Path of Fire Book one

Chapter four

Willow hated dreams like this. Most importantly, she hated life. Life was unfair and cruel. She picked up a rock and threw it into the river.

"Stupid rock," she grumbled. "Stupid prophecy, stupid quest." Willow was clearly in a bad mood. "Stupid person who captured Hestia."

Willow sat down beside the stream and opened her backpack, realizing that she still hadn't done her math homework from last night. She growled under her breath at the messy numbers on her math book.

Just then, she felt someone was looking at her. When she turned around, a woman with dark hair and eyes wearing a white dress and carrying arrows and a bow appeared.

"What do you want," Willow grumbled.

The woman's eyes flickered with amusement "Having trouble with math Willow? Math doesn't really help you survive, does it? I am Artemis, goddess of hunt."

Willow gasped as she shut her math book immediately and knelt down in front of the goddess. "Please forgive me for speaking to you like that, Lady Artemis."

Artemis laughed and sat down next to Willow.

"Why are you here?" Willow asked as politely as she could.

Artemis's smile immediately disappeared from her face. She sighed. "One of my hunters went missing yesterday, so I decided to look for her. That night, I dreamed that my hunter was trapped in a place called Greenwood mansion. I also heard a prophecy from a naiad."

"Oh my gods, the exact same thing happened to me!" Willow was so surprised that she jumped up. Realizing what she had done, she quickly sat down again and explained everything to the goddess. How she went for another lesson with Hestia but couldn't find her anywhere, how she waited anxiously for more than twenty minutes, and about the dreams that she had.

Artemis was a good listener but only interrupted her once.

"You are Hestia's new apprentice? Why didn't she tell me? Congratulations!" Artemis said, beaming.

"Thank you, Lady Artemis," Willow had said before continuing.

Both of them sat in silence for a while.

"Lady Artemis?" Willow asked, breaking the silence.

The goddess turned to look at her.

"About the prophecy, where the part said that five will with powers will set off at moon high, are we one of the five? If there is three more people, do you know who they might be? Also, do you know what the Brightest night means? Because last night was pretty bright, is there even such thing as the brightest?"

Artemis smiled. "You are a curious one, Willow. But indeed, I believe that we are both part of the five, although I am not so sure. There is such thing as the brightest night. Long ago, people referred the brightest night as in the night that has full moon and an eclipse as well."

"Does an eclipse only happen during a full moon?" Willow asked.

"Yes," Artemis answered.

"Cool, I get it now," Willow said, standing up. She loved the feeling when she understood something.

The goddess stood up too, brushed dirt off her dress, and slung her bag of arrows over her shoulder. Together, they set off into the forest.