III: Zoë Nightshade
To: Perseus Jackson
Son of Poseidon
Camp Half-Blood
Long Island Sound
From: Zoë Nightshade
Lieutenant of Artemis
Daughter of Atlas
The Underworld
Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon;
I wish thee to deliver the missive accompanying this note to Thalia Grace at thy earliest convenience. The son of Hades was unable to approximate the location of the Hunt and I do not trust anyone else to deliver this. Do not get smug, I simply do not know any other who could reach Thalia who are not in the Hunt themselves. Except the daughter of Athena, but I do not trust that she will not lose this in a heap of blueprints. Thou art the very last resort.
Zoë Nightshade
Lieutenant of Artemis
Daughter of Atlas
To: Thalia Grace
Lieutenant of Artemis
Daughter of Zeus
c/o Perseus Jackson
Son of Poseidon
Camp Half-Blood
Long Island Sound
From: Zoë Nightshade
Lieutenant of Artemis
Daughter of Atlas
The Underworld
Thalia Grace, Lieutenant of Artemis, Daughter of Zeus;
It hast come to my attention that thou art the new lieutenant of the Hunt. I believe our Lady Artemis hast chosen well. Thy soul is strong and pure, and thou art courageous; these are rare things to find in one who has endured so much suffering. It is a hard path that thou hast chosen for thyself, but I know that thou hast the strength to tread it. If thou ever finds thyself in need of counsel, I reside in the fields of Elysium, as I will for a good many years. My life was long, and I have yet no desire to live again.
I write not only to commend thee (for all that though thou certainly is worthy of commendation) but to advise my worthy successor. Our Lady will test thee; not out of malice or distrust, but mercy. She will wish to know if thou art indeed strong and courageous, as thou appears, and it is better to discover such things early. If thou art unable to endure her trials, thou wilt certainly not be able to lead the Hunt. If ever she doubts thee, thou must labor twice as hard to prove thyself to her. Not only will thou earn her esteem with thy persistence, thou wilt prove thee to thyself. That is one of the hardest trials I have endured through all my years; I have no doubt it will also prove arduous to thee. Whatever comes, remember that thou art the chosen of our Lady and worth twice again as much as any other.
I wish also to remind thee that our Lady rises early, and is much more pleasant if met with a Lieutenant who also rises with the Lady Eos, goddess of the dawn. Thou must keep thine arrows sharp, and always two dozen in the quiver, for our Lady is particular concerning such things. Make certain the youngest of the Hunt pack their belongings correctly, and that thy wolves are bathed most thoroughly following long runs. Have a care that thy boots are not scuffed or dirty, for our Lady despises sloppiness. Set the eldest hunters the watches in the dark of night, or if thou must set the young ones to watch, then thou must set them in pairs. They will not wish to fall asleep before the other, and will compete within themselves to remain awake.
Besides advice and congratulations, I also give thee a reminder. Thou and I are of like mind, and I do not believe that thou wilt wish to leave our Lady for many years yet. But thou would do well to remember that though the years do not mark thy body, they will surely etch themselves into thy soul. If, someday, some man makes thee wish to leave the Hunt, I prithee, follow thy heart wherever it may lead thee. To love a man is not a weakness, and menfolk are not all of the breed of Orion and Heracles. That was a lesson I learned rather late, and I hope that thou wilt remember it better then I.
That is all I wished to tell thee, though mayhap I will think of something else and write to thee again.
May the Lady Athena guard thee in battle, the Lady Hestia guard thy hearth, and our Lady Artemis, goddess of the Hunt, always look fondly upon thee.
Kind regards,
Zoë Nightshade
Lieutenant of Artemis
Daughter of Atlas
A/N: This chapter, I swear. I love Zoë, but I remain unsatisfied with this and I have no idea why. Oh well, hopefully y'all like it! Sorry it took so long, it's been a bit hectic on the home front. Nothing bad, just a birthday (not mine, unfortunately) and some visiting company. And school, world without end, amen. I get all excited for summer and being done and then my school books for next year arrive. Blech.
As always, thank you for the lovely reviews! I'm thinking I'm going to wrap this up after maybe two or three more chapters. I have a few other ideas bouncing around, but the most probable one is a bunch of Calypso/Leo fluff. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, I suppose. Any preferences for whatever might come next? Any suggestions for the next chapter?
5/3/2021