Hey guys!
This is going to be eight chapters long so please follow and fav this fic too! Also, I've never written a fic based on Zoë so please review and tell me what you guys think of chapter 1!
Disclaimer: I do not own this characters nor the general storyline.
So, about this chapter, I realize that, while there isn't much information about Zoë, it is stated that it was Atlas the one that helped Hercules obtain the golden apple. However, I thought it would be interesting to analyze how this lonely girl managed to be fooled by a seasoned hero so I gave the story a twist. Also, I'm aware that Zoë's language and dialect changes a lot over the course of her story so I've decided to stick to plain english in order to make the story as cohesive as possible.
Hope you guys like it!
Chapter 1. "The One That Got Away."
In a story, the setting always seems to reflect the scene so, whatever happens next, it can to some extent be predicted by everyone...except for the character in question, of course.
Well, this is the exception to the rule because, when everything changed for Zoë, it was a completely ordinary day in the Garden of the Hesperides, home for her and her sisters.
It was late afternoon, just before sunset, when rain began to gain strength as it poured over the gardens, soaking it all with its refreshing, reviving quality. The winds were picking up too, the cool temperature they were arising being a sign of the quickly departing summer. And the silence, it was calm, quiet, comfortable. It provided an atmosphere of relaxation, even of sleepiness, and the golden hue that was tainting everything with its regal tone was the final factor the scene needed for it to be worthy of any fantasy story.
Zoë, daughter of Atlas and Guardian of the Garden of the Hesperides stood behind a trunk, unbothered as her long, dark brown hair fell on her face, pressing against her cheekbones the more it was soaked by the pouring rain. Her long, white tunic seemed to be nothing but a second skin as it got wetter, its skirts no longer flowing but rather sticking to her ankles. Still, not the water nor the cold seemed to face her. It seemed as if nothing could take the focus off her, as if she could stand immobile, forever in the cold, under the rain and in the presence of the incoming darkness. Had someone else glimpsed at her, she would have seemed to be nothing but a graceful statue in those beautiful gardens.
Or that would have been the case until she silently raised a hand towards her quiver, grabbing an arrow and readying her bow slowly in order not to alert the intruder.
Her duty was clear. Guard the Gardens. Drive any intruders far from that sacred place. And, most importantly, keep Queen Hera's Tree of Golden Apples safe and untouched. She, amongst all of her sisters, had been chosen to fulfill this duty and honour the Queen of the Olympus. Queen Hera knew she had chosen well, for the young guardian would stop at nothing if it meant following her commands.
Still, the strangest thing happened as Zoë aimed her bow at the stranger. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel a connection with him, as if this intruder, this heathen was meant to play an important part in her life.
The man in question was tall yet lean, his dark hair contrasting nicely against his white tunic and purple cloak, his leather sandals hitting the ground silently as he ran sneakily through the gardens. All in all, he was a regular man, not unlike the many others that had tried to sneak into the gardens in the past.
And, strange feelings aside, not a single one of them had been able to get past the Guardian of the Gardens. As always, her duties were far bigger than the unsolicited visitor and so, it suddenly seemed extremely easy to forget all about the strange and sudden intuitions.
Zoë's eyes narrowed and an amused smirk made its way onto her lips.
It'd be fun to defeat yet another man.
Zoë exited her hiding spot and padded effortlessly in the stranger's direction, her bow ready, her eyes instinctively widening in an attempt to counteract the excess of light the nearing sunset was providing and the nuisance implied by the rain. Of course, a warrior like her was unaffected by small factors as meaningless as those but still, her organic reactions were still pretty much of her being.
As she drew nearer and began to taste victory, she stepped on a fallen branch, the sudden creak echoing through the gardens and causing her heart to jolt violently.
Before her, the man stopped, wary as a common prey. He straightened, brushing his hair out of his face.
Then, he looked back, straight into Zoë's eyes.
Zoë scowled at her own mistake before releasing the arrow she had notched into her bow. The man rolled onto the floor, easily dodging the arrow, and stood again to charge at the Hesperide. Zoë wasn't cowered by the bold move though, and she quickly reached up into her curls, grabbing her hairpin, the item quickly transforming into her sword, Anaklusmos. She met his knife midair with her sword, and both rivals stared at each other with shock.
After a short, tense moment, the man smirked, his blue eyes twinkling with interest. "Well, well, well. A maid who can fight."
Zoë growled at that and punched the man on the jaw only to push him away roughly and swerve Anaklusmos towards his exposed neck before he had the chance to regain his footing. Miraculously though, he was able to block her attack, and the pair fought relentlessly for a few minutes, making it look like a complex dance filled with twirls, parries and blows.
At last, Zoë forced herself onto his space, throwing blows at the stranger as quickly as she could and in every direction in order to destabilize him. Then, as he finally leaned back in order to protect his head from her sharp weapon, Zoë quickly knelt and swept her leg under his feet, literally sweeping him off his feet. The man fell with a grunt and Zoë quickly took the chance, kneeling on his chest with her knees and legs restraining his arms against the ground and Anaklusmos tightly pressed against his throat.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Zoë demanded forcefully, her gaze hardening when the stranger smirked.
"May I say, my lady, that you are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on?" the stranger replied, seemingly unbothered by the rain that was pouring directly on his face, and stared right at the girl above him with what he clearly intended to be a charming smile.
Zoë's scowl deepened. She pressed her sword closer to his throat, a drop of blood running down the side of his neck and falling onto the ground. "You have not answered my question, thief."
"Very well. My name is Hercules, son of Zeus," Hercules replied, his smile widening when Zoë gaped at him. "I take it you have heard of me, then."
"Of course, your prowess and skills are legendary," Zoë replied as she stood, watching the demigod before her as he stood too and shook the dirt off his tunic. His eyes were unmistakable, a classic trait of the children of the Olympian King. "I apologize, my lord. I acted hastily in order to perform my duty."
"As any worthy guardian should do," Hercules replied warmly, and gifted her with a cheeky smile.
Zoë refused to look away even as she felt her cheeks warming up. She glanced at their wet clothes with a sheepish glance. "Allow me to invite you inside, my lord. It cannot be comfortable to carry on your journey with your clothes in such a foul state."
Hercules gazed up at the rain before shaking his head with amusement. He gestured gracefully in the opposite direction to the Hesperides' home. "What is done is done, my lady. There is no use in wasting time on such meaningless things as clothes. Please, walk with me."
Zoë nodded, transforming her blade once again into a hair pin and attaching it to her locks. She picked up her bow from the ground and began walking, Hercules following her. "May I ask what is your business in my garden, Lord Hercules?"
Hercules raised a hand almost apologetic for having cut her off. "Please, my lady, I must ask that you call me Hercules."
"Only if you call me Zoë, Hercules. I am not a lady, after all, only a nymph." The Hesperide bowed down her head in gratitude when Hercules smiled his approval of the request. "Now, you were going to tell me about your visit to my gardens."
Hercules nodded and told her the story. It was a slow story and one he told passionately, for the emotion and the pain he had had to bear unjustly was a burden he carried in his heart on a daily basis. He discoursed everything, opening himself up to Zoë completely, as if she was a life-time friend and not an utter stranger. All of the dangers he had powered through, the training he had completed with the centaur Chiron, even his relationships with the Olympian Gods. He said it all.
And then, his story got to Queen Hera and Hercules's description, gods, it was heartbreaking. He talked about the madness he caused due to his feud with the Queen of the Gods, and how it had resulted in the death of his family. And even through his pain, even as he recounted the most painful moments of his entire life, the events no one should have to go through, even as his voice grew tight with emotion, his poetic speech never left. He certainly had a gift for storytelling, for he was so proficient that whoever listened to him saw themselves immersed in the story, as if it was happening right before them.
Before too long, so subtly that a successful warrior such as the Hesperide failed to notice it, it was Hercules who led their stroll and Zoë who followed, deep in a mesmerized trance.
"I am greatly sorry for your loss, Hercules," Zoë finally said, her voice formal yet soft. Hercules wasn't looking at her but still shook his head vehemently.
"I do not care for apologetic words, Zoë, not when I am at fault for my family's murder. In consequence to my wrongdoings, and to atone for said crimes, Queen Hera has requested that I complete twelve tasks of her choosing. I cannot rest until I complete them, as I am sure a kind soul like yours will understand." Hercules replied, his voice masked with sad determination. He opened his lean arms suddenly and gestured before him. "Which is why I find myself here."
Zoë followed his gesture, her eyes widening as she noticed they stood a few yards from Queen Hera's Tree of Golden Apples. She narrowed her eyes accusingly at the Hero beside her. "You have tricked me. You want to steal one of the golden apples!"
Hercules dropped his eyes apologetically. "Of course not! Queen Hera asked that I fulfill this task for her! How can I steal any of her sacred belongings, if it was their owner herself that asked me to retrieve them? Besides, I would never desire to cause you any trouble, my dear friend."
Zoë's eyes softened at that. An internal debate quickly grew in her mind. On one hand, her duty was as present as ever. To never allow anyone to take an apple, that was her purpose, that was why she lived in those gardens to begin with! She knew thieves could be more clever than the ones she had encountered so far, though she couldn't hold much faith on that front. Still, Hercules was her friend, he had said so herself. She had had a feeling about him before she even spoke to him and she couldn't ignore that.
She couldn't ignore a friend who was in pain. She knew enough about pain to know it was inhumane to turn her back on him.
In the end, it was with a smidge of hesitation that Zoë nodded and smiled thinly at the Hero beside her. "Very well. I will allow you to take an apple but you need to promise me you will defend me if I get in trouble over this. Also, you will need to run while I distract Ladon. Once he gets a sense of your scent, you will not stand a chance."
Hercules frowned. "Who is Ladon?"
As if on cue, an enormous hundred-headed dragon dropped from the highest branch of the tree onto the ground, lifting his heads to roar at the rainy sky as the ground shook.
Hercules gulped. "Oh."
"Do not concern yourself, Ladon trusts me," Zoë replied, studying their surroundings to confirm they were on their own. As she focused on Ladon again, she faltered but forced herself to reach again to her locks, again grabbing her hairpin and feeling the natural weight of Anaklusmos as it appeared in her hand. She handed it to Hercules as she looked straight into his eyes. "Here. You will need this to cut the apple from its branch."
Hercules took it respectfully and nodded gratefully at his companion. "Thank you, Zoë."
Zoë merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She suddenly realized that they wouldn't get a chance to say goodbye once Hercules managed to obtain the apple if they wanted Ladon not to notice the theft. That afternoon, she had made a friend. Now, so sudden it was leaving her breathless, she was losing him.
Having taken a few steps forward, she froze involuntarily as that last thought crossed her mind. Then, she looked back at Hercules. "Once you get the apple, run. I will distract Ladon so it does not follow you. Take Anaklusmos with you. A gift to help you with the remainder of your quests."
Hercules nodded and smiled charmingly. "Do not concern yourself, my dear friend. I will visit you once I am done with my quests."
Zoë smiled thinly before rushing through the last yards towards the tree, calling Ladon as she neared it. She smiled as Ladon approached her, and took him slightly away from the tree, always softly caressing his scaled nose. Ladon would never let himself be baited away from the tree, but Zoë and him had always had a close bond , herself being the only one allowed to feed the poisonous dragon by hand. It was a privilege she thought of with infinite honour and she considered Ladon to be her best friend in her small, peaceful world.
She couldn't speak that time, though, overcome by a feeling of uncomfortable dread, as if she was only now realizing the bad choice she had made. Yet, she knew it had to be caused by the emotion of saying goodbye to a friend. It was hard to let go of people when there were so few in the world she truly cared for, so she forced herself to ignore the weight by the pit of her stomach and slowly talked to the dragon about her day, forcing herself not to look at the tree in order not to be caught by its guardian.
Between the rain and the wind, she couldn't hear Hercules. She didn't even try for it was too painful. She kept on caressing her dragon friend, and thinking of the nice friend she had now in the world. What she couldn't ignore was her aching heart so, slowly, her gaze turned towards the ground, her tears easily blending with the falling rain.
She stayed there for hours. Talking, crying, aching. Eventually, the rain stopped and the fog dispersed, so it was a starry, clear night when Zoë finally departed that spot of the Gardens towards the comfort of a warm bath and her bed. So deep in thought she was, that she didn't even notice her sisters surrounding her until the oldest of them spoke.
"Behold, my dear sisters," Hesperia announced, startling Zoë as she exited the shadows before her, so similar to Zoë herself, her stance regal yet grave. "A traitor in our midst."
Zoë took a step back as the other Hesperides joined their leader under the moonlight, and gulped, willingly trying to remain hopeful.
Hercules was her friend, after all. He would help her, just as she helped him.
oOo
The silence was deafening.
The room reserved for audiences was as regal as ever, and even more severe now when the treason of one of their own was being considered.
Zoë's sisters were a replica of her, yet in different figures and heights. All of them shorter than her, their postures were graceful and regal, their faces proud, and their clothes extravagant.
Hesperia, as the oldest of the Hesperides, sat regally on the throne kept for when their mother, the goddess Hesperis, chose to visit her daughters. A golden crown on her head, her eyes were two blades as they studied the sister standing before her. Erytheia and Aegle stood on either side of her, their faces inexpressive as their older sister had taught her. The youngest Hesperide, Arethusa, which was also the closest one to Zoë, stood slightly apart, her eyes set on Zoë with apprehension. All four of them wore tunics made of vivid fabrics, their hems embroidered with golden patterns and golden bracelets adorned their forearms.
Zoë stood before them, her clothes and hair once again dry. She was now wearing a cloak over her tunic and her hair fell down to the small of her back, her rich waves once again brushed and clean. A satchel with provisions and her weapons rested against the wall near the door.
She knew a servant had been sent after Hercules in order to get his testimony. She knew that there was hope that this would be nothing but a small misunderstanding and that she would welcome the following day safe in her bed. Still, Zoë trembled. Not with fear, but with barely restrained anger.
How did her sisters dare summon a trial against her? How could they turn their back on her like that, after what they had gone through? How could they reject their own blood so easily?
By then, she could barely feel any weariness at being awake in the middle of the night, nor was she sensible to the cold lingering in her bones because of the long hours she spent under the freezing rain. Hot anger boiled inside of her, feeling her with rage at being so utterly humiliated.
She knew that if she wanted to say anything to her sisters, that was the best moment. She knew they would carry on with their lives regardless of the outcome and that they would never apologize. And it made her so angry, it made her blood boil within her veins, so much that she craved to be able to lose control, just that one time. Whatever she wanted, she knew it wasn't feasible so Zoë straightened, squaring her shoulders and locking her hands behind her back. She stared directly at Hesperia with narrowed eyes, her hair luscious and her black orbs alight with silent rage. She resembled a member of royalty in a way her sisters never would.
Hesperia stared back calmly, her voice even against her sister's rebellious stand. "Is there anything you would like to say in your favour?"
Zoë frowned. She had been trying to do so for hours. "Hercules confirmed he needed to get a golden apple under Queen Hera's command. What was I supposed to do? We have never stood against the will of the Olympian Gods."
"Yet you have failed your duty, sister. That fact alone is what we can get from this event," Hesperia replied. "Of course, if there was any way we could prove your story, this would be much easier for us all."
Zoë's voice hardened. "If you could wait for what the story our servant will bring, sister, then you would have a way to prove mine."
Hesperia chose not to reply, but glanced at the door on the other side of the room, her eyebrows raising as a servant opened the door and bowed deeply to the leader of the Hesperides. "Ah, there he is! Come, tell us what this demigod son of Zeus has said about my sister's claims."
The servant avoided looking at Zoë as he hurried towards the group of sisters. He bowed deeply at the four sisters before him before rising to his full height a few steps to Zoë's right. "Hercules has spoken to me, My Lady. He has stated that he did see Mistress Zoë by the gardens speaking to the dragon Ladon so he took that opportunity to steal that apple. He claims to have never spoken to Mistress Zoë."
Arethusa sighed and covered her eyes sadly as the other three glared at Zoë. "Oh, Zoë."
Zoë's eyes widened by the betrayal, only then realizing how foolish she had been by trusting a man she did not know. How could she have avoided her instincts, when they had never failed her in the past? How could she, a proficient warrior, have been fooled by a man?
Oh, how she wanted to turn back time! Back to before. Before she made such a heinous mistake. Before she learned of how heartless her sisters were. Before her life, the only existence she knew, crumbled into a thousand pieces.
If only she could do more than wish!
If only reality was kinder to her!
But Zoë would rather die before allowing any of them to see the despair flowing in her veins, for the only thing she could do was to fight in order to obtain her own justice.
She glared at the servant murderously before looking at her sisters with accusation, pain, and outrage in her eyes. "That is not true! Why am I not in possession of Anaklusmos anymore then? Hercules is clearly lying!"
"You could have thrown Anaklusmos in the garden once you realized your mistake, making us spend centuries looking for it. Besides, that sword has always returned to you. For all we know, you could be thinking of changing its hiding spot constantly so as to never reveal your guilt in this grave crime." Hesperia replied, her voice dropping to a threatening whisper. Her mind was made up, something her sister realized then. "How can we believe you?"
Zoë's voice dropped too, shaken by what she was hearing, by the betrayal of not only the man she had believed to be her friend, but also her own sisters. Her own blood. "You would rather believe a man who you have never met rather than your own sister?"
Erytheia and Aegle dropped their eyes onto the ground as an uncomfortable, heavy silence fell on the room, and tried to take themselves away from the scene unfolding before their very eyes. Arethusa gazed between Zoë and Hesperia with tearful eyes, willing herself to speak in her sister's favour but also, fearful of her oldest sister's reaction. Both emotions clashed in her heart but it wasn't too long before she realized which one was greater. She sunk her head shamefully, silently releasing the tears she had been withholding as she accepted defeat.
Hesperia stared right into her fallen sister's eyes, her eyes not betraying any emotion. If she was in pain by her actions, Zoë would never know. "That is exactly it, sister. We have never seen him."
Zoë took a step back, stricken by the sudden grief that struck her soul. She glanced at each of her sisters in turn, desperately trying to find an ally, just one of them who would take pity on her and stand by her side.
Not one of them spoke up.
Zoë closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she was forced to face the gravity of her situation. Out of sheer naivety and little knowledge of the world around them, she had let herself be fooled by a traitor and had failed while performing her duties.
She didn't deserve to be forgiven and honestly, she could hardly forgive herself as she thought of her fatal mistake.
When Zoë opened her eyes again, they were filled with nothing but strength and courage. She nodded at the leader of the Hesperides. "You have made your choice, Hesperia, so get on with it. Do not keep me waiting uselessly."
Hesperia regarded her sister silently before rising from her mother's throne. Her voice seemed to boom regally as she declared the fatal words. "Zoë, Daughter of Atlas, Guardian of the Hesperides, you have failed your duties as a member of our Garden. I, Hesperia, daughter of Atlas and Leader of the Hesperides have listened to your testimony and declared you guilty of your crimes. You are hereby expelled from this territory. I do not ever want to see you here again."
Zoë glared at her sisters wordlessly before stalking away. She grabbed her satchel, hung her quiver across her back and was out of the door without looking back one last time at the family who loved, despised and denied her.
Hopefully, she would never have to see them again.
oOo
The following month passed by in a blur.
Zoë thanked her stars every day that she had practiced her skills as a warrior religiously, as her bow had saved her life on a daily basis so far.
Things had been repetitive, mundane and solitary ever since she was expelled from the Gardens. She'd been hunting and trying to find shelter during daylight, barely sleeping with her quiver close to her during nightfall.
Everyday the same routine.
It was exhausting, fighting to survive every day without a fault.
She tried to be always on the move, always distancing herself from those who betrayed her, her mind eternally focused on the man who was to blame for everything that happened to her.
Always praying to the gods. Hoping almost desperately that one of them would free her from this maddening impasse reigning on her life.
One afternoon, as she was carefully trekking through the woods, she began to be painfully aware that the sun had already set behind her. She knew that she needed to find shelter as soon as possible or otherwise prepare herself to spend the night up in a tree in perpetual alertness while she prayed that the leaves and the darkness were enough to cover her.
Then, she heard a howl.
Zoë stalled, frozen in mid step. The howl didn't sound too far but she knew that they were fast, much faster than a simple human like she had come to be ever since she left the gardens and therefore, resigned her immortality.
She knew they surely had picked up her scent already.
And if that was the case, her chances of survival were slim, at best.
Immediately after that fact dawned on her, she began to run in the opposite direction, knowing nothing she did would be enough to survive the predators unless a miracle happened, but still determined to fight with every ounce of strength she possessed to survive, to prove the fates that her time hadn't come yet.
The forest was a dull green blur around her, silent except for her light, fast steps, her tired gasps and her rapidly beating heart.
She briefly wondered if there was any creature witnessing her escape. She wondered whether they could hear her heartbeat as loud as she did. She wondered whether they knew it was a futile run.
As a river suddenly showed itself flowing merrily before her, Zoë was filled with instant relief. She reckoned that if she was able to cross the river, then she would stand a chance of the predators losing her tracks.
As she placed her feet on the shallow waters, though, the biggest wolf she had ever laid eyes on, materialized itself by the other side of the river, its silver eyes set on her.
Zoë didn't take her eyes off the wolf, not even as she felt two other presences behind her, their strong, intense scent filling up her nostrils.
She was surrounded.
Her time had come.
Zoë could almost hear the Fates laughing at her, mocking her for her ridiculous belief that she, a mere, simple, irrelevant human, could modify her destiny on her own.
Stupid old hags.
There was only one thing left to do if she was to keep her honour and pride as she left the Earth and fought for her place in Elysium once she reached the Underworld.
She would die with honour, just as she had lived.
Zoë sank onto the ground on her knees, indifferent to the cool water wetting her skirts, her eyes fixed on the advancing wolf.
She had to be brave. That was all she had left.
As the wolf lifted a paw over the transparent waters, it suddenly perked up and gazed behind Zoë, immediately after bowing its head and backing away. Just then, Zoë heard steps behind her and, before she could turn, someone spoke.
"It appears we have found ourselves a new recruit."
Zoë turned around in a hurry, her eyes widening at the group of girls before her. The group of twenty girls were all clad in silver tunics, their heads covered in hoods of the same colour. Ivory quivers were strapped to their backs and their bows were ready in their hands. One of them, by the front of the group, wore a silver circle across her forehead.
As Zoë noticed her, she gulped and straightened respectfully.
She didn't have to wonder who they were. She knew. Of course she did.
She was in the presence of the Hunters.
And it was their leader, Lady Artemis herself, the one who had spoken.
She had prayed, and the gods had answered.