How hadn't she seen it before? Perseus wasn't someone to be feared… he was a friend. But all she had done was alienate him whenever he was reaching a barrier within herself.
"I told you Aphrodite, stay out of my head."
...
Artemis watched Aphrodite warily, as she snarled like a frustrated beast, unable to get its prey. Aphrodite could not physically harm her, unless she was willing to break the ancient laws, and be smote down where she stood. But Artemis knew that Aphrodite would never risk herself to be at the mercy of Zeus, and the Olympian council.
Thus, she would live, out of Aphrodite's fear of a similar punishment. She would find the time to laugh later.
"Enjoy your stay here, I'll just go pay Argos a visit."
And the Goddess was gone before Artemis could even blink.
The spasm of terror hit her the next instant, as the hunt flashed into her mind. No…NO!
Artemis looked to the two graves of the Tyrian girls. Her hunters weren't mortal, only she was. Artemis sank to her knees as she watched to dim hours of dawn etch the reds and oranges across the horizon.
"Athena, hear my prayer, protect the Hunt, my Hunters. Please." Artemis found herself whispering. Echoing ocean winds replied, their response whistled through the reeds of the dunes.
"The fire does not respond to me. I can assure you of that." Artemis steeled her features, glaring down into the embered depths. Family, love, kinship? Such things had only brought her suffering.
"Now Child…" Hestia's soothing tones began to fill the air, but Artemis could take no more of it.
"No! My family betrayed me! My mother left me, my father banished me! Who here," Artemis swept her hands over to the empty thrones, amongst the many aided me in my trials? Where do I turn for hope? Family? Kinship? Love- "Artemis cut herself off, her eyes burning.
Hestia looked back into the flame.
"Love."
Artemis couldn't bring herself to answer that, and she stalked out of the throne room without another word towards the Elder Goddess. She had braced herself for pain, but instead of the usual pain, a gentle warmth welled up inside her, like a beating flame. It was love… she knew that. But what was the point? He… he was gone. Artemis felt a curse towards Athena bubble up to her lips, as another panging jolt of loss struck her chest.
The warmth faded, and Artemis twisted her face into a mask of disinterest. Several minor Gods glanced her way, and she scowled back, determined to give them nothing. They didn't deserve to know about him.
...
Finding the hunters was an easy task. Their signatures blared out to her like a beacon from the halls of Olympus, and Artemis homed in on their signatures before flashing herself down towards them.
Her meetings on Olympus had gone according to plan, but Artemis felt a coming storm in her heart. Even since Athena had spoken with her at the moonlit lake, a growing sense of tension had spiked within her. This…Lightning Thief, a name she had assigned to the unknown figure, could only be the beginning.
The only way to tell for certain was in the wilds. Monster activity would have to be recorded more closely. If she was to find more Drakons, and Basilisks… it could mean only one thing.
She shook her thoughts aside for the time being, as she homed in on the Hunt. They were no longer in New Jersey, at the Garden Emporium, a great relief for Artemis. They were in… Nashville…
The Parthenon.
Artemis rushed through the air, flashing down in the form of a sparrow. She found herself in a wide sunny park, with threatening storm clouds moving in from the horizon. There were dozens of wide limbed oak trees scattered throughout the grassy fields. Mortals ran amok, with their children laughing and playing, seemingly unaware of the gathering storm that would envelop the continent. In the middle of the park, sat the Parthenon. Artemis took a second, perched in the branch of an oak tree, to admire its grandeur. She could almost picture herself back in Athens, where the Parthenon sat on the Akropolis. Its power captivated all who looked upon it, and Artemis had been in her own temple their, alongside Athena and Poseidon at times, basking in the warmth of prosperity…
She hadn't gone back there since the Expedition.
It was with that somber thought that she flew down towards the marble pillars, where mortals sat, eating and drinking. Her hunt was among them, perched on the nearest corner of outer pillars. The mortals paid them no mind, even though they were in their full regalia of gear, wolves included at their sides. Artemis found a small amount of humor in this, as the Mist distorted the image of the Hunt to be a Girl Scout troop, with noisy yapping terriers at their sides.
She swept over them, landing on Phoebe's knee, which was raised as the Elder Huntress lounged on the cool white stone. Phoebe raised her head in question, before smiling.
"Hey, you lot, look lively, we have a visitor!"
Phoebe's exclamation rousing the resting Hunters, as did a well-placed light kick to the sleeping Christina, who had elected to sleep on one of the wide steps. Artemis cocked her head, looking over all of them, as Christina let out a hurried curse as she tumbled a bit. There didn't seem to be any injuries, and all were accounted for.
"Did you have to kick me Phoebe?!" Christina muttered in annoyance, as she stood, dusting herself off.
"I would've tossed you into the dirt, but I cannot stand right now." Phoebe smirked in response, gesturing to Artemis. She gave a little flutter of her wings in response.
"What a brave little bird!" Angelina exclaimed, stepping forward from leaning on a big marble pillar. "Pity you aren't a turkey, or we could eat you."
Artemis surprised a laugh as some of the older Hunters groaned and sighed. Angelina seemed to realize that she had missed something, and slapped her forehead.
It was Zoe, who was shaking her head ruefully, that finally addressed her.
"My Lady," Zoe greeted her, swatting Angelina on the head playfully as she walked forward, bowing her head slightly, "How fared your meeting on Olympus?"
Artemis stepped forward off Phoebe's knee, shedding her disguise, into her natural twelve-year-old form. She smiled at her hunters, "It went well Zoe, I see you have made progress in my absence, how did you cover so much distance in such a short time?"
There was a groan from Angelina as she realized her rather amusing mistake, but Zoe responded instantly, ever her confident Lieutenant.
"We found no one at the Garden Emporium… not even Medusa's remains, so Athena's story must have been true. But we followed a trail of a couple Demigods and a Satyr from the area. One was a daughter of Athena… just as Athena had mentioned. The other Demigod had a weak trace, curious for a son of Poseidon. They have been using public transportation… but we lost them at a train station here in Nashville."
"I see," Artemis paused, thinking things over. Poseidon's words rang in her mind, and she had to be careful on continuing to trail his demigod son. "Are they aware that you have been trailing them?"
"No, My Lady, we have kept our distance. Although, in doing so, I fear we might have lost them."
Phoebe joined in, leaping to her feet, next to Zoe.
"When we got off a train at Nashville, they could have gone several directions. We assumed they would come here, but several other trains and buses were heading to Chicago and St. Louis."
That did certainly make things interesting. The trail that the small party of demigods and their satyr guide took seemed to be tracking Westward. They had to have gone to St. Louis, if not here. Artemis drummed three fingers on her leg, thinking it over. Something was blaring in the back of her head, however, but she couldn't place the feeling… regardless, she cast her gaze over her hunters.
"If they did not come through the Parthenon, St. Louis is their goal. They keep moving West."
"Aye," Zoe responded, "That's what we concluded, but we ran into a small…"
Artemis was in the middle of casting her senses outwards, searching for any signature of Demigods, when she recoiled, sensing the extremely proximity of a terrible monster. She had she hunting knives ready in a flash, causing the Hunt to splutter into action around her. 'How could she have been so foolish to not recognize such a strong presence so nearby!'
"My Lady! We know!" Zoe called, raising an arm, "We didn't leave here because of it… it's taken up residence in the Parthenon."
"Do you know what it is." Artemis spoke quietly, the ever-present warning of such a nearby beast seared into her brain. She had recognized the stench immediately. It was an ancient beast, unlike its fellow kin. It had intelligence, and immortality on its side.
"No… only that it is powerful. We interrogated a Dracanae by the train station. It was fearful of this place." Zoe said, looking more cautious as Artemis met her eyes. She had to have seen the seriousness of Artemis's stance.
"Girls… this is a lair for the Lernean Hydra." Artemis said gravely, looking warily at the marble walls. It had to be inside, lurking in the shadows were the mortals would be clueless. It must've have killed many by now, but it was also smart enough to stay hidden from the picnicking mortals outside it's lair.
Her Hunters muttered and swore, including Zoe, who snapped off two curses in Ancient Greek.
"The Lernean Hydra, as opposed to… a normal Hydra?" Angelina voiced her confusion, and Artemis recalled that though Angelina had fought Hydras before, she had never seen the Lernean progenitor before.
"Yes, the Hydra species had its originator in the Lernean Hydra. It is immortal, and a cunning foe. One that does not forget it's grudges either. We have hunted the Lernean Hydra many times before, when it crawled out of its mountain lairs, reformed and ready to prey on mortals."
...
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