Hope everyone's holidays are going well!
February, after The Titan's Curse. After Chapter 8 (when Lucia tells Thalia about each of the Hunters), before Chapter 7 (when Phoebe and Anne spar for fun).
Lucia stood at the edge of a cliff. It was dark. The ground seemed to be rock. The abyss before her was an endless blackness, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Lucia glanced up at the sky. It wasn't the sky at all, it turned out. There were stalactites, high up above her.
The Underworld.
Lucia froze. She slowly drew her eyes back down to the cold abyss at her feet.
Tartarus.
It had to be.
But what was she doing by Tartarus? Father had warned her not to go anywhere near it.
Lucia gulped and slowly stumbled back several steps, her limbs moving slowly, almost as though she were underwater, but much worse.
"There is no need to panic."
Lucia knew that voice. She didn't know how she knew it, but she knew it. She spun around, her limbs moving normally this time, to face the tall golden-eyed, black-haired Titan standing between her and the way back to the Underworld, to the safety of Father's realm.
"This is merely a dream, Lucia," Kronos said with his cold, ancient voice. He was just as Father had described to her nearly two millennia ago.
Dream or not, Lucia's heart had leapt up into her throat at the sound of her name. "A-Antonia," she corrected, stammering terribly. It was Antonia to strangers.
"I thought it was Lucia Aemilia Regilla," he replied calmly.
Lucia shook her head mutely.
He smiled politely. "Oh, yes, I forgot. You turned against your father, just as I turned against mine and my son against me."
Lucia shook her head again, too dumbfounded to speak. What was going on? This was - without a doubt - Kronos, but what? Why? How?
"Your stepfather, that is," Kronos corrected easily, "but what does that matter? He raised you. He was your father in all but blood."
Lucia stared at him in disbelief. Was the ancient evil Titan king really here, chiding her for not thinking of Aemilius as her father?
"Regardless," Kronos continued, "it is Roman custom to use the praenomen of your close relatives, is it not, Lucia? Forgive me if I am incorrect - I am rather behind in my understanding of mortal cultures."
It took Lucia several seconds of moving her mouth uselessly, failing to form words, before she finally said, "...You are not my family."
Kronos furrowed his eyebrows in an exaggerated and mock look of confusion. "By Gaea! You are quite correct, Lucia."
Lucia watched in stunned horror as his form shimmered. He did not look particularly different, but his robes had turned into the Roman robes of an emperor and a golden laurel wreath appeared in his hair. This was no longer Kronos. This was Saturn.
"Dearest granddaughter," Saturn began, taking a few steps closer. Too close. "I thought it may finally be time for us to speak. I have long desired to meet you."
Lucia wanted to move back, to move away, but she could not move her limbs. Not her legs, not her arms. Nothing.
"No kiss hello for your grandfather? Has my son neglected to teach you of proper manners?"
Lucia turned her head away. It was all she could do. She would wake up soon. She knew it. She just had to survive a little longer.
"I am disappointed," Saturn said. He brushed a stray lock of Lucia's hair back behind her ear, causing her to tense. "Pluto had always been my favorite son. Quiet, but he had such a complex inner life."
Lucia scoffed. "You ate him," she said in a hollow voice.
"I had no choice," Saturn replied, unperturbed. "You know something of that, do you not, Lucia?"
Lucia kept quiet. She would not let herself be baited.
"You never have a choice, do you, my poor granddaughter?" Saturn inquired rhetorically, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers.
Lucia had shuddered at his touch. She glared at him. This was not an acceptable topic of conversation.
"I have studied you," he continued. "Each time you came close to Tartarus over the years, I read you. I sensed your pain. I know of your suffering. All your trials and tribulations."
"...Whatever it is you want from me," Lucia said, steeling herself and meeting his eerie golden eyes, "you should know you will not get it."
Saturn regarded her. He smiled as if he had expected nothing less. Almost as if he was proud of her defiance.
Lucia averted her eyes, losing her courage. She blinked several times in rapid succession. She would not cry.
"I mean you no harm, my dear one," Saturn said, lifting her chin with his index finger, forcing her to meet his gaze again. "I wish to aid you. The Olympians have been cruel to you. Needlessly cruel. You are a very loyal young woman. They should not have doubted you. Yet, they would have killed you, if they could have. You know they would have."
"Artemis wouldn't have," Lucia retorted weakly. His words were bringing her to tears. The gods had been cruel to her. Hearing someone actually acknowledge it for once instead of ignore it was more painful than she had thought it would be.
"Perhaps not," Saturn conceded. "She is very fond of you. I know she is. But you have not exactly been an ideal Hunter, have you, Lucia dear?"
Lucia stiffened at that. Just how much did he know? And why did he have to keep saying her name like that - and all those endearments?
"Oh, you poor child," Saturn said, wrapping his arm over Lucia's shoulder and turning her to look out over Tartarus. "So frightened of the gods. You murdered that Hunter, did you not? The daughter of Athena - what was her name? Syntyche? Sostrate? Sappho?"
"Sophia," Lucia corrected in a broken whisper. So many years later, and she still had not quite forgiven herself. She hadn't thought of the poor girl in years, though. Without something to trigger that memory, she refused to think of it.
"Ah, yes. Sophia..."
Over the abyss of Tartarus, appeared an image - almost like an Iris Message - of Sophia. Smiling Sophia, silently laughing about something.
"The Hunters never did look at you entirely the same way after that, did they? They did not trust you, but it was not your fault. You did not have a choice. It was Aphrodite who had ordered it, was it not?"
Lucia swallowed. "...Yes. Aphrodite."
Saturn shook his head sadly. "And Venus is your own grandmother. A reasonable person would think Aphrodite would show some care for you, but she only used you as she would any other pawn. It was a despicable act."
Lucia took a deep breath.
"But it was not your fault, Lucia. Aphrodite was cruel. She was cruel - just as Jupiter was. Forgive me - Zeus was. Jupiter was also cruel, but it was Zeus who nearly raped you, who would have raped you."
Lucia had flinched at that last verb. She wasn't fond of it. She refused to think of that event as an attempt to do such because it frightened her how close he had been to succeeding before Artemis arrived. She refused to think of it, period. To make it worse, the image of Sophia had changed into an image that day.
"That boy is a menace," Saturn added as the new image of Lucia began to grapple with the image of Zeus. "A blight on this world. He knows naught of how to treat a woman properly."
"What do you want?" Lucia demanded in an uneven voice, looking away from the image now that Zeus had successfully pinned her to the marble floor of his temple.
Saturn waved a hand.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the image disappear.
"I want to help you," Saturn said. "I understand your pain, Lucia. I am only showing you these images so that you know I understand." He paused. "But perhaps the image of Zeus was excessive. Granddaughter, you did nothing to earn the ire of the gods. You were only born. That is a poor reason to rob you of your freedom."
Lucia didn't reply. She agreed that it was a poor reason, but she didn't want to agree with him. He was Saturn. Kronos. The Crooked One. And she still didn't understand what he wanted from her.
"If I may, I would show you one more image," Saturn continued.
"I do not wish to see anything else," Lucia said as authoritatively as she could, using her best I-am-the-Lady-of-the-Walls-of-Erebos-and-you-are-to-fear-me voice. She couldn't look at him as she spoke, though. Instead, she kept her gaze locked on the darkness of the abyss.
Saturn still had his arm over her shoulders. With his free hand, he gently took hold of her chin, turning her head to face him once more.
Her pulse raced, but she tentatively met his eyes, trying to stay calm. She did her best to not appear as intimidated as she felt.
"One last image, my dear," Saturn insisted softly. "It will be of a more pleasant memory. However, should you say the word, I shall of course dismiss it."
Lucia found herself nodding slightly - anything to get him to remove his hand from her face.
Saturn did take his hand away to gesture over Tartarus as the final image shimmered into existence.
It was Mars this time. Mars and Lucia in those last moments aboard The Paladin. They were kissing.
Lucia took a deep breath to steel herself.
Mars broke off the kiss.
"Have you not wondered, my poor Lucia," Saturn whispered into her ear, "what might have happened should Vulcan not have been scheming against Mars?"
Lucia didn't answer. Who wouldn't have wondered?
Suddenly, Lucia felt as though she were in two places at once. On one hand, she was rooted to the spot beside Saturn, terrified out of her mind. On the other, she was there with Mars.
Mars had broken away now. She was telling him she loves him.
"I can show you," Saturn said softly.
One last time, Mars's voice echoed around the abyss as clear as the sound of a hunting horn, and then we ought to make plans to get you off this ship.
Lucia kissed him.
But Mars never did flinch away. There was no imperial gold net to trap them.
Everything seemed to accelerate. One last kiss turned out to be more than one last kiss. He was starting to tug off her remaining articles of clothing.
His eyes were gold, though, not the brown she had come to appreciate.
Gold.
Lucia lost feeling of the image. She was only on the edge of Tartarus with Saturn. "...Stop it."
The image froze, but did not disappear.
"You do not wish to see?" Saturn inquired, his gold eyes intently focused on her. "Are you not curious?"
Lucia shook her head, blushing furiously and trying not to think of what she was afraid the image of herself and Mars would do next. "It's in the past. It matters not. There is nothing to see." She paused, swallowing down the uncomfortable lump in her throat. "Get rid of it."
"As you wish, Lucia," Saturn replied. He dismissed the image.
Neither one of them said anything for several long seconds.
"What exactly do you want?" Lucia demanded once more. None of this was making any sense.
"I have already told you, my dear," Saturn said, "I wish to help you. In another life, we would have been great friends. You and I are much alike."
"What do you want?" Lucia reiterated. His words rang true - it was frightening, but it was true - they had their similarities: turning against their fathers, not being trusted, suffering at the hands of Zeus, having a certain air of sadness about them... However, he still had not said what he wanted from her.
Saturn smiled, somewhat bittersweetly. "I want to give you your freedom."
Lucia blinked. "You - what?"
"I told you, my Lucia, I wish to aid you," Saturn said, "and I shall. I ask for nothing in return. I give you my word you will be freed from the whims of the Olympian Council and their associates."
This was ridiculous. "You're ridiculous."
Saturn merely raised an eyebrow.
Actually, it was insane. "You're insane," Lucia amended.
Saturn remained unperturbed. "Have the Olympians truly been so terrible to you that you are incapable of trusting the word of an immortal?"
Lucia stared at him, open-mouthed, for a moment. "I trust Artemis."
"I know you do, Lucia. However, you do not always trust the other gods - and with good reason. I swear on the River Styx itself I would never force you to do something you do not wish to do. Can the gods - Can Artemis say the same?"
Lucia glared at him. Bastard.
Artemis couldn't swear that. She couldn't swear she would never force Lucia to do something. She had forced Lucia to fight her once. And, of course, there had been several simple orders (oftentimes addressed to the Hunt as a whole) that Lucia would have followed anyway. And... Bastard.
"I take it by your silence that she cannot?"
Lucia narrowed her eyes. She finally mustered enough strength to step further away from him. "I reject your offer."
Saturn smiled proudly once more. "Whatever you wish, my dear. This is your decision. This is your life. I have nothing but respect for free will, for you."
Lucia knew those were all lies. They had to be lies. He did not care for her. He could not care for her. But he hadn't lied to her - not even once, not about anything she could know to be a lie - in this conversation. And she shouldn't have been even thinking that.
"You are free to awaken from this dream whenever it pleases you," he added. "If you decide to reconsider my offer, I am confident you will find a way to contact me. If not, I wish you all the best, dearest granddaughter."
Lucia woke with a start. Her skin was glowing brighter than usual. There was a strange chill in the air. It was February, but they were somewhere along the border of a coastal state whose name escaped her. It shouldn't be this cold. It didn't feel natural.
The events of her dream came rushing back to her and she sat bolt upright, summoning her Stygian iron gladius into her hand.
Was the cold a threat, then? From Saturn?
She glanced around wildly, looking for any sign of the Titan's presence as she pushed off her sheets and got to her feet.
The tent was dark. Melissa was still asleep, unperturbed by the cold.
Lucia scanned the corners of the tent, but she neither saw nor sensed anything in darkness. Although she strained her ears, she heard nothing other than the usual sounds of the forest.
She lowered her blade slightly, hesitating. Not hearing anything did not mean there was nothing there.
But, no. She was being ridiculous. It was not unheard of for Saturn to reach out of Tartarus and influence a dream or two, but there was no way he could have any real presence outside of the abyss.
He couldn't possibly be that powerful yet. He couldn't. The Olympians would know if he was.
The chill in the air didn't feel so unnatural anymore. It was winter, after all. The nights were slightly colder even in the southern states. It was the way seasons worked.
Lucia exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and she straightened herself out of her defensive posture, letting her sword vanish. The unusually intense silvery glow of Artemis's blessing abated, returning to its normal level of brightness.
For a moment, she felt calm, but the moment quickly ended as she tensed again. Saturn had promised her freedom. He had tried to recruit her. He gave his word that he would never force her to obey his will, that he would free her.
Surely, he wouldn't dare threaten her, much less hurt her? It would be counterintuitive to his goal of recruiting her, if that was indeed what he had been after. Moreover, he had seemed rather fond of her in some strange way. They had both been wronged by the Olympians.
Perhaps he was right and they would have been friends in another life...
What was she thinking?
Was he affecting her thoughts?
Lucia glanced around again, fighting the urge to summon back her gladius as she did her best to clear her mind of his words. The glow of her skin flickered, brightening briefly every few seconds.
Could Saturn be there, making himself undetectable to her, influencing her? He had obviously been trying to manipulate her, control her.
Could he control her?
Only the Olympians, Hestia, Hades, and a handful of trusted minor gods could use her curse. He couldn't possibly tap into that power, could he? He was powerful, undoubtedly, but could he overpower the will of the Olympian council?
Could he?
...Could he overpower the council?
Could he free her, then?
He had been confident of it.
Why would he brag of his capability to free her if he couldn't do it?
He wouldn't.
Neither of them would gain anything if he couldn't live up to his promise.
Which meant he could.
He could free her.
He had asked for nothing in return.
He would free her and it would cost her nothing.
She would be free.
She couldn't wait to wipe those smug looks off the Olympians' faces. Most days, they were little more than overgrown immature children. She could just imagine their disbelief when she would defy them.
They would kill her, of course. But what did it matter? If she timed it right, she could finally have vengeance. Go out in a blaze of glory.
She would make Zeus regret even looking at her - she'd shoot arrows straight through his eyes. And she could make Venus regret meddling in not only her own life, but the lives of every Hunter that succumbed to passionate love. And she could finally hit Hermes upside the head and tell him she would never deliver another damned package - delivering things was one of his main purposes in life, not hers! - and maybe kick him where every male hurt.
And Artemis. Oh, she knew every little weakness that could make the goddess crumble - every little thing that made her tick, every little insult that struck her to the core, every little spot generally left undefended in combat. She would avenge every second that she had felt unwanted and unsatisfactory, had felt like a failure, when all she had left in her life was to seek the goddess's approval. It would be too easy to strip her of her pride and everything else she held dear. This time it would be Artemis on her knees, not her.
She wouldn't kneel ever again.
Lucia did not waste another moment. She was out of her tent before she could even think to leave.
It was indeed dawn.
The camping chairs around the bonfire were unoccupied. The fire itself was reduced to a handful of embers and a thin trail of smoke.
The wolves were prowling about. A few hawks sat in the trees.
Lucia turned instantly towards Artemis's tent.
Except it wasn't there.
Fool, Lucia scolded herself.
Artemis was out hunting with Apollo on Zeus's orders. She wasn't due to be back for another day.
Lucia turned to the next best thing before realizing it, too, was not there. Zoë and Elaia's tent wasn't there.
Where the hell is Z - ?
Oh - right - in the Underworld, you idiot.
Lucia turned to the next next best thing and sprinted the short distance to another tent. She entered without asking, but came to an immediate halt.
She had intended to immediately wake Phoebe and get her to make sure Lucia wouldn't hurt anyone, using force if necessary, but what would she say?
She was frozen there in indecision for a few more seconds before something caught her eye: the crate of Phoebe's experimental weapons and tools at the foot of Phoebe's bed.
Lucia was there beside the crate within a blink of the eye. She had an idea.
She tried to be as quiet as possible as she shuffled through Phoebe's various modified weapons and other items.
She evidently was not as quiet as she would have liked because she soon heard sounds of movement coming from the three beds.
"What...?" Elaia sounded dazed.
There was some more rustling of sheets. A mortal battery-powered lantern flickered to life.
"Lucia?" came Demetria's gently questioning voice.
"Trying to sleep..." Phoebe mumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow.
Lucia continued clanging through the crate, more loudly now as her desperation increased. "Where are they?!"
"What?" Demetria inquired as Phoebe jumped to her feet, rubbing at her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Phoebe demanded, her words still slightly slurring even as she readied a shield and spear.
"Where are they?!" Lucia reiterated, angry that they weren't helping her.
"Where are what, Lu?" Demetria replied, as she got out of bed. She exchanged a glance with Phoebe. "What's wrong?"
Phoebe was at the entrance of the tent, peering out as if expecting their camp to be under attack. "I don't see anything."
"There's nothing out there," Lucia snapped. "I - I - Where are the chains?"
Demetria frowned. She and Phoebe again glanced at each other.
"Chains?" Elaia asked frowning curiously at Lucia. She was a few steps behind Phoebe now, with her hunting knife in her hand, half-raised into a defensive position.
"The bronze chains - the ones we've been meaning to use on Orion."
"Oh, uh, the other crate - with my experimental stuff," Phoebe said, gesturing at a slightly larger crate with her spear. "I've been modifying some arrows to - "
"I know, I know," Lucia interrupted dismissively, already at the other crate. "The shackles are there with them, aren't they?
"Yeah," Phoebe answered. She let her spear and shield vanish. "Why?"
Lucia didn't reply. She continued rummaging through the crate even when Demetria put a hand on her arm.
"You said yourself that there's no immediate danger," Demetria said. "What has frightened you so? Why do you want the chains?"
Lucia paused for a few seconds, trying to think of a concise way to explain her fears, but she realized she couldn't. She felt that time was running short, so she could only give Demetria a look she hoped would say, Just trust me. Please.
Demetria looked skeptical, almost how Artemis would look when she didn't particularly like what Lucia was saying. However, she did not stop Lucia from continuing to rummage through the crate.
Lucia finally managed to pull the shackles out. They were attached to a long chain that was still tangled around the various contents of the crate, but she ignored all that for now.
"Lucia," Demetria said, "please, talk to us."
Lucia took the key out of the lock of the shackles, tossed it at Phoebe (who reflexively caught it), and manacled her own wrists. She sighed with relief as the large shackles intended for a giant magically shrank down to effectively bind her wrists.
She immediately felt the effects of being imprisoned by bronze: the shadows around her no longer felt like an extension of herself. She could still sense the locations of things in the nearby darkness, but it was like looking through a foggy glass. She could vaguely sense the living and nonliving, but she knew she wouldn't be able to bend the shadows to her will, much less tap into any of her father's other powers. It wasn't only that, though. She felt tired, drained. The silver glow around her had all but vanished entirely.
"What were you ordered to do?" Phoebe asked with a very serious expression.
"I - I wasn't ordered," Lucia said. "Not - not really. But I don't trust myself - you shouldn't either. Don't trust a word I say - especially if I start asking to be released. You mustn't free me. Phoebe, I - I fear I may be able to overpower even you if I were free."
Phoebe exchanged another brief glance with Demetria. She stared at Lucia a moment longer and pocketed the key. "Alright, if you insist. But I think you're flattering yourself - just a little."
Lucia scowled. "I'm serious. I've never fought you with my full power."
"And I've never fought you with mine," Phoebe said.
Lucia said nothing for several seconds before slowly nodding. That was... fair. Phoebe could call on the Blessing of Ares. "If I reach for a weapon, if I manage to grab a sword, if I attack, you'll do what needs to be done? Especially if I manage to free myself?"
Phoebe hesitated before nodding curtly.
Lucia let out a sigh of relief. She could count on Phoebe. She was not entirely convinced Phoebe could best her in a fight if she would use every power at her disposal, but perhaps if she would manage to fight her curse enough to hesitate the slightest bit, it would buy Phoebe enough time to put an end to things, to disarm her, to incapacitate her, to even kill her if need be. She would be better off dead than living with the knowledge that she had tried to murder Hunters again.
"Wait a moment," Demetria said, frowning. "Do what needs to be done?"
"We're not going to kill you," Elaia added. Her bright blue eyes were wide in horror at the thought. She had dismissed her knife.
Lucia offered them a bittersweet smile. "I appreciate it - I do - but I would much rather die than attack us again."
Demetria raised her eyebrows. "Attack us? I thought you said you weren't ordered to do anything."
Lucia avoided their eyes as she replied, "I... had a dream. Of, er, my grandfather. I don't think he has any power over my curse, but I'm afraid he could be influencing me through other means. And I won't take that risk."
"He wants you to kill us?" Phoebe asked.
Lucia hesitated, relieved Phoebe had figured out whom she was referring to, but not sure how to answer. "Not exactly, but... Yes. More or less."
"What does he want, then?" Elaia inquired. "What makes you think you'll hurt us?"
Lucia shook her head. She couldn't possibly tell them of her brief, undeniably strong urge to seek vengeance. She couldn't possibly tell them they were the easiest way to hurt Artemis. "Nothing."
"'Tis clearly something," Demetria said. "If you tell us, we'll know how to best prepare a defense against him."
"It's nothing," Lucia insisted. "As long as I'm incapacitated in some form, I don't believe we're in any immediate danger."
Phoebe and Demetria exchanged a look.
"He wants her to join him," Phoebe surmised. "What else would he want?" She met Lucia's gaze intently. "Am I right?"
Before Lucia could settle on a reply, Elaia said, "He's called the Crooked One for a reason. You cannot honestly be considering accepting whatever he's offering you, Lu."
"I'm not," Lucia responded immediately, but even she could tell her voice lacked conviction.
Demetria's expression became even more concerned. "What did he offer you?"
"Nothing."
"Lucia, this is serious," Demetria scolded, her light blue eyes icy. "Now is not the time for guessing games."
Lucia tried not to glare at her. "It's nothing. It doesn't matter because I won't accept it. As I said, as long as I'm subdued, there's no cause for concern. So, you just make sure I don't free myself of these shackles and all will be well."
Demetria glanced at the other two for support.
Phoebe avoided Demetria's eyes and turned back to Lucia. "He won't get you. Not while I'm around."
"Thank you," Lucia said.
"Phoebe," Demetria insisted.
"Does it matter what he offered her?" Phoebe asked. "She can't accept it even if she wanted to right now."
"I don't know..." Demetria said. "I don't like this."
"Should we contact Lady Artemis?" Elaia suggested.
Phoebe and Demetria exchanged a quick look. Demetria sighed and crossed her arms.
"Assuming I haven't lost count of the days, she should be back tomorrow," Phoebe said, "or at least she'll send word if she can't return yet."
"We have to tell her," Demetria replied. "There's no question."
"Of course. I'm just saying we don't have to do it immediately."
"Well, I am saying we need to be careful. We don't want a repeat of - " Demetria abruptly fell silent. She cleared her throat. "We need to treat this carefully. This is war. If the Crooked One is planning something, I don't think we stand a chance without Lady Artemis."
"I'm not saying it's not war," Phoebe argued, rolling her eyes. "I'm trying to look at the big picture. Lady Artemis is much more useful to the war effort if she's out hunting the most dangerous of monsters with Apollo. Besides, we're not in any immediate danger."
"I'm not arguing with that first part," Demetria responded, sounding increasingly annoyed. "Lady Artemis is certainly doing what she does best. However, we don't actually know if we're in danger or not. Lucia herself said we are not to trust her words. I might not be a Spartan or a child of Ares like you, but I should think I've managed to learn something of war over the ages. I'm fairly certain our lack of knowledge puts us in a defensive position. We need Artemis. Immediately."
"No, we don't," Phoebe began. "We'll fill her in the moment she arrives, but there's no reason to distract her now."
"We're at a severe disadvantage - "
"Yeah, but - "
"Oh, be quiet, both of you!" Elaia interrupted before Demetria could retort. She turned to Lucia. "What do you say, Lu?"
"I - I, um..." Lucia stuttered uncertainly, having not been prepared to speak. She had been listening to Phoebe and Demetria intently. She hadn't witnessed them argue like this in ages. "I don't want to disturb her hunt - but if I do something... something bad, she can easily order me to stop."
"Then we should send her an Iris Message as soon as possible," Demetria said, sounding satisfied.
"No," Phoebe replied with thinly veiled irritation. "Lucia just said she doesn't want to bother Artemis."
"But she also said - "
Elaia groaned loudly. "We're getting nowhere. Maybe we should ask Thalia."
Demetria and Phoebe exchanged a more reasonable glance.
"No," Lucia said. "Definitely not."
"Why not?" Elaia asked.
Lucia hesitated uncomfortably. She was meant to be better than Thalia, an experienced asset to the Hunt, not a weakness, certainly not a threat. But it would be vain of her to say it. She looked down at her manacled hands, offering no explanation.
"It's actually not a bad idea," Phoebe said carefully, watching for Lucia's reaction. "At the very least, we need to tell Thalia that Lucia and I have to keep away from the rest of the Hunt."
Elaia frowned. "You do?"
"We were lucky that time when we lost Sophia of Tegea," Phoebe explained. "We could have easily lost more if we hadn't been warned. We don't need a repeat of that chaos and we all know it'll be much worse if the Crooked One's involved."
Lucia had winced at the mention of Sophia, but she didn't argue. Phoebe had a point: Lucia had to be kept away from the others as a precaution and Thalia had to be told something to justify it.
"We don't have to tell or ask Thalia anything if Lucia doesn't want us to," Demetria said tentatively. She seemed to still be wrapping her head around the idea. "She and the new ones don't need to know anything more about Lucia's curse than they already have been told - "
"Agreed." Phoebe was nodding. "I'll tell her Lucia and I need to go hunting in the Underworld or something - anything she can't tag along for. We'll actually just hang around a few miles away. She doesn't need to know the truth." She sounded excited now that she had come up with a solution.
"Or, as I was going to say before I was interrupted," Demetria said pointedly, "we contact Artemis immediately - we don't even have to Iris Message her; I'm certain she'll listen to our prayers - then she can order Lucia not to harm us directly or indirectly, and everything will be solved."
"And, besides, Thalia's lieutenant," Elaia said. "She has the goddess's confidence. We can't lie to her."
Phoebe sighed, shaking her head. "Well, she doesn't have our confidence yet. And we'll still tell Artemis the moment she returns."
"But - " Elaia and Demetria both began simultaneously.
"Give me one more second," Phoebe said, holding up a hand, glancing between the two imploringly.
Demetria and Elaia exchanged a look. After a brief pause, they silently returned their attention to Phoebe.
Phoebe waited another second to confirm they wouldn't protest before saying, "You know it won't be that simple, Demetria. You know Artemis. She'll want to come back and investigate Lucia's curse. And I really don't want to distract her. I don't think we're in any immediate danger; I think I would sense it if we were. I really don't think it's necessary to bother Artemis if I can just take Lucia away as a precaution." She turned to Elaia. "And, Elaia, Thalia's a child. Chosen by the goddess or not, she's a child and she's not qualified to make decisions about matters she doesn't understand. Matters like Lucia's curse." She paused. "Alright, I'm done."
"If Artemis is in fact very preoccupied," Demetria responded, "I doubt she will need to spare more than a few seconds to - "
Lucia heard a long, drawn-out sigh in the back of her mind.
" - order Lu..."
I will be there momentarily, the exasperated voice of Artemis added. In a minute.
Judging by the sudden silence in the tent and the cringing expressions her sisters now wore, Lucia was not the only one to receive the message.
Phoebe grimaced. "...Probably should've expected that - "
Lucia.
" - given how we were throwing her name around."
You should have -
Demetria sighed. "Indeed..."
- spoken to me at once.
If any of them said anything more, Lucia did not know. She had frozen up in irrational panic when she realized Artemis had singled her out to continue their conversation.
I tried! she thought desperately. I did! I tried, but you weren't there and - and - and I panicked and -
I know, Artemis's voice was softer now that it wasn't rebuking her. I know. Apollo needs me for a few more seconds and then I'll be there.
Lucia couldn't manage to form a coherent thought in reply. Instead she tried to focus on her relief.
Silence, both in her mind and in the tent.
Lucia sat down on the corner of Phoebe's bed, feeling quite drained by this ordeal. She clasped her hands together and leaned forward with her elbows against her knees.
"Is anyone else up?" Demetria asked Phoebe, inclining her head at the tent entrance.
Phoebe peered out of the tent again before shaking her head as she turned back to Demetria. "Nope. No one's out, at least."
Demetria nodded. She sat down beside Lucia, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"What time is it anyway?" Phoebe asked Elaia with a yawn.
The dryad frowned in concentration for a moment. "Nearly sunrise. Perhaps in half an hour?"
Phoebe nodded. She flopped onto Demetria's bed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed. Let me know when - " She stopped short as the side of the tent briefly lit up from the outside.
Almost immediately after the light died, Artemis entered the tent.
Phoebe groaned, but she got back onto her feet attentively. "My lady."
"Good morning," Artemis greeted shortly, making quick eye contact with each of them before settling a piercing gaze on Lucia. She had a new cut across the thigh of her jeans and a smattering of mud on her combat boots, but there was no sign of any ichor and her bronze breastplate appeared undamaged.
"Good morning," Elaia replied.
"Welcome back," Demetria added, also standing. She kept a reassuring hand on Lucia's shoulder, though.
Lucia said nothing, nor did she move. She knew she should stand respectfully as well, but she felt utterly drained. And rather guilty for having alarmed everyone. She met Artemis's eyes tentatively, apologetically.
Artemis briefly glanced down at Lucia's manacled hands. "You will not injure any of my current, former, or future Hunters through direct or indirect means."
Lucia nodded, lowering her eyes. "Yes, my lady."
She was glad that Artemis had taken care to cover some basic loopholes in case Lucia was indeed forced to hurt the Hunt, but she hated that such precautions were necessary.
"Lucia does not have to be shackled," Artemis said. "Phoebe? I think you had the key."
"Right," Phoebe said. She dug the key out of the pocket of her sweatpants and tossed it to Demetria, who easily caught it and quickly unlocked the shackles.
Within seconds of her wrists being freed, Lucia felt her strength and power return to her as Demetria set the shackles aside.
"Should we have asked Thalia what to do?" Elaia asked Artemis.
Artemis sighed. Her serious demeanor faded. She simply looked tired as she replied, "I hope that some day soon you will all trust Thalia as much as you trusted Zoë, but for now, I understand your reservations. I won't deny she still has much to learn."
"It's not that we don't trust her," Phoebe said defensively. "It's just..." She gestured vaguely at Lucia.
"'Tis just that..." Demetria added, attempting to clarify. "Lucia's curse is... Well, 'tis hard even for us to understand it."
"I know," Artemis said.
Lucia once again mentally scolded herself once more for her vain reason why she hadn't wanted to tell Thalia what was going on. Her reason should have been something logical like Thalia's unfamiliarity with her curse rather than her irrational desire to maintain the illusion that she was highly competent, that she was the one who should have become lieutenant.
"So... Should we have?" Elaia reiterated.
Artemis turned Elaia. "Thank you, Elaia, for consistently trying to include her. But perhaps... it is best this played out as it did." She paused. "I need a word with Lucia. You three can rekindle the fire and fetch some water from the stream. Prepare for breakfast. If you don't mind."
Lucia grimaced. She had figured this would happen. She wasn't certain if she was ready to admit her fears, however, and that was undoubtedly what the goddess would want her to do.
Elaia nodded. "Alright." She turned to the other two. "Coming?"
Phoebe and Demetria exchanged a quick glance.
"Of course," Demetria said, giving Lucia's shoulder a final squeeze before heading for the exit.
"No problem," Phoebe added, following after her.
"Thank you," Artemis said to them as they left.
Lucia sighed. She lowered her gaze once more, not entirely able to make eye contact, even though she actually had not technically done anything to feel guilty about. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Artemis approaching her.
"I don't have much time," Artemis told Lucia, crouching down in front of her, so that Lucia couldn't easily avoid her gaze. "Apollo's gathering the spoils of our kill, but we both must report to Zeus shortly. He's expecting us."
"I'm sorry," Lucia said quietly.
"None of that, now," Artemis scolded. "I was mid-combat - I didn't catch everything. I need you to tell me precisely what caused you to fear you would hurt them."
"I had a dream," Lucia replied hesitantly, "of, um, the Titan king."
Artemis raised her eyebrows slightly. "What did he want?"
"He said things; he showed me things," Lucia said, doing her best to avoid eye contact again. "He - He implied... He said he would free me of my curse."
"If you joined him?"
"N-No. If... If I wanted him to free me."
Artemis stood, frowning in concern.
"He said he wanted nothing in return," Lucia continued.
"Lucia..." Artemis began with a note of suspicion.
"I refused!" Lucia added hastily. "I told him I refused his offer." Before Artemis could reply, she continued, "But when I woke up, it was unnaturally cold - but I didn't sense him - but I think he was influencing me somehow. I can't remember exactly what he told me; I don't think he gave me an order, but... I could only picture getting vengeance, hurting Zeus and Aphrodite and Hermes and the rest of them - you, the Olympians. I had this terrible thought that I - that I could easily... I should never have thought it. I-I'm sorry - I panicked. In hindsight, it was probably nothing; I shouldn't have gotten them worried."
Artemis stared at her intently for a few seconds. Then, she sighed. "You did nothing wrong."
Lucia looked down guiltily; she hastily wiped at the tears that had formed as she spoke. She had tried not to admit it too obviously, but surely Artemis figured out Lucia had wanted vengeance against her in that one terrifying moment. Even merely thinking of that was wrong. Yes, Lucia knew Artemis's strengths and weaknesses inside and out, but she would never hurt her, directly or indirectly. She was grateful for all Artemis had done for her; she was indebted to her.
"I am glad you took precautions," Artemis added. "Thank you for that. I can check the details of your curse with Athena after I report to Zeus, but I am fairly certain our grandfather cannot control you any more than he can control any other mortal. I seriously doubt Athena designed your curse to be susceptible to Titans."
Lucia nodded, once more bringing a hand up to dry her eyes. "I doubt it, as well, but it - it was just... terrifying." He had been terrifying.
"I understand, dear," Artemis said, giving her a pitying look. "I'm sorry I couldn't have prevented him from entering your dreams in the first place. When I return, I can put a few protective enchantments on you, if that would make you feel better."
"I'd appreciate that."
"Alright, remind me of it later," she replied. "Now, I really must get to Olympus. I'll go tell Phoebe, Demetria, and Elaia that I'm leaving. Why don't you take another minute or two to compose yourself and join them outside? You shouldn't sulk."
"Okay," Lucia said simply. She was exhausted. She didn't have the strength to disagree and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to disagree.
Artemis gave her a reassuring smile before turning to leave.
"Artemis?" Lucia said impulsively as the goddess was about to take the last step out the tent.
Artemis turned back to face her. She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Do..." Lucia swallowed nervously, trying to regain some of her impulsive courage. "Do you have to leave?"
Artemis gave her an apologetic look. "You know that I do."
Lucia forced herself to nod awkwardly, hating how her voice had shaken, hating how much she must seem like a frightened young child. She wasn't a helpless child. "Of course. My lady."
"I'll return within a few hours," Artemis promised. "You have nothing to fear."
Lucia hesitated. She wasn't a helpless child, but she was certainly more helpless than she would like to be when it came to her curse.
"But what if it slips your mind?" Lucia asked weakly. "And I - and he makes me - or I just somehow myself?"
It was the most incoherent thing she had said in a while, but she just couldn't voice her fears outright. The effect of long-term orders faded in time as the gods who issued them stopped actively thinking of them, but she couldn't bring herself to say what that could mean in this case.
"Do you think this will be slipping my mind anytime soon?" Artemis asked in reply.
"...No?" Lucia responded meekly. Even though Artemis was outwardly calm, Lucia could see the concern in her eyes and the subtle anxious furrow of her brow. Artemis didn't take any threat to the Hunt lightly. Lucia realized she couldn't really imagine Artemis forgetting about this incident any time soon.
"It'll only be a couple hours," Artemis said. "I promise you, dear, everything will be fine."
Lucia nodded hesitantly. She trusted Artemis.
Artemis studied her for a second before giving her a smile and a nod. She left.
Lucia sighed. She let herself fall back onto the bed, looking up at the top of the tent.
For a while, she didn't think. She simply looking at the familiar silver material of the tent, trying to find comfort in the fact that she was home.
She had been right to refuse Kronos. Saturn. She knew it. And yet... it would have been so nice to be free. And to know Artemis would have the full authority to prevent anyone from forcibly taking her away from the Hunt.
She hadn't hurt anyone. That was good.
She didn't know what she would have done if she had hurt someone.
But she hadn't. Which was good.
And she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. Which was even better.
Maybe Artemis was right and everything would be fine. Artemis was usually right.
Lucia just had to be mindful of her thoughts to make sure Kronos wasn't whispering in her ears.
She took a deep breath to calm herself further. He couldn't control her any more than any other mortal. And she wasn't just any mortal. She spent centuries resisting as much of the gods' control as she could. She was reasonably adept at it. She was perfectly capable of resisting him.
After another minute or so, Lucia got up and went outside. It was slightly brighter now. Artemis was already gone. Phoebe was adding wood to a small fire. Demetria and Elaia had presumably gone to get some water.
"You alright?" Phoebe asked as Lucia approached.
"More or less," Lucia said. She sat down onto a nearby camping chair. "Yeah."
Phoebe nodded. "Good." She poked at the fire with a stick, moving a few pieces of wood.
"I may have... overreacted a little," Lucia admitted, apologetically, "but thanks for agreeing to - you know - keep me in check."
"Don't mention it; you'd do the same for me," Phoebe replied. There was a a seriousness to her voice, but her demeanor seemed oddly unconcerned, almost secretive. "Better safe than sorry, right?"
Lucia nodded. "Right." She wondered if Phoebe, too, was having dreams. Her face must have betrayed her thoughts because Phoebe quickly changed the subject.
"When Demetria and Elaia get back, you and I can go hunting for breakfast," Phoebe said. "It'll do you some good - help clear your head."
"Yeah," Lucia agreed. She tried to catch Phoebe's eye. Phoebe wasn't usually one to hide how she felt.
Phoebe, however, returned to tending the fire.
Lucia observed her for a few more seconds before deciding to let her be. She could mention Phoebe's slightly odd demeanor to Artemis later, but there was no need to pry now.
Lucia stood up. "I'm going to change into some jeans and see if Melissa's awake. She might want to join us."
"Alright - sounds good," Phoebe replied. "Demetria and Elaia should be back any second. We can go whenever you're ready."
Lucia nodded and disappeared into her tent.