It had been just under three months since Solstice, two weeks shy actually. And spring was here and it was beautiful. My Mother hadn't been kidding about training the warriors personally, She seemed to be really focusing on the Half-warriors and full-warriors, but the Baby Warriors and the Junior warriors got a class a week, We get to learn from her for two hours a week. Weapons classes are two hours long, or four hours long if they're a double class. Hunting classes are imprecise time wise but usually last two to six hours, and Academic classes are either an entire morning or an entire afternoon. There are seven days in a Greek Week just like back home, but there are no weekends, I've adjusted to it. I've adjusted to my chores, to being slightly stronger, faster, though I only told My mother and my house. I didn't want the other girls to know. I've adjusted to being a ten year old Demigoddess being raised an Amazon by my mother the Patron goddess of the Amazons. I've adjusted to having the first friends I've ever had. I've adjusted to having a loyal hound dog, backing me up. I named him Elvis of course. No one gets the joke, but me. Elvis is loyal, and we have a telepathic bond, and he is cute, with a smooth and black and sort of reminds me of what Sirius Black's dog form must look like. Mother has with her three Males, she named them, Alpha, Beta, Gamma. They are adults so they are larger than Elvis and they are Brown and grey and typical hounds. They are completely obedient to mother. Two weeks ago Ephiny came in and prayed to mother that she would see or hear from her sister, Sybil, it seems Sybil ran away when she was 15 and never came home. She sent word a few years ago that she had a daughter, Danae, but that was 10 years ago, and she hasn't heard from her since. Mother smiled I knew she was up to something.

One day in early Spring, I got up as I normally did got on my chore clothes, let out the dogs and fed them. Took care of the horses. Bathed, dressed, braided my hair got my school satchel, and my weapons and teleported Elvis and Myself outside the dining Hut. Mother had left a note.

Trouble with Family. Be back tonight. Behave yourself. Mother. Once I read it disappeared went to the dining hut, and I went to my House's table. No one was there so I eat alone. The weirdness of the day continued. I went to academic classes and Agatha was in a usually good mood which meant she had really good sex last night. Hey I used to be 30 I can read these things. I know what these looks mean. Not that I can remember the sex, but I remember the days after. Not a single person got in trouble, but it was no less creepy. After we went to lunch, I sat with my friends and for lunch was sandwiches, dried meat cheese on bread it was good. I had two. And fruit juice. I was lucky no one was around to make me drink milk. Then We had a Session with Solari a Staff lesson she taught us a 15 combination drill, and I learned it easily and then helped my age mates learn it. Then we finished off by doing laps around the practice field. Then it was Lena's turn she had us going in and out of trees, and all around the village evading each other. Then the day was over. At Dinner My House was all there and there was a new face, a girl about my age with Ephiny's curls, and bright green-hazel eyes.

Early that morning, were bed, when there was a persistent knocking. Gabrielle groaned. "It's too early for this….."

"You get up my bard, we have to deal with this, you're the Queen they know you like to sleep they wouldn't bother you unless they had a reason." They both got up, And got dressed and Xena got the door. Two Guards were at the door a girl with Ephiny's curls and the green hazel eyes before them.

"Xena, I'm Greer, I'm an we'd usually bother the regent with this especially this early in the morning but the note she was carrying pertains to her and we needed the Queens wisdom."

"Let me see the note.' Gabrielle said. Greer handed it over.

"Dear Sister, I am very sorry to be writing this, But I cannot keep Danae My husband is a horribly abusive man and I feel he will either take him for himself or marry her off to a worse man if it is advantageous. I cannot leave he will follow me or kill me, he is a very important man and I need to stay at his side, but I have paid someone to get Danae out. I have trained her in secret my husband doesn't know. He doesn't know I was an Amazon so he doesn't even suspect. Take care of her please. I love her with all my heart."

"Who brought her here?" Xena said.

"A woman named Glaphyra and a man named Darnelle…."

"I'm glad to see they mostly turned over a new leaf, a wish to speak to them." Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle's official hut. Glaphyra and Darnelle.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were an Amazon Princess." Darnelle said.

"Queen now. Sybil is one of my lost Amazons where is she?"

"Her husband is an Important Man in Athens a Senator, he's kind of an Ass if you ask me." The Man replied. "He acts as if he owns her, and she lets him she doesn't act as like any Amazon I know, they have sons too, and they treat their mother the same as their father, Danae was their only daughter."

Gabrielle nodded. "Good, thank you for bringing her here."

"We've been helping a lot of people since we last saw you." Glaphyra said, "We only charge enough to live on, and not every time."

"That's good." Xena said. "I'm glad you two redeemed yourself."

"Its more than that we found each other" Glaphyra said. "We even have a boy we look after Adrian, we look him after something happened to his parents. He's about 8, he's with Darnell's mother, he's a good boy, reminds me a bit of you Gabrielle."

"Then I'm happy for you." Xena said.

"We need to get going, we have more people to save and a boy to get back to." She said. "It was nice to seeing you again.

Darnelle smiled. "Queen." He bowed. The Regent and her Weapons Master Wife, as well as the former Weapons Master, and the head cook showed up soon after. And noticed the sleeping preteen and baby.

"My Queen?" The Regent asked. And was handed the note. Her eyes started flashing. The rest of the day went by quickly for the Regent asking questions to her nice and getting her settled at dinner, the resident demigoddess met the newest member of the family and was filled in. She not an idea and disappeared. She appeared with Sybil who was covered with cuts and bruises and half naked.

"Marley what did you do?" Ephiny asked

"I saved her from the beating of a life time and solved your problem with your sister." Marley said smugly.

I sighed. I didn't see the problem. They wanted Sybil back, it was obvious Ephiny wanted her sister, and that Danae girl wanted her mom, and Gabrielle wanted her Amazon safe. I just did what I had to do.

"Let's get her to the Healer's hut." We all went to the healer's hut, and Damla took care of her injuries. Then they got her a small hut for her and Danae, since she wasn't a full Warrior but she was an Adult she couldn't be a Warrior, but she could have another job. When she mentioned that she had large gardens she maintained in Athens she was put in with the farming Amazons. And Danae was put into school.

When my mom got home that night she was both furious and proud. "Moon Beam, you did a very good thing you helped someone out and I'm very proud of you, you also put yourself in danger and that's never okay. Whenever you make a choice whatever it is you need weigh the consequences, most gods and goddesses don't, they just do what they want, but you're my daughter, and you will not go through life not weighing the consequences of your actions."

"You're going to spank me?"

"I'm not just going to spank you, Marley I'm going to strap you too, that man was an abusive, pederast he could have done horrible things to you, you deserve this." She created an armless chair and sat down and pulled me over her lap and adjusting me to her liking, "Don't reach back or I start all over again, you can cry or squirm as much as you want, but no cursing, biting, or kicking." I nodded Celeste had those rules too but she never strapped me she only used her hand or hair brush. She spanked me over my leggings for awhile, warming me up, just like Celeste would do slowly building up the ache in my bottom, but not missing any part of my bottom. That was actually one of the first clues Celeste and Mother were the same person. After about five minutes, she pulled down my leggings, and started spanking over my underwear, letting the fire build more. It was a slow building fire. Finally she took down my underwear. "This is the last part Moon Beam." She said gently, and it's going to hurt a lot probably more than you've hurt before but the same rules apply, this man could have seriously harmed you or taken your innocence this punishment is deserved." Suddenly a jolt of pain hit across my butt, then it hit it four more times I was sobbing uncontrollably by the end. My Mom righted my clothes, and picked me up cuddled me on her lap. The strap was nowhere to be seen. I woke up the next morning with my butt still throbbing I checked my butt in the mirror. I had bruises where the strap hit, and the rest of me was still a little red. I put on my chore clothes and did my chores. Then I went to breakfast in the dining hut.

"I take it Artemis wasn't happy with your choice to rescue me last night." Sybil asked.

"No, but I don't regret my choice, she said whenever every choice I make I had weigh it against the consequences and even though she was proud of me, I put myself in danger and I deserved it." I left out the strapping. I went to school and Agatha was once again in a nauseatingly happy mood. Classes ended, and then all afternoon we played Amazonian Hide and seek, using all our skills. It was a test. My team one, but I wasn't allowed to use my teleportation power so I didn't. After Washing up, we had dinner. A few weeks passed and everything was fine. When another visitor was brought to the village. It was during Breakfast in the Hall, when Aphrodite brought a dark haired woman a few years Younger than Queen Gabrielle she was more noticeably Pregnant, a lot more pregnant than Gabrielle.

"Lila?" She stood and hugged her sister. "What happened?"

"Sweet Pea, your sister is in a little bit of a jam she prayed to me so I decided to bring her to you."

"Sit down." Gabrielle said. Lila did. "What happened?"

"Hector the man I was with he ran off, and left me pregnant, he stole from Mother and Father too, Mother and Father are looking around for anyone to marry me and not listening to any of my opinions they were going to marry me off to Filbert, and I had no choice, oh Gabrielle and I couldn't run away like you did not in my condition so I prayed to Aphrodite….."

"I'm glad you did. We'll protect you here."

"Hi, Aunt Aphrodite." I said.

"Hi, Moon Beam." She said "Your Mom, will be back tonight, she had to run down to Corinth and help the Corinth Amazons out with something."

"Thanks, Auntie."

"No Problem, Moon glow."

"Lila I'm with child too, I'm going to name her Lila Cyrene."

"Oh, that's wonderful Gabrielle, I'm going to name the baby either Sarah or Deo."

"Oh, Don't worry It's going to be a girl." Aphrodite said and teleported out.

"We'll set you up with a hut, it will be rather small, but don't worry it will be comfortable." I ate and listened to the sisters catch up. There were always one or two of the smaller huts empty. Usually they were used by the girls just started out, or by the new Moms, but there were always a few empty because there are so many of them. Before the tribe became so large that's what all the huts looked like. The good news is those are the easiest to heat, according to Cyrene and Lena who both live in that kind. When I first got here we used my knowledge to reinforce all the huts, and give them new roofs, and stuff, I did volunteer at Habitat for Humanity as well as the children's ward, and old folks homes. I also think 21st century Artemis downloaded information into my head. Lila was tasked with helping Cyrene in the kitchen since she was such a good cook.

That day around day break in Corinth at the Corinthian Amazonian Temple to Artemis the Queen to the Corinthian Amazons Lia began to pray for help and guidance with a tribal problems. Artemis appeared. Surprised She stayed kneeling. And bowed

"Lady Artemis you humble me with your presence I need help and guidance I have a true problem. A threat, though my sisters don't see it as one. A Shaman has moved onto our lands, and I can't make him leave, he is making our people, lazy and ineffective they are under his spell. I am not I refuse to be! He wants them for his own end only 9 of my full warriors are still loyal to you my Lady, and 10 of my half warriors. But all of the Junior and baby warriors he hasn't bewitched them." Venom in her voice.

"I will help you fight, this man, Lia. It will be rather easy to break is spellwork on my Amazons, unless Hecate is helping him, which I doubt." She quickly reversed the magic, and bound the Shaman's magic, He was captured by the Amazons and put on trial as an enemy and threat to the Corinth Amazon Nation. Artemis decided to stay she was a witness in the trial after all.

"I just have to be back to the Temple I usually stay at by Sundown, My daughter Marley is expecting me." She said with a smile.

"You have a daughter." Lia said.

"Ten, a demigoddess. She's a real handful." The Goddess of the Hunt said with a Smile that said it all.

"Mine's seven, I know what you mean." Lia said with the same smile. "We'll be done by sundown don't you worry. We'll have to draw straws again for the defense, no one wants that job, but it's only fair he gets some kind of defense, we are going to put him to death, if he loses."

"I could punish him, not that he doesn't deserve death but I could come up with something creative."

"Of course." They had the trial and he was found guilty. They decided to take the Goddess up on her offer. He was turned into a female Goat, for milking. She went back to The Telaquire Amazon Temple and waited for her daughter.