Several weeks passed and her life fell into an enjoyable routine. Cemia was happy. She didn't remember feeling this carefree since before her parents were killed. She woke early, practiced fighting with Hercules, Iolaus, or their other friend called Lilith, ate with the cadets, tried to avoid Iolaus' practical jokes, and started to be able to find her way around the academy by herself.
But after a week of being cooped up in the academy after years of travelling out in the open, Mia ached to stretch her centaur legs and run. When the weekend break rolled around, Hercules and Iolaus were going to town so Cemia headed straight towards the forest that was nearby. She was about to change her form when she heard a voice.
"Hello." a man said in a very handsome slightly accented voice a few yards ahead of her. "What's a girl like you doing in a forest like this?"
Mia wasn't sure how to respond, so she said, "Just wandering. You?"
"Searching." he replied.
"For what?" she questioned.
"Purity. What do you search for?"
"I don't know," she said. "Revenge? An end to my problems?"
"Problems?" he asked
"My sight. A god took it away several years ago."
"Did you try asking for it back?"
Cemia laughed. "Somehow I don't think Ares is the kind of god who would do something nice just to do something nice."
"Who said anything about Ares? Artemis' sacred hunting grounds are not to far away. And it doesn't usually hurt to ask."
Mia had never though of that. And the stranger was right, it usually *didn't* hurt to ask. "Why not?"
"I regret to say that I won't be able to accompany you," the seeker said, "But I can at least point you in the right direction."
"Thank you. For everything." Cemia said as she left in the direction he had indicated.
The seeker watched her walk away until she was out of sight, then a wicked grin appeared on his face. "No, thank you." he said in a non-accented voice. He motioned with his fingers and his clothing was changed back to the usual black leather pants and vest. "With your help you'll soon be dead, and if things go according to my plans, so will Hercules." Ares chuckled evilly and de-materialized.
But after a week of being cooped up in the academy after years of travelling out in the open, Mia ached to stretch her centaur legs and run. When the weekend break rolled around, Hercules and Iolaus were going to town so Cemia headed straight towards the forest that was nearby. She was about to change her form when she heard a voice.
"Hello." a man said in a very handsome slightly accented voice a few yards ahead of her. "What's a girl like you doing in a forest like this?"
Mia wasn't sure how to respond, so she said, "Just wandering. You?"
"Searching." he replied.
"For what?" she questioned.
"Purity. What do you search for?"
"I don't know," she said. "Revenge? An end to my problems?"
"Problems?" he asked
"My sight. A god took it away several years ago."
"Did you try asking for it back?"
Cemia laughed. "Somehow I don't think Ares is the kind of god who would do something nice just to do something nice."
"Who said anything about Ares? Artemis' sacred hunting grounds are not to far away. And it doesn't usually hurt to ask."
Mia had never though of that. And the stranger was right, it usually *didn't* hurt to ask. "Why not?"
"I regret to say that I won't be able to accompany you," the seeker said, "But I can at least point you in the right direction."
"Thank you. For everything." Cemia said as she left in the direction he had indicated.
The seeker watched her walk away until she was out of sight, then a wicked grin appeared on his face. "No, thank you." he said in a non-accented voice. He motioned with his fingers and his clothing was changed back to the usual black leather pants and vest. "With your help you'll soon be dead, and if things go according to my plans, so will Hercules." Ares chuckled evilly and de-materialized.