'Rest'
24-Jun-2030, 0115S
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt
Hunters of Artemis
Killdeer Mountains, North Dakota, USA
I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I was holding. The situation, it seemed, was at least resolved for now.
I looked at Thalia, who stared at the blood-stained ground where Perseus used to be.
"Thalia... I'm sure Perseus will survive. He has, after all, held up the sky and gone through Tartarus itself," I said.
"Percy," she responded.
I frowned. "What?"
"You called him 'Perseus,' Milady. It's 'Percy.' That's how he always likes to be called. He reserves 'Perseus' for his enemies and extreme formalities only," she said with a chuckle, although it sounded forced.
I sighed, rolling my eyes. It was interesting: he risked provoking the ire of the gods, but still demanded to be called "Percy," not "Perseus."
"Very well. But he will be fine. We should get moving."
"Okay. Lead the way, Milady," she replied quietly.
"Hunters! We're leaving!" I called out.
"Yes Milady!" they replied.
On the walk back, Thalia was silent. Some of the other Hunters were talking with excitement about the recent battle. Carly, Helen, and Jessica did not, instead approaching Thalia and I at the front of the group.
"Milady?" Helen asked.
"Yes, Helen?"
"Where is Perseus? Is he all right?"
I was quite surprised that she was asking about his health. But it made sense.
Every now and again, I will have a Hunter that doesn't follow the usual man-hating standard. It isn't exactly to my liking, but I cannot do much about it. They still followed the rules of swearing off romance and the company of men, but they did not show any particular dislike towards the other gender.
And as if luck would have it, all four Hunters like this at the moment were with the group in the form of Thalia, Carly, Jessica, and Helen. Coincidentally, these four were incredibly close with each other, closer than any other Hunters.
Jessica, like Helen, looked at me expectantly. Carly, having already witnessed what happened, had a hand on one of Thalia's shoulders, trying to cheer her up.
"C'mon, Lieutenant! Don't worry! If the stories I've heard are true, this guy can take on the armies of Tartarus without breaking a sweat... with a spoon!" she joked.
"My brother has him in his hospital on Olympus to be on bed rest. Perseus is in a coma," I told the other Hunters.
Their eyes widened, the concern on their face amplifying.
"Will he live, Milady?" Jessica asked.
Come to think of it, the most accurate way to describe the four would be that they don't trust anyone in general. Actually, while Jessica and Carly's suspicion of males was somewhat higher than that of females, they were still slow to trust new people.
I once asked Thalia as to why she holds equal distrust towards males and females alike. She simply said, "Because anyone can be a threat, Milady, and I've been hurt by both males and females." I couldn't see the logic in her statement, but Carly, Jessica, and Helen evidently did.
I went to answer, but was interrupted by a scoff. We all turned around to see Jocelyn, Mary, and Jillian, all with looks of disdain on their faces. Except for Thalia, who stopped dead in her tracks, eyes still facing forward.
Oh, sweet Olympus, this won't be good.
You don't say?
I blocked the voice out as the argument continued.
"What?" asked Carly with a tone of annoyance, her hand still on Thalia's shoulder.
"Why do you call care about the boy? He's just a male!" Mary said.
"Perhaps, but I know from experience that there are good males out there. From what I know, Perseus falls in this category," Jessica responded.
"What is wrong with you? No males deserve respect!" Jocelyn shouted.
"Thalia was right! You really are an idiot! Perseus just saved all of our skins, and he took the sky for Lady Artemis years ago and saved her life! Where does him being male come into it?!?" Helen retorted. The response of my youngest Hunter was a surprise, as she was typically reserved in her interaction with others, although she did have moments of boldness and outburst.
I internally groaned, at her words remembering the situation on Mount Tamalpais. I hated it because not only did I lose Zoe, Perseus saved me, resulting in him confusing me in my views on males. Every day after that, I always silently cursed Perseus for shaking my opinions of males. He was too damn honorable and heroic. I couldn't understand how any male could have excellence in both categories.
While we immortals are forgetful, this sort of attack on one's core beliefs can't help but be remembered.
"You disgust me. You do not belong in the Hunters, you stupid girl!" Jillian yelled.
At this, Helen hung her head and shrank back, the statement evidently hurting her. She had run away from her abusive stepmother long ago, her mother dying from birth complications and her father, a soldier, dying in combat. She had no other family to turn to. When I offered her a place in the Hunt, she was reluctant, but accepted. She only had a few friends in the Hunt, and they were the only family she had.
She looked close to tears, but the three scoffing Hunters didn't seem to care. Jessica wrapped the young girl in a hug, whispering softly into her ear while glaring at the three. As for Thalia, she was yet to turn around, but her hands were clenched into fists, and she was trembling with rage. Carly was trying to calm her down, but to no avail.
"It's true! You have no place in the Hunt! None of you do! You think too much of males! Like that boy, Jackson! It would be best for everyone if he dies!" Mary shouted.
I was about to tell them off, but Thalia snapped. She whirled around, her entire body crackling with electricity as she glared at the Hunters with pure rage, with one friend being insulted and the other on the brink of death.
"Thalia," I said a little nervously. Among the Hunt, Thalia's anger, when let loose, was second only to mine. A side effect of being a child of Zeus.
She blasted all three with lightning. They screamed in pain as they were knocked back against trees. Mary and Jillian were immediately knocked out, but Jocelyn was still conscious. Thalia grabbed her by her shirt and made their eyes level with each other. Jocelyn looked fearful at the murderous expression on my Lieutenant's face.
"Thalia, stop!" I ordered. While I didn't like the Hunters' attitude, I wanted to handle this, not her.
"You better watch yourself. Next time you hurt or insult Helen or Percy, I won't be as gentle," she snarled before she slammed her fist into Jocelyn's face, knocking her out cold.
"Lieutenant Thalia Grace, that is enough!" I yelled. But the damage was done, and all three Hunters were sprawled on the ground, knocked out by Thalia's electricity (or in the case of Jocelyn, her punch as well). "Lieutenant, you do not fight with your sisters-in-arms!"
She turned to face me. "Sorry, Milady. But they deserved that," she replied coolly. She then stepped towards Helen, who was still crying, but now looking a little fearful, almost hiding herself behind Jessica.
"Hey, Helen? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. They hurt you, so I reacted the only way I knew how, I guess," she apologized, speaking much softer than earlier and kneeling to match her level.
Helen looked up at my Lieutenant, her wide eyes shining with tears. She stepped forwards and hugged Thalia around the neck. Not surprising, considering that Thalia personally trained the young girl, with some help from Carly and Jessica, and the two were very close.
"Don't do that again, please," she whispered.
"I won't," Thalia promised as she returned the hug.
It would be an understatement to say that Thalia was certainly the embodiment of teenagers' mood swings. At one moment, she's almost a murderer, and the next she's comforting a scared child.
The two eventually let go of each other and made their way back to the rest of the Hunt, leaving me with three unconscious Hunters and a nervous-looking Carly and Jessica.
"Come. Let's get them back to the rest," I sighed. They obeyed—although they seemed reluctant—and eached grabbed a Hunter, half carrying, half dragging them.
A few minutes later, we made it back to the encampment. Half of the Hunt was already on their feet, cooking dinner (or early breakfast, I suppose, considering the time), talking, or fixing their bows. The rest were sleeping in their tents. They seemed a bit concerned when they saw me return with the others.
"What happened, Milady?" Grace asked.
"These three were stupid," Jessica muttered as she lowered an unconscious Jillian to the ground.
"Enough, Jessica. You are dismissed. Carly, check Jocelyn, Jillian, and Mary. Grace, fetch Tracy to help," I ordered.
"Yes, Milady," they replied, carrying out their respective tasks.
Another fine mess, Artemis?
Oh, shut up. Why perhaps you can help me understand why Thalia reacted the way she did.
They insulted Perseus... who is her friend. They also insulted Helen... who is also Thalia's friend. They may be her sisters-in-arms, but he has been her friend for a significantly longer period of time, if I remember correctly.
Don't speak to me as if I'm stupid.
I have to. You are stupid.
Shut up, βλακα. Helen I can understand, but Perseus? He is a male! He's decent, but a male all the same!
Are you out of your mind?!? Does that really matter? He's honorable, and he's saved our necks. Further, wasn't he the one that got Thalia out of her pine tree?
Well... yes.
And if I remember her history correctly, he helped her assimilate into the world after several years of imprisonment in a tree! Why are you surprised that they are close? They've insulted each other plenty, but will not hesitate to defend the other's honor when someone else insults them!
How does that make any sense?
I believe it's what's known as "friendship."
"Milady, they will be fine," Carly said, bringing my focus back to the real world. "A bit banged up, but they'll live without any lasting damage."
"I second that," Tracy added. "How could have Lieutenant Thalia done such a thing?"
"Like Jessica said: they were stupid enough to insult Thalia's friends," Carly grumbled.
"What, when they talked about the boy?" Tracy scoffed. "Hopefully he dies."
"You want me to tell her that you said that? I honestly want to see how a fight will go down."
"Carly, you are dismissed," I interjected before things could escalate.
"Yes, Lady Artemis," she sighed before walking towards Thalia's tent, which was being occupied by Helen, Jessica, and the Lieutenant herself.
Well... we'd better leave when daylight breaks. I suppose Apollo could help...
Even if you ask nicely, he won't. Remember, he has Perseus to take care of. He promised Thalia, after all.
Gods break promises.
Your point being? You've done it too, you know.
Please, what promises have I broken?
The one you kept with your twin. The one that you would always be there for the other, no matter what.
I fail to see the problem.
You idiot. You two used to love each other and always have each other's backs, especially on Delos. How many times have you two ended up in ridiculous situations with the natural environment, only for you to get each other out of the problem or keep each other safe until your uncle or mother showed up?
Well—
You may have your own business to handle because of domains. That is understandable, but you have lost that bond you two once shared. Why?
Look what he became!
What, a "playboy?" To be fair, I don't support his lifestyle, nor would I really support it if the genders were flipped. Furthermore, It may be a fact that he is a "playboy," albeit to a far lesser extent when he is Roman—discipline is a wonderful thing, after all—but consider this: does he actually hate women?
Of course he does! Look at what he does with them!
You act like there is no consent. I will ask again: does he actually hate women? Does he murder or infibulate them for errors? Does he constantly act cold towards them and insult them left and right? Does he treat them as inferior?
No, because it's wrong!
Absolutely correct! Now look at yourself... you do the exact same thing, but the genders are reversed.
The circumstances are different!
Is that so? How many mortal men have you killed or castrated for accidentally wandering upon your campsite? Men who couldn't see through the Mist, mind you! You judge all males, boys and men alike, on the same standard, calling them inferior. Are they really? Listen, I can understand some suspicion, but all-out hatred? If you are against sexism, then why are you sexist yourself?
I—
And consider this: despite the fact that you hate Apollo—even though he isn't actually a misogynist—and that you are a misandrist, he still cares about your well-being. He still helps the Hunt, despite the fact that you hate him, and you teach your Hunters to hate him. You don't reciprocate any of the love he still projects towards you. Something's going to give. Your idiocy and coldness will drive him away, the one you call a pushover, away for good. Rest assured, you will also be affected. When Apollo—and I mean his Roman form—was around, that was when he was happiest. Coincidentally, I was present, and you weren't. I actually tried to reciprocate his love, and he felt like he had a sister again. Then the time of Rome ended and you took over, even when Romans remained in history. I was concealed by you.
I considered her words, staring at the campfire my Hunters had set up. I considered how Apollo fulfilled his domain, healing the injured. He did well.
Apollo and I had grown more distant over millennia. Could Diana really be right? Was I pushing things too far?
But then I saw the girls I had taken in, and remembered their own stories. Most had terrible things happen to them, and these things were inflicted upon them by males. And of course, if it could happen to them, it could happen to any girl. If any male could do what those males did, they were all a risk.
Do you not remember Empress Irene of Athens, who gouged out the eyes of her son? Or Queen Mary I of Britain, who burned Protestants alive? Or Empress Wu Zetian of China, who killed her mother and grandchildren? Not all men are good. It would be foolish to say so. No man would agree with that! But, not all women are good, either. Everyone has the potential to be evil, but it is their decisions and character that matter.
No... of course not! Males will always be scum. Even Perseus Jackson will fall someday. And Uncle Poseidon—under the decent relationship we share, he is still a male.
Circular reasoning once again. Bravo, Artemis. You keep following this thought process, and it will come back to bite you. Though history may say otherwise, even gods get a taste of justice. Not in the way mortals perceive, nor will it be instantaneous, but it comes eventually. Rest now and recover, graecam, but you ought to remember my words.
Oh, really?
As much as I may love to think at times, I'm not omniscient, nor am I free of hypocrisy or wrongdoing. And I'm quite irritated with myself for only realizing this now as I lecture you. But, I know I'm right in this instance. And you know it.
Oh, go to Hades.
No.
Translations
βλακα = stupid
Graecam = Greek (feminine accusative singular)
Apologies for the wait, but like I informed everyone last time, updates are going to be an issue. They continue to remain an issue to this day (because the real world is chaotic, and history is repeating itself).
Thank you for continuing to read, and I hope y'all enjoy this chapter.
Until next time. Stay safe!
- ADF-2