The Daughter of Artemis

Chapter 4

Brina really pushed my buttons this time. She had the audacity to tell mother I snuck out. She did leave Xander out of it, though. She get him out just to torture me, to hold it over my head so I wouldn't get out of line. Mother punished me for it too. I was under constant watch. Lydia followed me back in forth, from chore to chore. First I had to collect water for the laundry, then I did the laundry. When lunch time rolled around I cooked and cleaned for that, and after lunch I had to help process some of the game meat. I didn't have to seconds to sit down without Brina right up my tail with the chores. I have never even consider hurting on of the hunters until her. She irked me. Mother was more lenient then Brina thought. Lydia's my best friend here. She is the only hunter that knows Artemis is my birth mother. It almost sends me into hysterics when Brina thinks she knows everything.
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Everyday this week mother has had me on an insane regime of chores. But today is the second Tuesday of the month, the monthly Olympus meeting. She always takes me to those so I can see more than the camp sight. Every time me move locations, I'm out of the loop. Sometimes mother sends me to uncle Apollo's place while they move, so I never know where we are.
Today made Brina especially mad because I was leaving.
"But my lady, she has work to get done! The laundry hasn't been hung, and Amanda needs help cooking today. Gywneth's day is full of work!"
"All that work needs done," mother asked. Brina nodded excessively.
"Then I trust you, me second in command, will personally get all of those looks chores done out of devotion for me." Brina stood there dumbfounded. "Yes, my lady," she grumbled. Brina had trudged away huffing and puffing. I couldn't help but smile.
"You know, Brina can be very loyal. But gods she's a suck up," mother whispered. I laughed slightly to myself.
As always, mother let's me being lazy Lydia along so I don't sit around bored and these meetings. Most the time I'm in the courtyard shooting arrows. Occasionally Lydia and I pester the palace nymphs. The do all the work for grandpa and Queen Hera. Mother wants me to call her grandma, since she had a hand in my birth, however; she doesn't act like a grandmother should. She doesn't spoil me, or even give me a sideways glance. She's to stiff, and poised. Hera once reamed me for tracking a bit of dust into the palace.
Today Lydia and I just sat in the courtyard talking. I told her about Xander. I didn't want to tell her, but I didn't want to not keep that for me her. Her jaw nearly hit the perfecting stoned pathway. I told her about his charming eyes and his crooked smile that made my insides twist. I told her he was cute, but I certainly didn't like him. I couldn't like him!
"For being a handsome man, he doesn't sound the brightest. No one would ever wrestle a wolf even if they had half a brain," she teased.
"Yes, well he had quite an ego."
"Defiantly a child of Aphrodite!" We laughed a little, but I didn't feel like laughing. I felt like I lied to her, but I didn't. I could have possible lied to myself. I said aloud I had no such feelings, but somewhere inside me was saying something different. Honestly I felt foolish. I met Xander just the once and now I feel like I would freely give him my heart. I can't just hand over my feelings like that. Mother says men are traps. They reel you in until you're blinded by love, then he'll snatch your heart and leave you in shambles. I have seen it in other hunters, they come in with broken hearts and pledge chastity for immortality, unless wounded fatally in battle, then eventually they return to their blindness.
I left my seat at the fountain and gathered my bow. There was a stack of hey, for the horses, not but one hundred yards from me. Shooting an arrow was like breathing to me. A simple habit done day that one would die without it. The arrow flew through the air, striking the center of the hey stack. Without hesitation I drew back again and again. I had nearly emptied my supply of arrows, when a melodic voice rang out from behind the wall of hedges.
"Nice shot," the honey smooth voice had said. The silky voice belonged to a tall lean boy. Not quite a boy, but not quite a man. He had blonde curly hair hanging into his crystal blue eyes. He had tan skin, which looked incredible in his white t-shirt and light blue jeans. I could sense Lydia tending up behind. Not even a Brina could deny this man to be beautiful.
"Practice makes perfect," I replied. He made a small breathing noise that resembled a small laugh. The edges of his lips tightened into a heart stopping grin. He took slow steps towards us. I shrugged my shoulders to say that I didn't care if he did. He took the bow from my hands. Even from an arms distance I could smell him, he smelled the way he looked,
"May I," he asked walking toward us. I held my bow out at an arms length. His hand slightly touched mine. An obvious attempt at a flirt. Like my shot, he hit dead center. Probably uncle Apollo's kid. I thought.
"Not bad, for a boy," I joked.
"Well it is my job," he replied. His job?
"What kind of game so you hunt?"
"People." Lydia froze behind me. I brought up my bow. He lifted his hands in surrender.
"Sorry, I misspoke. I'm Eros, you know, Cupid."
"That explains your shot and the flirting." And all the handsome features.
"You noticed. Huh, I though I was being subtle."
"It wasn't hard to notice." He grinned. "I'll try harder next time." Lydia rose from her seat.
"There won't be a next time. You probably don't know who we are and that's fine, but we have no business with the god of love. Goodbye," Lydia glowered.
"I'm no genius, but you're hunters, right? I mean the silver camouflage the bow shooting, and the not wanting Eros around. Nah, I got it. Sorry to have disturbed you."
"You an Olympian, right," I blurted before he could leave.
"Yeah. Why?"
"My mom wants me to stay put and I've never seen the city. I figured that you could maybe show us around?"
"He will not be showing anyone around. You'll get in even more trouble." Eros looked back and forth between Lydia and I.
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He took us down to the main street first. It's was a labyrinth of mosaic stone streets. When the road for winder, shops started coming into view. Nymphs and other minor gods scampered in and out of different buildings. I saw Iris wall out of a small café. Her white hair was thrown lazily into a messy bun and her white dress shown with rainbows like a spray of mist would. I saw groups of water nymphs gossiping under a shade canopy. Two men where brawling in the courtyard in front of us. I heard Eros mutter something about Phobos and Deimos, Ares' children. Sitting on the fountain edge was a girl a bit younger then me with her arms crossed. Clearly Eros knew who she was and approached her.
"Harmonia," he asked. The girl looked up and exhaled deeply.
"Mother sent me out with Phobos and Deimos. Then we got hungry and they're quarreling over where to eat. I wish mom sent we out with you, brother."
"Brother," I asked.
"We're all children of Aphrodite, even those two idiots," Harmonia answered. Eros asked her what she wanted to do and let her tag along. She pointed out her favorite place and told us to avoid the bars. "To much violence and drunks," she would say. It didn't take long to figure out she was the goddess of harmony, it's in her name.
We had stop and a nymph garden and just talked. The garden was full of beautiful lush plants. The only flowers I've ever seen were the wildflowers in the woods. We had found a spot on a little stone pathway. A little after noon Harmonia announced that the meeting was almost over.
"I wonder what they're talking about," said Harmonia.
"Olympian business," Eros responded.
"We're Olympians," she retorted.
"You're to young," Lydia had finally said something.
"I'm almost a whole century old now, " Harmonia whined.
"We need to get before your mother finds us missing," Lydia reminded me. We said our goodbyes and took off down the path. We barely made it back to the courtyard when the meetings were over. I sat there picking at a flower when mother came sprinting out towards me. She quickly told me to get back to the chariot. I asked why but she didn't talk until we were up in the air.
"I'm glad you two are safe. Apollo and Hermes both said there are villages being raided by those wolves. I don't think it's safe for you to be outside the camp anymore. Nora and Lydia will watch over you until it's safe."
"I don't need to be babysat! I care watch over myself and protect myself."
"You are my only child and you will be kept safe," mother yelled. She has never yelled like that before. I was livid though, I didn't care that I was in trouble, I wanted to help. I knew what I had to do. I was going to sneak out again. I'm sure Lydia would come with me, I knew how to sweet talk her.
As soon as we landed I ran to my tent. I pulled all my weapons out from under the bed. Silver tipped arrows and silver blades came out. I grabbed my hunting bag and began filling it. Halfway through my packing I heard the tent doors swish open. I froze, my rebellion was short lived.
"Your aren't very sneaky. I saw that look on your face," a familiar voice teased. I turned around to Lydia with her hands on her hips.
"You caught me." I rose my hands in surrender. She asked what I was really doing. I told her plan of escape. When I asked her to come with me she acted appalled, like I had said something that shouldn't be said. I begged her to come, she eventually have in to my master plan. I finish filling my bag with food and an assortment of weapons ranging from daggers to arrows. I sent Lydia to pack medicines and her own things. Step one of the plan was hiding the supplies and waiting until dark. That was the worst part, the waiting. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes like hours.
At sunset I went to find Lydia in the dining tent. Dinner was laid out and goes were eating and talking. Occasionally someone would ask in with more game. Lydia and I sat and are together and secluded. We spoke in hushed tones about step two; getting past the gates. A light drizzle had started to fall. This good and bad. Good because, the girls would retreat to their tents. Bad because, the mud would leave foot prints. Lydia and I exchanged worried looks in between bites. Before leaving we grabbed rain coats and boots.
We made our way out the back. We had to hurry before Nora came by my tent and told mom we were missing. Sloane was back at the East gate. This plan had already begun to fail. Lydia tugged on my coat.
"Hide behind a tent and wait 'til you here Sloane walk by." I nodded and didn't look to see what was going on. A minute or so passed by until I heard feet sloshing through the mud. I caught a glance of Sloane's short black hair. I looked over my shoulder and saw Lydia guarding the gate. I didn't know these woods very well at all. It is very likely that we'll get lost and die some where under a tree. I didn't know my way around, but I had a pretty strong instinct. I didn't know where to go, I knew of only one path in these woods. I only knew how to get a little shack in the woods. The little shack that belonged to Xander.

If enjoying the story, please keep reading. I would like to apologize now for not publishing a lot. Thanks for reading thus far!😊