisfied that all where either finished or had rested enough, stood up with her back to the gate. She faced an assembled nine hundred men, standing in a loose broad block that was seven or eight men deep.
"None of you completed the five loops that I required. I will remember that in the coming days. For now. Rest, and remember your four companions. You will train with them tomorrow." Artemis called out loudly. As she finished, the man she had punished stumbled back out of the camp. He took one look at Artemis, before he passed out, hitting the sandy ground with a loud thump.
A couple of boys in the front row were hiding grins, and Artemis swore that she heard one even inhale breath, before puffing loudly.
"Oh, someone help him." Artemis relented, sweeping her hand forward towards the unconscious boy, who had dropped ungracefully into the dirt, a pile of wood on his back. Two tunic clad boys rushed forward and picked the man up, slinging his arms over their shoulders.
"I am not cruel." Artemis began, gathering her thoughts on this speech. The nine hundred listened intently, albeit, with fear and annoyance plaguing their expressions. She had to voice her thoughts clearly. A bubbling anger, formed over the past two days ached to burst forward, but she quelled it deep within herself. A calmness seeped into her mind. This was a test. Not from Zeus, or any of the Gods in Olympus. This was a test for herself. Being immortal and having power was something that Artemis had known for centuries. Yet she had never learned patience. Not true patience anyways. If she was to survive this expedition, she would have to evolve. Not just physically, but mentally.
"I expect discipline, and respect, if I am to be your teacher," Artemis continued, aching her eyebrow at the still unconscious Macedonian, with a stained red bandage around his right palm, "Any violation of that respect is… unpleasant to say the least. However, I did notice valiant efforts today from you all."
Artemis scanned the hundreds of faces in front of her. She had been watching those she felt deserved some praise. Natural leaders needed to be encouraged.
"You there," Artemis pointed her bow to a boy in the third row. His height just barely got his face over the shoulder of a boy in front of him, "step forward."
There was a brief pause as those near the boy she had chosen worked out who she was pointing at. The group parted for him to step out in front of them all. He wasn't small, as Artemis had thought. Average height, with a skinny frame seemed to allude to that distinction though.
"What's your name boy?" Artemis prompted.
"Th-Theseus, Lady Cleoxene." The boy stammered out.
Artemis privately thought that this boy was worthier of the name that the Theseus of legend, even with his skinny frame. "Right, and what weapon do you use?"
"A dagger, and sword…" The boy ticked off.
"You idiot, you all have those." Artemis ground out, to the muted snorts and chuckles from the assembled men.
"Sorry! I use a javelin… javelins." The boy stated, blushing a fiery red.
...
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