A Hero's Tears

The Hearing

Thalia and her Hunter entourage lead Luke to Artemis's tent in the camp; the two Hunters left Luke and Thalia in front of the large, silvery tent.
"Milady," Thalia calls to Artemis from the other side of the tent.

"Come in," a voice calls from inside, and the two enter.

The interior of the tent is slightly bigger than the outside to allow room for the cot, fire pit, and various décor choices and hunting trophies displayed throughout the tent. Sitting at a small table out of the way is the Goddess, herself, Artemis, in an older from, probably early twenties at the oldest. Curled at her feet is a great white wolf, sleeping peacefully. Thalia bows in greeting, and Luke does the same.

"Here is the Hero, Milady. As you requested," Thalia said softly, and Luke internally flinched at what possible punishment he'll be handed for being alive, in general. Being an uninvited male in Hunter territory was not helping chances, either.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed," Artemis replied, and Thalia shuffled out of the tent, leaving a terrified Luke alone with a calm Artemis, which put him even more on edge.

"Lady Artemis, I am so sorry for trespassing on your territory and-" Luke started, speaking quickly.

"I did not bring you here so you could apologize for napping under a tree. Would you like a biscuit or some tea? I understand you were quite cold. We also have hot cocoa, if that's more your taste."

"Um... But why am I here, then?"

"Hot cocoa, it is," she says as she takes the pot in front of her and pours out a cup of the steaming beverage. "Sit. We have much to talk about."

He nervously sits across from her, and takes a cautious sip of the cocoa.

"Is it to your liking?"

He nods. "I thank you for your hospitality, but, again, why am I here?"

"To answer that very question, Mister Castellan. What you're doing topside, for one, and what you're doing here, specifically," Lady Artemis says, leaning in and lacing her fingers in front of her chest on the table. She was thinking Luke had just fallen asleep where he did, but she wanted to know how he got there.

Luke grimaces. "I... I was hoping to visit my mother. T-To right that wrong," he says, his voice cracking and shaky.

"What do you mean by that?" Artemis asks.

Luke takes a deep breath. "A long time ago, back when I was seven or eight, I ran away. I told my mother I'd be back for lunch, and never looked back.

"When I was in Elysium, I had a perfect apartment overlooking the beautiful part of Hades' realm. Silena and Beckendorf were the only two I really spent time with, and that was rough, because I killed them. And I was a third wheel in their afterlife together. They don't blame me, but I do, and I hate myself for it. I overheard a couple security ghouls talking about Death being chained, and the Doors being stuck open, and they were in Tartarus. So I packed what little necessities I deemed absolutely crucial and set for the Doors as stealthily as I could." He stopped to take a slow breath and another drink of his cocoa.

"Once I made it to the Phlegethon, it was relatively simple. Follow the monsters and lay low. I took out a lone century so I could use their armour to hide among them as they carted a group 'topside', as you said. As we rode up, we all started to get more solid and alive. I was lucky with the group I chose, because they were all relatively weak and brain dead. When the Doors opened, and I made sure there wasn't anyone guarding, I took out the monsters, one by one, and took off the armour I was wearing, leaving me with very light clothes. The first thing I did was take any drachmas off the monsters, then I got my bearings. I was in the hills of the Pacific Coast.

"After a couple of weeks of salvaging, pick pocketing, and selling what I took, I had just enough to take the Amtrak to a little outside of M-Mom's." His countenance dimmed slightly as he mentioned his mother.

"When I got to my old home, sh-she was dead, and some fat old guy had moved in. After being confronted by this man, I ran out to the woods, and fell against the tree. I must've fallen asleep; next thing I know, Thalia is waking me up."

Artemis studied him with her silver eyes. "And what do you feel about you're... previous actions?"

He flinched slightly, taking another drink of his cocoa. "Although they were extreme, I believe the concept was just. Justice, respect, and recognition for the minor gods and their children, and the gods paying more attention to their children. However, I would never repeat what I did."

"Very well... Now I am tasked with the decision of what to do with you. Do I obliterate you? Send you to Olympus to let the Counsel decide? Give you to that camp of yours? The choices are innumerable. But, through your actions in the final minutes of the War, and your story, I will show mercy. To send you to the Counsel would be to kill you, either by unanimous decision, or you die of age before they finally reach a decision. I won't kill you, though. You have a good heart."

"What are you going to do, then?" Luke asked.