Cleo Almighty
I can hardly breathe, it is dark and I can feel the invisible hand squeezing my throat. "Leave here before it's too late," the owner of the hand said. As soon as he finished saying that simple sentence, the pressure on my throat left as quickly as it came. The man left, opening a door that blinded my eyes with light. The darkness enveloped the hallway once again.
As I continue to walk through the Labyrinth, my mind begins to wonder. And of all that it could have thought about, it decided to think about how I got here.
I never planned for this to happen. I thought that one day I would get married, have kids, and live out my life normally. That all changed one day, the day I met Artemis. Let me tell you my story. My name is Cleo, Cleo Artemisia. I am 15 years I was growing up, my grandma said that in a life that was different from anyone else's, I would be important. I never knew just what she meant.
My whole journey started 20 years ago when I was traveling to Troy with a Greek Fleet. On our way there, my brother, Alexandros, came below deck where I was resting. "You better come see this Cleo." he said. I got up puzzled and followed him up the stairs. What I found left me speechless. All the people on the boat were at the port of the ship looking out into the distance at a very beautiful girl with a bow and arrow strapped to her back. She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn't seem to recognize her.
"Stop!" she commanded. "I demand of you a simple request, a pure maiden of a young age shall be sacrificed to me and the rest of you shall be on your way." Everyone froze, I could see they all had the same thought as me, I was the maiden who had to go with the girl. There was other girls on the boat but they were neither young nor more importantly pure.
"Is there another request that we may fulfill for you my lady?" Alexandros asked as nicely as possible.
"No, only a maiden will do," she replied. He looked at me with a look in his eyes that said "I tried, I'm sorry", then he led me to the side of the ship where he put me in a small boat and rowed me to the girl.
"Here is the maiden, my lady," said Alexandros.
"Your sacrifice is well appreciated and a wise choice on your part," said the girl. He gave me a quick hug while whispering, "I'm so sorry Cleo." I got out of our boat and walked towards the girl. She looked around 11 years old, but she radiated a type of old power. "Do not be afraid," she said looking up at me, "I will not hurt you. My name is Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon." That sentence hit me like a punch to the face. Artemis, of course! I now recognized her face from countless pictures and statues, and I remember the stories about her that I learned from my grandma. Even though I knew her as a goddess, I felt like I knew her personally. She continued, "I have watched you grow up; I have visited you when you are dreaming; and I have guided you throughout the years. You have shown much more ability and promise than the rest of your family. You will serve me well."
"Forgive me, Lady Artemis, but I believe you have the wrong girl. I do not know of this ability or promise you speak of," I replied while bowing to her.
She sighed, "You are Cleo Artemisia right?" I nod. "Well, many years ago I came across your great-grandmother when she was about your age. She was going to be married off to a man she didn't care about, so to escape the marriage, she came to me and asked to become a follower to me. I allowed her to follow me and gave her a form of immortality where you could stay young but still die like a mortal would. She was the start of a group of loyal girls who followed me, called the Hunters. Your great-grandmother was my second in command and the leader of the Hunters. I trusted her with any task." By the time she finished saying this I could tell she wasn't going to hurt me. I got up and we started walking towards the woods.
When we reached the woods she continued, "After many years of service your great-grandmother got pregnant with your grandmother after she was raped. She begged me to let her stay with the Hunters and allow her to raise your grandmother with the Hunters. I said yes to her. The child grew strong, smart, an amazing fighter, and just as loyal as her mother. She said that she would always be a Hunter, but one day we were traveling through a village when she saw a man. She fell in love with him at first sight. She tried to hide her feelings so when we were sleeping she would go out and meet with the man. He asked her to leave the Hunters, but she wasn't sure. I found out about the affair a few days later. I was so angry at her I banished her from the Hunters. Right before she left, she told me that to show how sorry she was, she told me to take her granddaughter as a follower, that is you."
"What? Why would she do that?" I asked furiously. I never wanted to become a Hunter, it never even crossed my mind.
"I am not sure why she did, I suppose to show that she was thankful for what I did for her. Besides when your great-grandmother followed me, she changed her last name to Artemisia, to honor me. It is only logical that your family would be of importance to me," she replied. Seeing that I shouldn't fight with the goddess of the hunt, I didn't ask anymore questions. I had to accept my fate, no matter how much I hated it.
We walked in silence until we were deep in the woods and came to a clearing. Artemis stopped me, "Welcome, Cleo, to the Hunters," she exclaimed proudly. I started to look around, there were girls throughout the clearing that looked about my age, but since they had eternal youth, I couldn't be sure. They were doing many tasks, taking down tents, sharpening arrows, making bow and arrows, practicing shooting, cooking meals, looking over maps, making strategies, and tending to dogs. No, never mind, not dogs, wolves. Big wolves of all colors, but they acted like they truly loved their owners.
Artemis spoke up, "Hunters! Meet Cleo Artemisia, she is a new member to our family!" At this time some girls smiled, or applauded, while others looked at me suspiciously, as if they were trying to figure me out. I didn't know what to do so I just stood there with my head high. I had been taught at a young age to look confident even if I'm not. "Theria, please come with me and Cleo," she called to a tall red-head.
"Hi, I'm Eleftheria, Theria for short I've been with Lady Artemis for 50 years," she said as Artemis brought us towards the biggest tent that I assumed belong to the goddess.
Once we were inside, Artemis turned to look at me, "Cleo now we are going to make you have eternal youth." Her dark brown eyes looked at Theria expectantly. Theria came up and made my blonde hair fall down my back, then Artemis put her hand over my heart. "Do you, Cleo Artemisia, vow being a Hunter forever, faithfully following me and leaving men behind?" she asked. I heard myself say I do while in the back of my mind I was sarcastically saying "thanks grandma." After saying those words I immediately felt warmth spread throughout my body. I felt stronger, more confident, and healthier. "You are now an official Hunter, Cleo. Your training will start tomorrow, for now Theria will show you around, tell you the rules, and get you settled in. Get plenty of rest, you've had a big day."
The next 20 years flew by in a blur. I learned how to shoot and survive in the wild. I fought many monsters and traveled across the country following Artemis and the Hunters. I even earned myself a wolf who I named Priam. I actually started to like being a Hunter. It suited my personality and I loved being a part of something that changes in the world for the better. Slowly I made my way up the totem pole to become a trainer and adviser. In one of our battles, Theria died. After her ceremony, Lady Artemis announced that I would become her new second in command.
One day when I was teaching one of our new members archery, Lady Artemis approached me. "Lady Artemis," I said while bowing and making sure the new member did the same.
"Rise Hunters," she said then looked at the new member, "you may go." The member bowed then turned and walked away. Artemis turned back to me, "Cleo, you have grown very much over these past 20 years, you have proven to have higher developed senses and abilities than the others, and you have been loyal to me. I told you long ago that you would be of importance to me and you have shown me that I was right."
"Where is this going my lady?" I asked as politely as possible.
"I need you Cleo to take my place on a quest to find Pan's reed pipes," she replied calmly. My jaw dropped. I have been chosen to go on a quest for her to find a sacred object. I have to be dreaming. Artemis continued, "Zeus finally noticed that we need to save more of the wilderness, so he told me he wanted me to find the reed pipes. I said that I would send my best Hunter, and that is you."
"The last place that the reed pipes have been seen is somewhere in the Labyrinth. I can only help guide you to the Labyrinth entrance. After that, you are on your own," Artemis informed me. At this point I was hiding how terrified I was.
"Am I allowed to bring anything?"
"You can bring one weapon, one gift from me, and an object of your own."
I thought for a moment, "I will bring my bow and arrows, Priam, and whatever you give me." At this, she grabbed a medium-sized box off of a table and handed it to me. I opened it to find a dark green bracelet with a deer charm on it.
"Put this on and you will be able to have any power that I have," Artemis explained to me.
"Thank you my lady," I said.
"Go get ready Cleo, we will leave tomorrow morning."
The next morning I got up, grabbed my things, and said goodbye to everyone. By noon Artemis had taken me to Athens and showed me the entrance. It was black inside and I could feel a natural chill coming from it. "Good luck, Cleo, I will miss you. Be safe." she said. She hesitated before hugging me quickly.
"Goodbye Lady Artemis," I said then walked into the Labyrinth with Priam at my side.
I don't know how long I was down there, but I followed the feeling of natural power that I have developed over the years of being a Hunter. Soon I found myself in a hallway that was completely made of dirt. I followed the hallway until it ended at a wooden door. When I opened it, a bright light met my eyes. The room was huge. It was a small forest with a waterfall that went into a stream on one end. Sitting by the stream was some nymphs and Silenus, Pan's brother. He was just like they said, fat and riding a donkey because he was so drunk. Priam started to make a low growling sound in his throat.
"Calm down, Priam," I said to my wolf. We started to walk towards Silenus. I didn't know if he would help us but it can't hurt to try. "Lord Silenus," I said bowing to him.
He hiccupped, "Who are you?"
"My name is Cleo," I answered, "I need your help to find Pan's reed pipes." "
Why would I help you?" he asked giving me a stern look.
"We want to find them to use them to save the wilderness."
"Ha! Do you really think I care about the wilderness? No, that is my brothers problem, not mine. I will not help you."
"Why not?" I asked confused, "Aren't you a nature god?"
"What are you saying? That I do not care about my Lord Bacchus? Do you think I don't care about the nymphs that serve me so well? No, I care!" he replied. Man, this guy is so drunk he doesn't understand this simple question. I looked over to see the nymphs starting to back away. This uproar must happen often.
"Of course you care. I just... I just...," I was stuttering, which was not good. I took a deep breath, "Is there anything that I can do to earn your help?"
Silenus thought for a moment, "The Minotaur, yes the Minotaur. Go bring me back the horn of the Minotaur. Then I will help you."
Ok I can do that, "How will I find my way back to you?" I ask. Silenus looked at one of the nymphs and nodded. She brought him a small wooden box with the symbol of Daedalus on it.
"Here take this, it will guide you back to my forest." I opened the box to find the thread of Daedalus.
I looked up at Silenus, "I will be back." He directed me to a door on the other side of the forest. I walked over to the door, tied the thread to the door handle and walked out.
I had walked for what seemed like 10 minutes in the black hallway when I had the incident with the man who grabbed my throat. I could still feel the pressure on my throat as his words echoed in my head. "Leave here before it is too late." Before what was too late? I don't know. I bet he was just talking about my sanity. I continued walking through the hallway, straining to keep my mind in the present and alert to any danger ahead. It was strange, ever since I put on the bracelet that Artemis gave me, my senses have enhanced even more. I could hear even the tiniest sounds, identify smells in a second, and know which monsters were within a 10 mile radius.
"ROAR!" I heard something yell. My senses told me that it was the Minotaur. He was coming towards me fast. I got my bow ready to shoot. Finally the Minotaur came into view. He was just as ugly as ever and his horns, as sharp as ever. I shot my first arrow, as fast as possible, But The Minotaur side-stepped and it shot him in the shoulder. He gave out a loud yell, then charged. I waited until he was just about to run me over and quickly sidestepped. He kept running for about ten yards then turned around and charged again. This time I had my eyes set on the perfect target. I shot the arrow and it hit the Minotaur right in his heart. He screamed in pain and started to dissolve into a yellow powder. Before he was gone, Priam quickly grabbed one of his horns and broke it off. "Way to go, Priam!" I said after he brought it back to me.
We made our way back to Silenus's forest. "Ah there you are! I was wondering if you got killed or not." I handed him the horn."Thank you," he filled the horn with wine then took a drink, "Perfect! I was right, this is the best cup ever." What? He sent me to fight the Minotaur just so he could use the horn as a cup? Unbelievable, but what do you expect from a guy who's always drunk.
I took a deep breath to calm my anger, "You're welcome. Now where can I find the reed pipes?" I ask nicely.
"Here take this," he said handing me a knife that had a line right down the middle, dividing it into two parts. "This knife will help guide you by pulling you towards your destination. Just hold it out in front of you and let the knife take you the right way," he informed me.
"Thank you, Lord Silenus, this will be of great help." With that I bid goodbye to Silenus and the nymphs and started out deeper into the Labyrinth.
The knife kept pulling me in any direction, through doors, and down a hallway when I came to a fork in my path. It wasn't heavy by all means and I could quickly put it away if I needed to fight a monster. I kept going on like this, stopping occasionally to see if I sensed anything, for about 2 hours. I could tell I was getting closer to the reed pipes because my natural power radar was building, but my monster sense was building also. After a while I finally understood what monster it was, the Chimaera. I heard about the Chimaera, it was supposed to be undefeatable. Then Bellerophon came along and killed it with his arrows while riding Pegasus. I can shoot it, but there's one problem, I don't have Pegasus. The Chimaera has the head of a lion, a middle of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. Lets not forget that it also breathes fire. no matter how much I want to run, I have no choice, I have to defeat this monster. I kept letting the knife guide me until it pointed to a new door, but not just any door-the door where I knew the Chimaera was behind.
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for a battle. I looked at Priam, "You ready boy?" He looked at the door then got into a pouncing stance, ready to attack whatever was behind the door. When I opened the door, my natural sense pulled my eyes directly towards the reed pipes. They were on a hook above a door on the other side of the room. I was so focused on them that I hardly notice how the room is designed. It was a large oval-shaped arena that was about 50 yards long. There were stands that circled around the arena. The entire place is made out of bricks of dirt. There was one short hallway that led to a small hallway with a door inside it at each end of the arena, allowing a small spot for shade.
I stepped out of the hallway into the light. I looked toward the other door and saw that Chimaera was asleep there. Priam must have seen her too, because he put his ears back. "Maybe I can grab the reed pipes without waking her up." I started walking slowly towards her, carefully placing my feet so they wouldn't make a sound. We were about 20 yards away when Priam started growling. I put my finger up to my lips, quieting him. We finished walking the rest of the way until we were right underneath the reed pipes. They were up too high for me to reach. I went to the stands and saw that there were two loose bricks on the wall, so I grabbed then for me to stand on. I set them down under the reed pipes and stood on them. I started to reach up for them right when Priam started growling again. I was about to silence him again when WHAM! I was hit by something hard and furry. The Chimaera tackled me to the ground, knocking the wind out of me. The Chimaera had both of her paws beside each of my shoulders, not allowing me to escape.
The Chimaera growled at me in disgust, she opened her mouth ready to shoot fire at me. Priam pounced on her and bit her in the neck. She howled in pain and turned to get Priam off of her. This allowed me to get up and run 15 yards away from the fight. Before I could shoot my first arrow, the Chimaera grabbed Priam with her paw and threw him at one of the walls. He hit the wall with a loud Thump! He then fell to the ground either dead or badly hurt.
"No!" I screamed. It felt like my heart broke. Priam was my wolf, my best friend, and the only one I have loved for years. No one was going to hurt him. I felt the anger I had for the Chimaera start at my stomach, but then it grew until all I saw is red and the Chimaera dead.
The Chimaera turned and started to charge me, but I was already firing arrows at her at an impossible speed and accuracy. She barely had time to yelp before she dissolved into the yellow powder. I stood there, breathing heavily with my eyesight slowly going back to normal. The anger subsided and I almost went into shock at what I had just done. I was never one to get angry really fast, it had to be a bad side-effect of having the powers of a goddess. I have also never shot arrows as fast or as accurately at that, another power I must have with the bracelet, but I didn't have time to think about it.
I snapped myself out of my stage of shock and ran towards Priam. He badly injured, broken ribs, bleeding from his head, and more I couldn't name. He was breathing quickly and he looked at me with his auburn eyes, begging me to help him. "Stay still boy," I said to him trying to calm him, "Everything will be ok." He licked my hand while I looked for something to help me save him. I didn't see anything until my eyes set on Pan's reed pipes. I quickly went over, jumped up on the bricks, and grabbed them. It was a long shot but I had to try. When I was traveling with the Hunters once, we met a satyr and he showed me how to play a healing song.
I knelt beside Priam and got ready to play. "I'm going to make you better," I said to him. Before I began I said a silent prayer to Artemis and Pan, "Please help me heal him. He can't die like this when he just saved my life." I began to play the simple tune that started low and slow, but as it went on, the tempo sped up and the notes got higher. When I finished I slowly opened my eyes. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. There was Priam standing up, wagging his tail, as healthy as ever. I started crying and hugging him, while thanking Artemis and Pan for their help. Once I was sure he could walk, I put the reed pipes around my neck and we made our way to the surface.
When we got there, I had to find a way back to the Hunters camp. I guess Artemis cared a lot about me because, lo and behold, the winged horse Pegasus was there waiting for me. I climbed on his back, grabbed Priam, and we were off. It only took us about an hour to get back to camp and I couldn't have been happier to see everyone again. When I touched ground, all the girls stopped and cheered for me. Priam ran to my tent to lay down while I thanked Pegasus for the ride, then I went to find Artemis.
I found her by a small stream. "Lady Artemis, I have returned," I said bowing down to her.
Her face broke out into a smile when she turned around, "Rise, Cleo, welcome back, I trust that your quest was a success?"
"O yes, my Lady, here are the reed pipes," I said handing them to her. She examined them then in a second they vanished.
"I have sent them to Zeus, he will take care of them," she explained, "May I have the bracelet back? A mortal can't handle all my powers for a very long time and you have been gone for about a week." That shocked me, it only felt like I was gone for maybe a day. Even though I almost didn't want to give it back, I knew that I couldn't argue, so I handed it to her. As soon as it left my hand, I felt exhausted. So exhausted I stumbled and Artemis had to catch me. She called over two Hunters who carried me to the first aid tent where they cured me back to health and let my sleep for two days.
I returned shortly after to my original spot as second in command and I fell into my normal schedule. Soon it seemed like nothing had ever happened. I was able to keep the knife that I had gotten from Silenus as a reminder of my quest. Even without the knife I would never forget that quest. Maybe Grandma was right to have Artemis take me as a Hunter after all. More importantly, maybe she was right about me being important. I guess I realized it's not so bad serving Artemis or being an Artemisia.