"The cold of winter struck like cold but all I felt was the warmth and happiness of my kind spirit. I roamed the earth, day in and day out, living with girls all frozen in time like the harsh winter air. Girls had given their whole lives to accompany the maiden throughout her journeys, without a single thought about returning to their old lives. Half-bloods, mortals, second generation half-bloods, and even nymphs were welcome by the goddess of the hunt, but sworn by a code. A code that shall never be broken, and if it is, well, we don't talk about that anymore. They had sworn against men and love, against marriage and sex, even the sight of a male could turn them away. But I was different. Call me an outcast, call me an animal. This is the story of me, Elizabeth Gale, a Hunter of Artemis, finding true love."

To Love and Be Loved

There is only one happiness in this world, to love and be loved. I would have thought different of this if you had asked me yet three weeks ago. I would have laughed at the thought and turned it away without a second glance. But now, I am realizing what my maiden had been hiding from me, from all of us.

My name is Elizabeth Gale and I am a Hunter of Artemis. Born 1985, I still look like the 14 year old I am inside. It was 1999 when I was recruited. I was a mere mortal, but I could see through the mist. It was the only thing that kept me sane. Seeing my mother walk out on me, my father yelling abusing me, my brothers constantly making fun of me, I would have lost it. I would run away in a sense, sit alone of my roof watching as I would see a tree spirit or an Anemoi Thuellai swoop by from a cloud. I would pretend this was my life and that what was my life, was only a dream.

My dream would quickly end however and it would return to the dull life I knew. But something inside of me, yearned for something else. It's like it knew I was destined for more than a mortal's life. Then I met the Hunters. I was on a school fieldtrip when I wondered from the group. The bear on exhibit at the zoo had transformed to this Erymanthian Boar and sure enough, they were there in a heartbeat to stop it. Their speed and agility had astounded me. The work of their knives and whips and chains, it was all too much for me to handle. When they had approached me afterwards to see if I had actually seen through the mist, the head leader, Zoë, wanted me to see the leader. If I had known it was Artemis, I would have denied.

I was never the object of anyone's attention nor did I want to be the one everyone looked up to. So meeting with a high goddess was definitely out of my comfort zone. Artemis was nice, but strict, the way you would want a mother. She offered me the immortality in exchange for my maidenhood and I didn't think twice, I didn't need too. The first night I cried myself to sleep and tried to convince myself it was for the best, which it was.

Since then I have become stronger, physically and emotionally. I have made some of my best friends through the Hunters; better than I had met before. Lea and Julie had been sisters to me, the ones I never had. Lee was a mortal like me but Julie was the daughter of Hermes. I like half-bloods; most of the Hunters were half-bloods. I was jealous of them sometimes. I always figured that this was the next best thing.

On a certain hunt, we were assigned to fins and capture a certain bear that was disrupted a town. It was a normal bear but Artemis said it had been enchanted by Apollo. That's what he always did when he was bored. Found an animal, cursed it, and sent it on its way, usually to wreak havoc in the path of the Hunters. Lea and I had joined together in the woods while Julie joined the opposite search party. We wore our Hunter garb, a silver parka with silver training pants. My long red hair was braided with silver strips down the middle.

We came upon a clearing, to find the bear crouching over away from us. Bows drawn, we raised our arms and readied ourselves for the kill. It didn't matter who killed it because we would be equally rewarded with a pin from Artemis. At this point I had 34 pins, 17 of which I gained from helping Julie and Lea alone.

Right before I was to give the signal, something caught my eye. Behind the bear I saw a tuft of brown hair. A brown different than any bear I had ever seen, in fact it was different than any animal I had ever seen. To my amazement, it was a boy. Lea grabbed my arm as we fled from the scene, but his face froze in my memory. His blue eyes that gave out resemblance to the sky and how on the ends of his hair it would transition to a blonder color, showing he spent time outside a lot. Lea and I went to Artemis with the news and she gripped her bow tightly and spoke the words I would have been glad to hear, except for now.

"Shoot at will, if he is struck, do not say we did not warn him."

As much as it hurt me I knew I had to stop Lea from hurting him. I ran from her and back to the clearing and saw him still sitting next to the bear. When I approached I realized he was tending its wounds. I warned him of their approaching and he thanked me for my kindness. He asked who but I refused to tell the identity of my maiden and her followers. He honored that and disappeared in a puff. At first I thought I had dreamed the whole thing, or if it was in my head until of course, the Hunters came, bows ready for the kill. I told them I had scared him away and received a pin any way from Artemis. It hurt me to see it and it was the only pin I ever received to not be placed on my sash.

Over the next days I saw his face. Whether it was in my mind, or in the crowd, his face would pop up and remind me of him. You might say I was in love, but I didn't fall in love. I had been a hunter too long to think otherwise. But yet it was like he was following me. He remained a mystery to me until Apollo came for a visit.

I had seen him before, nothing too interesting. His charms were not affecting us because of our oath but there was always one girl in our group swooning over him. His blonde hair was placed perfectly on his head, but I could care less. I could only think about that boy and who he was, if I was ever going to see him again. The night Apollo visited I snuck out to the nearest river to refill my canteen. When I approached the river I saw the boy. The exact boy I had been chasing and thinking of for the past 2 weeks.

He was sitting by the river like he would be waiting, waiting for someone to approach him. I startled him at first until he searched my kind eyes and saw the realization of familiarity. We talked about nothing and it was the first real talk I had had with a boy in months if not years. He asked where I was or where I lived. Unfortunately I could answer neither one of these questions. His blonde tips were coming higher up his scalp and threatened to take over his brown mop head. I didn't remember falling asleep I simply remember waking up in his arms, sleeping in a pile of leaves by the river, my canteen still empty. I collected myself and walked back to camp, with not a single person questioning my absence. Luckily that was not the last time I saw him. Each time the same as the last, asking me these questions that made me think and wonder what being a Hunter even meant. He would ask me where my mother was, or if I loved anyone, if I had killed anyone. The last one struck me as a surprise but he asked it as if it were an everyday conversation starter.

It wasn't until two months later that Artemis caught on, even before Lea or Julie did. She started leaving earlier and keeping more tabs on me. I was a good Hunter and the last thing she needed was to lose a good one. Eventually she encountered me and questioned my loyalty. I confessed my love for him and Artemis confessed that she would have to turn me into a doe. Right before I felt the blast of her wrath I felt a strong arm around my waist, pulling me up and up. I opened my eyes to find myself on a chariot of fire being pulled by the boy. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I tried to deny myself of it but it was too late, I was too far gone. I had fallen in love with Apollo.

It was a refreshingly nice month I spent with Apollo. We saw the world, even though he had seen them a million times before. It ended though, right as it was beginning.

The wind was too fast, too cold, and too strong for me to hold on any longer. I was dragged off the chariot by the storm and swished around. It was like being pulled around rather than dropping straight down. I looked up and saw Apollo's face of worry of pain. His hand sticking out, desperately trying to reach out for me, but he was too late. Not every story has a happy ending.

This is the story of how I died. Not some elaborate death, just a simple mistake. I lead normal life and was taken away from that and given everything I could have wanted. I was selfish, I wanted more. I needed love and found it in the worst place possible. I fell in love with a God and immature one. If I could redo my life I would continue on with Lea and Julie.

But I can't and that's that. I drift the cold winter air, a spirit as my heart longs on forever trying to find more loved one's better than my luck. I was given a job, a gift, when I died. I am Elizabeth Gale, servant of Boreas, minor protector of the north winds.