Solstice

I

            So as Eira escorted her without a word to the center of their crescent camp, Sera said her prayers. The large silver tent sat a few feet away, and Eira stood just to the side of its opening. She was a falcon, a timber wolf, a predator of the snow watching as a mere little hare approached its soon-to-be demise.

            Sera bristled at that. She wasn't a hare. She was every bit as strong as Eira was. She had the heart of a timber wolf too. And so, Sera marched right into the silvery tent, pride her only weapon.

            Artemis' tent was only slightly bigger than the tents the other Hunters used, but it was warmer. A blazing hearth sat in the center of the room, and throw blankets and rugs lined the floor and the furniture within the tent. A mahogany desk sat in the corner of the tent. And standing before the flickering amber flames of the firepit was Lady Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon.

            "My Lady," Sera bowed her head in respect, before looking up at her superior in anticipation.

            Lady Artemis always assumed the median age of her Hunters, in this case, a girl a few years younger than Sera. Even if Lady Artemis looked to be about fourteen, her yellow eyes had seen the turn of eras new and old. And right now, they were filled with contemplation of what to do with this enigma of a huntress.

            "Come in, Sera," Lady Artemis spoke, waving a delicate hand.

            Sera took a breath and shuffled forward. The sound of the tent shutting behind her only signaled Eira's entrance as well, and Sera fought a curse.

            "Eira tells me that you've been skipping out of group missions," Artemis began, her voice as soft as snowfall. "Are you unhappy within the Hunters?"   

            Sera shook her head. "No, m'lady! I'm perfectly happy here. I'm happier than I've ever been."

            Artemis pursed her lips. "Sera, I admire your strength, your rebellious streak. You love to see the world around you, and I can predict only great things for you later on in your life."

            Sera knit her eyebrows together, her pride faltering. "M'lady?"

            Artemis crossed to her desk, sitting down behind it. Sera moved forward to sit before her, and Eira stood at her commander's side.

            "The Fates have predicted a rather puzzling future for you, Sera. Parts of it are blurry, but the Fates are hardly wrong." Artemis murmured, looking over Sera at the flames of the hearth.

            "What have they predicted?" Sera asked, her voice small. Her past was insubstantial, making her decision to join the hunters hardly a decision at all. What could the Fates have predicted for her?

            Artemis shook her head. "It's too blurry to determine now. However, some fates can be changed and right now, I plan to do something about this...lone wolf you're becoming."

            Sera looked down at her lap, the crackling flames of the hearth echoing her heartbeat. She looked back up at Artemis with what she hoped was a look of compliance and determination. However, under the steely gaze of Eira, she could feel it beginning to chip away.

            "Chiron has requested a small group of my Hunters to aid in defending Camp Half-Blood in Long Island," Artemis ran a finger over the gilded edge of the desk. "I'd like you to be one of the girls I select to go help him."

            Sera felt a coil of ice circle her heart, frozen barbs beginning to puncture it. "W-what?"

            "This does not mean I think any less of you, Sera. It's merely...a means to an end," Artemis gesticulated, waving around the room. "It'll only be for a few weeks, and then we will come pick you up."