"Now that the official business is out of the way, I must thank you sincerely Lady Artemis. Your help today was instrumental in our victory." Alexander said, dropping her fabricated identity.
...
Like Perseus's praise, Artemis was not reactively annoyed by it, due to the genuine nature of Alexander's voice. Alexander was a volatile man, Artemis was sure of that, and had ambitions that rivaled some of the Gods. Yet Artemis knew that she could use Alexander's zeal to her advantage. It struck her how easy it was to decipher Alexander's mind, but Perseus's was a constant evolving conundrum.
"I kept to my word, which I will continue to stand to. I cannot help you topple the Persian Empire myself, yet I can train and kill monsters; it is what I have done for more than a millennium." Artemis smoothly replied.
"Excellent. I will continue to hide your identity. I'm sure Perseus doesn't make it easy, with his stupidity." Alexander remarked, glaring at her companion, "After this talk, as your King, I command you to take bedrest."
It was only then that Artemis noticed that Perseus was holding in no small amount of pain. He good arm was gently cradling his side, and his eyes were glazed with pain.
"Lady Artemis, I'm sure you can get him settled? I can't have one of my best friends and generals dying on me today."
"Not to mention that Leonphalos would kill you Alexander." Hephestion chimed in.
Alexander sighed loudly, "That damned horse."
Despite his obvious, quickly manifesting pain, Perseus looked over to her and grinned widely.
"You seem conflicted Niece." Poseidon's voice echoed throughout the throne room, like waves on a sea wall, rippling with hidden depth.
Artemis looked at the Elder God. The memories of the Macedonian Expedition that she kept looking back to had made her realize that she was not the only heartsore immortal on Olympus, much as her sister had tried to deny it.
"How can you write Athena off so easily? Do you not know how much she cares for you, even if she won't admit it?" Artemis demanded, feeling a rush of power surge through her. She would never speak in riddles, not after…
"Of all the times to ask me this, you ask when we are on the brink of war? When I should be in my Kingdom, protecting my Wife and Son from the wrath of my brother, your Father!?" Poseidon exclaimed, hefting his Trident to rest on his shoulder.
"I ask now, because it is the only time I might get a real answer." Artemis replied, "I know what I saw at Tyre, all those years ago. I know what I saw from Athena just one day prior. I know what I see now, where you not only protect your son, but her child as well. I see a chance for you to show your true self to Zeus and Hades." Artemis challenged, seeing the same expression in front of her as she had seen at Tyre, where she had arrived with him in an… interesting manner.
Artemis laughed loudly, spinning her knives slowly, mirroring the movements of her opponent as she traced a circle in the hard sands. The cheers on the onlooking crowds were mixed, to her delight. She hoped it would throw Perseus off, that his own men were cheering for her.
Above the roar of the cheer, she heard Alexander's own voice: "Get her Perseus! She's just an Amazonian!"
Artemis smiled thinly, studying her opponent. She had been training hard since the Battle at Issus, expecting such a spar to happen with Perseus in the future.
She wasn't disappointed.
The Macedonian army had marched South, leaving only a token force and the wounded behind, to expect reinforcements from Macedonia, along with more troops from the Greek Polities. They marched south with 30,000 strong, to Tyre. The city state was just offshore, a backdrop for this fight, its sea gates locked, and torches blazing atop Tyre's stout walls in the crimson skies. The moment the army had marched over the ridge and could gaze upon the city was awe inspiring. Artemis had only ever looked down upon the city, but to see the powerful view of Tyre was humbling. Here stood a Goddess, looking upon mortals and their creations. Yet, she also saw the city as a challenge; a challenge she had to overcome.
They had received the reply from Alexander's diplomats that morning. The city would not let Alexander into the Temple of Heracles that stood as the centerpiece of Tyre's might. Thus, siege operations would begin in the morning. Alexander had already sent a fast rider to call upon the Phoenicians in the north, for their navy's support in taking the city.
But that was in the morning, and as the Macedonian's were setting up camp, Alexander had proposed to host an exhibition. She had immediately latched onto the idea, and the challenge went out to Perseus seconds later.
Originally a friendly match, the Pellians caught word of the event, which in turn spread to the whole army. Now, tens of thousands lined the high ground in the sandy dunes that looked over the hard-packed sand of the beach.
Artemis tuned them out, rolling her shoulders in a final check of her armor. The familiar weight of her bow and quiver were absent, as Perseus had pointed out that if she could fight him with a bow, it would turn into a contest between Amazonian warrior and a hedgehog.
Thus, she faced him now with her infused steel ad bronze daggers, while he was opposite her with a standard round shield and his sword. Artemis focused, driving out the yells and whistles of the crowd. She had fought Perseus once, for a spilt moment in time. He was fast, and a creative fighter. She had only won with her Godly strength, but she had been training hard in her mortal body now. Every morning she woke off the fog of sleep, which she had learned that clung to mortals much more severely than immortals and went on a run through whatever natural environment she could find. She hunted there, killing any monsters she saw with her bow and hunting knives. It was essential to keep herself in fighting shape, especially as a mortal.
Therefore, she wasn't worried. She was confident even. Perseus trained as well, and she had watched on occasion, as he practiced his sword forms. But he never sparred, and Artemis knew she had the advantage there.
A shattering crash of a drum signaled the start of the duel, and Artemis wasted no time. She spun her knives once, before sprinting the short distance to Perseus. He stood waiting for her on the balls of his feet.
Perseus dropped to one knee, his sword flicking out in a horizontal swing that hummed towards her legs in a deadly arc. Artemis saw the motion, and leaped upwards towards Perseus's shield side, bringing her knives down with crushing force against Perseus's shield, hoping to rattle him, but as the knives slammed against the shield, he rolled off to the right, deflecting most of the strength of the blows into the somersault.
The quick exchange ignited the crowd, but Artemis only scowled at Perseus, who was already up on his feet, smiling at her.
"Showoff." Artemis hissed, twirling her blades in a complex movement of her arms, before resting the blades, pointing right at Perseus's chest. A chorus of jeers and taunts roared from the watching crowd, as Artemis settled back into her slow mirrored movements of Perseus.
"I must entertain the crowd." Perseus grinned from the corner of his mouth, and he raised his sword in front of his chest, angled down below the shield. His shield was once again ready in front of most of his torso.
Artemis struck first, leaping forward, sending one of her knives humming in a deadly arc towards Perseus's neck. She challenged him, hoping for a shield block, but Perseus back stepped, and sent a lighting quick counter strike slashing at her from the left. Flicking her wrist, Artemis let the sword screech against her bronze knife, sending the sword slightly off its course; she then stepped inside Perseus's guard as his strike failed to find any force blocking the blow, and he stumbled forwards.
Artemis immediately tried to sweep his leg, but Perseus threw himself forwards, slashing downwards at her with his steel blade. She narrowly avoided the blow, taking it on the back as she too rolled sideways in the sand. The armor held though, and in an instant, she was on her feet. However, the roar of the crowd redoubled at the first blow being struck. Whether the success inspired Perseus, or he had his own plan in mind, Artemis didn't know, but he came at her nonetheless. She quickly scrambled to her feet, bracing herself.
And it was not soon enough, as Perseus launched his own attack, coming up from the sand like an angry cobra, throwing his shield over his back, using a leather strap to hold it there. Artemis frowned, holding her knives defensively, balanced on the balls of her feet as Perseus drove forwards with his sword coming in an unpredictable pattern of attacks. A particularly solid strike was met with the twin blades of her knives, the force of the swing jarring up her arms, but she grits her teeth and, using all her strength, forced Perseus back; she raised her leg in the process to strike Perseus as a punishment for overextending. She succeeded, and the heel of her sandal struck Perseus in the unprotected thigh, to which Perseus swore as his leg twisted sharply from the blow.
Perseus wasn't joking around now, and Artemis narrowed her eyes, as the exchange receded back into the taut neutral atmosphere: Perseus circling her; she, him. But she didn't want him to recover. Already, he had slipped that damned shield on his back.
"Enough of this." Artemis hissed, panting slightly from the exchange of blows. She had analyzed the defensive stance Perseus held, as he unbuckled his shield quickly, bringing it to bear over his body: His sword was not hidden or placed atop his shield like most fighters would have; rather, it was held low, point down towards the ground, slightly behind in his stance.
Unorthodox, but Artemis recognized his intent. He was a reactionary fighter, and any move she made would result in his immediate counter swing. That would be how she would turn the fight to her advantage.
...
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