Athena x Nike

#65 * Pets (part 2)

She knew me well enough to know when I was dead serious. Again something snapped and I whipped my head to the right, outside.

There stood Artemis and the rest of our pack of hunters.

"You want to explain what you're doing here?" Artemis asked.

She didn't seem very happy. Eliza and I looked at each other. We hopped through the bent metal bars and out of the kart.

"Who's idea was this?" Artemis asked, her voice more stern now.

"Mine." I answered truthfully.

"Eliza had nothing to do with it. I dragged her along."

Artemis shook her head and sighed. When she looked back in my direction however I saw her stiffen. The color drained slightly from her face.

The rest of the huntresses behind her drew arrows from their quivers and placed them on the string of their bows, aiming for me and Eliza.

"Alexia, Eliza, whatever you do, don't move." The goddess of the hunt said.

In my defense for what I did next, I've never been a really good listener and my curiosity usually gets the better of me.

So I turned around slowly and stood face to face with a pitch black panther. The panther roared and jumped.

"Di Immortales, Alexia!!! Do you ever listen?!" Artemis exclaimed as I ducked.

The black panther soared over my head and ran straight for my aunt. She rolled out of the way as the other hunters tried to aim their arrows at the moving beast.

"Callisto, don't kill it!" Artemis yelled at her leading huntress.

More huntresses fumbled with their arrows as they switched their sharply pointed arrows with ones that threw nets.

Eliza next to me placed one such arrow on her string, drawing it back and taking her aim. She missed, very nearly. She did however trap two other huntresses who were standing behind the panther.

"Sorry." She apologized as they cut themselves loose with a grumble.

I saw the black panther jump at aunt Artemis. It pushed her to the ground, but in a smooth movement, Artemis rolled over her back pushing the panther of her and straight into a tree. The big cat roared in pain.

Pain...

It was in pain I realized. When the panther jumped aside, dodging a net, I saw its breathing was very heavy.

Just as it got ready to strike again I jumped in between Artemis and the panther, holding out my hand.

"Alexia, what do you think you're doing?!" Artemis questioned, fear for my life sounding heavy in her voice.

"Put your bows away." I ordered, trying to make eye contact with the beast in front of me.

It watched my every move, but it avoided my eyes. Strangely it reminded me of my mother.

I looked at mom as she watched how I made the math exercises she cooked up for me. Trust me having Athena for a teacher was the worst. I loved my mom really, but whenever she made me do schoolwork, she becomes unbearable.

For a moment her eyes met mine. I lingered, trying to keep her away from what she was doing. It didn't work for very long. She averted her eyes quickly.

"Don't stall Alexia. The longer this takes, the longer it'll be until you can do something fun." Mom said, her eyes focused on the paper now.