Cry of the Moon

Chapter 19: I Meet and Old Acquaintance

I stay with the hunters for nearly 60 years. I train Artemis until she's ready to drive the chariot on her own. Some nights, I lay in a meadow or climb a tall tree just to watch her fly by.

After a long time of us spending nearly every day together, Philia takes me on a long walk one day and explains that she's leaving the hunters. "I've spent the past century watching my family grow up while I hide in the shadows, never aging. My father and stepsiblings are all long since passed and now I'm watching my great-grandnieces and nephew get old and have children of their own. I've enjoyed my time with the hunters, and especially with you, but I'm tired. I want to live my life like a normal person. I want to age and have children and watch them grow and all that."

I nod, understanding everything she's saying. The number of times I've wished I could do exactly what Philia is talking about are too numerous to count. "Have you told Artemis?"

"Yes, she gave her blessing."

"When do you leave?"

Philia pauses and glances around us. For the first time, I actually look at where we've walked to. We're on the boarder of a forest looking out on a little town. Young children run around, chasing each other and laughing as adults look on or work in shops.

"You're leaving now?" I ask, turning to Philia. It's not as though I hadn't known she'd be leaving me at some point. I'm a Titan and she's a mortal and that story has a history of not working for me. I just hadn't ever thought she'd up and leave one day with no preparation or anything.

"This is my hometown," she says. "I was born in that house over there and my family still lives there. I've already talked to them, explained everything. I will live with them until I can be married." She turns to me, taking both my hands in hers. "Please, Selene, I need you to understand. I want to do this. I want to go live a normal life."

I extricate one of my hands from hers and run my thumb along her cheek. "I understand," I tell her, trying to keep my voice light. "Probably better than anyone else."

A smile spreads across her face and I can't help but smile too. "Thank you, Selene." Philia throws her arms around me and pressing her face into my shoulder. "Please promise you'll visit," she says, looking up at me.

"Of course," I promise her, though I wonder how I could visit her if I'm traveling the world with the hunters.

She opens her mouth to say something but at that moment, a tiny boy around the age of 4 runs up to her and starts tugging her chiton. She grins at me and kisses me on the cheek.

"Don't miss me too much," she says with a wink before swinging the boy into her arms and running off to two tall men standing at the edge of the town. She doesn't look back.

I stand there at the edge of the forest for a long time, long after the sun has set and the moon has risen high in the sky. I can't help but notice it's slightly off course and make a mental note to remind Artemis later to be sure to stay on the path.

Once the moon is at its zenith, I finally more, stretching my frozen limbs. I should go back to camp.

I turn and begin to make my way through the dark forest. Shadows move in the distance and I can hear the chitter of insects somewhere among the trees. I wrap my arms around me as I walk, trying to ignore the feeling I'm being followed. I let a soft light emanate from my skin so I'm not in complete darkness and that helps until I start to notice now it reflects oddly off the woods around me, giving the idea of a million lights staring out at me.

Suddenly, I hear a loud snap behind me, as though from someone stepping on a twig. I spin around but when I search the forest, all I see are the dark shapes of trees swaying ever so slightly in the breeze. I shudder, turning back to the path and continuing on. It must have just been an animal, I tell myself, but the paranoia doesn't go away.