"You are right, I only wished to spare you some of the pain Sister." Athena replied, before turning and walking towards the tree line.
"We are only half-sisters." Artemis pointed out, gesturing to Athena's turned back.
...
Athena paused and pivoted, looking right at her, "Not to me you aren't. Sister, I think that this will be good for you. Don't shy away from your past, let it flow." she said, with a cool tone. Athena turned before Artemis could reply, and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
Artemis stood there for a while longer, before she took one last glance at the sky. He always loved the moon and stars, just observing them alone, he had said. The presence of the moon comforted his long and difficult nights. Artemis allowed that thought to pool inside of her. The moon, already shining bright, took on an extra amount of glow.
With that slightly comforting thought in mind, Artemis found herself walking back toward the Hunter's camp. Her hunting tunic and belt both caught stray rays of moonlight under the wide canopies of pine and oak trees. Her bare feet crunched into soft pine needles and grass that covered the forest floor. It wasn't a long walk back to the camp, and Artemis tried to think of a way to tell her hunters, to try to tell them of everything that had occurred so long ago. Only two were even alive at that time, the others would have no clue who she was talking about.
For many miles of walking, Artemis failed to even fathom the subject and how to begin such a tale. She was in such deep thought that too late she realized that in ten more paces, the hunter sentry would be able to see her approach. There was no use hiding in from the hunters any longer. She walked forward, sensing her hunters around the cluster of tents just visible beyond the treeline
In the next couple of steps, a teenage girl stepped out from behind a tree, drawing an arrow back that lay on the bowstring of a silver bow. The girl, Artemis recognized her to be Angelina, her newest recruit. The girl had been with the Hunt now for five years. She was bright, only fourteen, with streaked blonde and brown hair, and a skinny frame. A good hunter.
Angelina quickly realized who she had drawn her bow on, and relaxed. "I am sorry My Lady, there was a hellhound earlier. Didn't check this time." The girl smiled ruefully.
Artemis smiled in response, her hunters always a source of pride for her. "I trust you sent it back to the underworld?" It was a loaded question. Artemis knew the outcome already.
The girl nodded, "First shot, missed the eye, but the upper throat worked too."
'Better than any camper at least' Artemis thought proudly to herself, before waving her hunter towards camp. "It was an adequate shot nonetheless, now come with me, we are holding a meeting of the Hunt."
Angelina seemed happy at this news, and Artemis suspected that this was because she wouldn't have to worry about being a sentry for the entire camp. Artemis walked back with her young hunter until they reached the tent line where wolves lay sprawled around the perimeter. The wolves, seeing Artemis approach, all began to stand from their slumber. She was about to walk over to the wolves when Angelina spoke up from her side.
"My Lady… you hardly are ever in your adult form. I can count the number of times one hand, this instance included, where you haven't been in your twelve-year-old body. What's the occasion?" Angelina questioned, looking slightly down at her.
Artemis pursed her lips, frowning as many wolves chose that instance to perk up their ears and look at her balefully. Of course, the Fates would conspire against her in this exact moment.
She made a quick reply, "I will explain now, go to the hearth and tell the others that I will be speaking to all the Hunt. I will quickly pacify the wolves." Artemis did not pay Angelina another glance, and knelt by one of the wolves, soothing its raised hackles. She heard Angelina pause, most likely to draw breath for another question, before hearing footsteps that led into camp.
The wolf nudged her hand, and Artemis gave it a small smile, "Watch the camp for me, you and your pack. Don't worry, all will be well." The wolf complied and jumped up, shaking its coat before letting out a sharp howl. In seconds, the dozen wolves around the gap of tents all bolted upwards and ran into the dark forest around them. Artemis watched them run, the urge to slip into the woods as one of them never seeming so tempting than now.
It was too late to avoid telling her hunters now. to do so was to make them wonder for another year about her. She might have allowed herself to wallow... but she refused to worry her hunters, now that she was aware that they had been growing increasingly concerned about her.
She stole herself back into camp, passing by the torches into the ring of tents that surrounded her own tent and the hearth. They had set up this camp several days ago, in a small meadowed clearing which sat in the middle of the forest that enclosed the clearing. An excellent site, Artemis felt like the Hunt had camped here before, many years ago, but Artemis let that thought slip from her mind.
The hearth, which lay before her, was a wide pit that the girls sacrificed offerings in, as well as cooked their meals. A freshly killed deer rotated on a spit above the warm glowing fire, it's light illuminating the surrounding tent walls. Her hunters sat around the hearth, all resting on the grass covered clearing. Only one was standing.
Zoe.
She, like the other hunters, wore a silver tunic, covered by silver lined parkas, with a standard leather belt sashed firmly around her slim waist. Her quiver and silver fletched arrows were visible, as well as the others, but none had their bows in sight. The only thing that Zoe wore that the others did not was a shining silver tiara. Zoe had worn it for so long that it seemed odd to picture her without wearing it as she had been a lieutenant for a millennium now. Zoe was also extraordinarily tall, and Artemis felt her chest warm at the sight of her lieutenant. As always, she took charge in Artemis's absence, even in this kind of a meeting. They were all talking loudly, and Zoe was firing back, Artemis could make out Zoe's words trying to calm the hunters down. Angelina had just joined the hunters and was comically poking Zoe in the shoulder, who was brushing her off. It was chaos, as it seemed. She smiled sadly at the sight, and took a step forward, snapping her fingers once.
The hunters almost immediately noticed her presence, and Zoe whirled around, her long single braid whipping by. Artemis stared at her lieutenant, who stared back. Zoe wore a slightly guilty expression, but was not apologetic. Artemis had to admit that she couldn't blame her hunt for this meeting, and to her surprise, she found herself amused by some of their guilty expressions. They all looked like kids who stole from the cookie jar, and got caught by their strict mother.
"Girls, relax, I am not angry you are having a meeting without me. In fact, I sent Angelina back from her sentry duty to tell you all." Artemis said, slipping her bow over her head
Zoe paused and groaned audibly, "I am sorry Angelina, thou tried to help." Her thick old English accent easily leaked through her words. The youngest hunter shrugged.
"I tried to warn you." She said.
Artemis laughed, "Do not fret, it is all fine, now Zoe, what is the issue here?" Artemis looked to her lieutenant, anticipating the response that would force her secret into the light. Acceptance had replaced fear and worry, but she still looked at all her hunters and wondered darkly if they would all be with her when morning came.
Zoe's volcanic black eyes and pale face turned to her, "My Lady…" Zoe paused, and Artemis saw the hesitation in her friend's eyes to continue. Yet, Artemis saw Zoe's resolve harden, "My Lady, for thousands of years, every year on this day, thy mourn. I have ever been loyal to thee, sharing the peril of the world over many centuries. I have followed thy's bidding as your lieutenant. Hath we not earned thine approval to know of what troubles thy now?"
Artemis looked at her, then all her hunters. Phoebe. Elizabeth. Victoria. Mara. Kathleen. Sarah. Emily. Angelina. Jennifer. Winifred. Anna. Christina. And Zoe. All loyal, and all had devoted their very souls to her. From the youngest, Angelina and Emily, to the oldest, Zoe and Phoebe. There was no questioning their resolves. Only experience, which Zoe held the most of. Zoe had been with her since the bastard minor god Herakles had betrayed her, and that was over three millennia ago. The younger hunters who knew little of the ancient times would be more disconnected than Zoe and Phoebe. They were her only surviving hunters that had firsthand experience of antiquity.
They all needed to hear this, they all had to or else the Hunt would never stay the same. She had to mend a broken trust, which she let fester for two millennia.
"You will hear of what you ask for. I have… decided to tell you why I mourn on this day, every year. But before I begin, I must ask you all to think of me kindly. I am still Phoebe Artemis, Goddess of Childbirth, Wild Animals, Hunting, and the Moon. I have not, and never will be something other than that."