The Almost Rejection

18. New Luna

In total there were three dead pups, five woman, and six men.  That was a lot of deaths.  If Jordan hadn’t been running late and found them battle raging there would have been a lot more.  As it was she had two cracked rips.  They should fix by Saturday though.  Jordan wanted to comfort everyone so I cooked a nice meal for the pack and she made desert.  I was a cook but she was the baker.  

It was horrible at the funerals.  Everyone was crying and there was talk at school because all the werewolves weren’t there and that rose unnecessary talk.  Mothers, fathers, and mates wept for lost ones.  It was awful.

“It’s ok, Tris, don’t cry.”  Don’t cry?  Easier said than done I thought to Conner.  

“Let me handle this,” My mother said coming up from the crowd of the funeral to hold me.  I didn’t know any of the people who died personally but it was still painful, especially when you see the parents of lost children or the heartbroken mates.  One girl lost both her parents!  They were asking everyone if they were willing to take her in.

“Honey, I know you’re in pain but I have a question for you.”  She sounded scared.

“What is it mother?”  I asked choking back a sob.

“I would like to keep Annabel, is that ok with you?”  At my confused look she elaborated.  “The girl with two lost parents.”  I felt my eyes widen in shock.  My mother is a great woman but I never would have expected that from her.  I threw my arms around her and nodded and then she began to cry with me.  After a while she had to leave to give Conner the news.

Sometime the next day stood in front of our mythology class going over the subject of Artemis.

“Two stories of Artemis are:

Actaeon’s own death is what made him famous, for there are almost no accounts of his life, except that he was trained by the Centaur Chiron to be a hunter. And, they say, it was not any crime of his the cause of his death, but mere mischance. For not knowing anything about the secret cave of Artemis in the vale of Gargaphia, Actaeon came wandering with his dogs after a day of hunt, and entered the cave when the goddess of the wild woods was preparing to bathe in the waters of the spring Parthenius together with the nymphs who attended her. When Actaeon came into the cave, the girls, with loud cries, thronged around Artemis trying to hide her body with their own. But Artemis, standing head and shoulders over the rest, took up the water and flung it into Actaeon’s face saying:

“Now you are free to tell that you have seen me all unrobed—if you can tell.”

So soon the goddess had uttered those words, Actaeon began to turn into a stag.  And when the transformation was completed, the goddess planted fear within his heart, and the stag Actaeon fled away. His dogs then went after him, pursuing him in all grounds around Mount Cithaeron—between Boeotia and Attica—and having finally caught him, the dogs buried their fangs in his body until there was no place for further wounds, thus causing his death. That was the misfortune of Actaeon. For not knowing what he did, he came to be punished and suffered to be hunted, just as he had hunted. Because of this deed, some deemed Artemis to be crueler, but others judged her act worthy of her virginity.  

Another of story featuring Artemis is:

Callisto was a charming nymph and follower of Artemis. In honor of the goddess, Callisto took a vow to remain forever a maiden. However, this vow was abruptly violated when Zeus fell in love with the comely nymph. Clever Zeus assumed the form of either the god Apollo, or, in some versions of the tale, appeared as Artemis herself, and in one of these guises seduced Callisto.  Jealous Hera, goddess of marriage, queen of the gods and goddesses turned her into a bear.  Of course since she broke her vow Artemis; Artemis rallied the rest of the hunters and shot her down.  It was said that she was placed in the stars as the great bear constellation.  She was one of Artemis’s favorite companions.  Arcas was the son she had in result to Zeus forcibly seducing her.  Zeus eventually placed her in the heavens as the Great Bear constellation while her son became the Little Bear.