5 years before the Lightning Thief

Maine

Breathe...TWANG! Shallow breathing and the whistling an arrow filled the forest on a late Summer night. A dull thump resounded out shortly after, a body falling lifelessly to the floor. The moon shines through the foliage, revealing the body to be a young elk.

"I did it!" A girl shouted in excitement. Her auburn hair bouncing in tandem with her joy, silvery-yellow eyes glinting from the moonlight peaking through the trees. A rustling of fallen leaves sounds behind her, revealing a smiling young girl of tanned skin and dark hair. Her smile one of amusement and exasperation, long used to the antics of the young huntress. She strode towards the downed animal, kneeling to remove the arrow from its pierced neck.

"Well done my lady, although this was thy fourth try, no?" The girl stated wryly, sending a smirk down towards the pouting girl.

"No need to bring that up Aunty Zoe.." The younger girl grumbled, upset at the reminder of how many tries it took to succeed on her first hunt. She really wanted to impress her mother by completing it on her first try, however her inexperience and age showed.

"Don't be so downtrodden young Elenore, your mother will be proud that you've completed your first hunt. Even she had to learn the basics before she became the Goddess of the Hunt." Zoe explained encouragingly. She then gestured behind her to a pair of huntresses, clad in matching silver clothing, to help bring the body with them. "Let us not keep thy mother waiting any longer." Zoe warmly wrapped her arm around Elenore's shoulders, guiding her along back towards their camp.

"Uhn!" Elenore nodded in affirmation.

A wistful sigh escaped Artemis's mouth, the goddess caught in her thoughts of reflection of the past eight years. The Moon Goddess was seated on a fallen tree just outside the camp, her hunters giving her space. Elenore, her little moonlight, turned eight years old just two months prior. She hasn't been fully inducted into the hunt yet, Artemis fully planning on inducting her in when she enters her teen years.

Her introspective thoughts however were more on the torn piece of cloth in her hand, partially stained in dried blood. The cloth of course, belonging to her missing son Sylas. She was angered by the lack of evidence towards what had happened in the case years prior. However that paled in her fury in finding out how Tyrian had treated her children. Artemis felt the man was lucky that he wasn't still alive, lest he be subjected to her personal brand of divine punishment for his treatment of her children.

Her ability to manipulate the mist enabled her to procure the cloth from an evidence locker, hoping to use it to help track down her wayward son. This of course ended in futility, same as her ability to sense him through her connection to him as his divine parent.

"Just where are you..." Artemis muttered thoughtfully, glaring at the cloth as if it was purposefully holding the answers from her. The temperamental goddess still felt the burden of her guilt regarding her son to this day. Thoughts of what she could've done differently, not only on that fateful day but in the years she checked up on him as well. A rustling of bushes caused the goddess' ears to perk up, a quick stretch of her senses revealed who was approaching. A warm smile spread on her lips, her previous thoughts forgotten momentarily upon realizing her daughter was returning, successful from her first hunt.

"We're back!" Elenore sped over to her mother, her body vibrating in place with anticipation as she smiled at her mother. She rocked on the balls of her feet as she looked at her mother for approval. Zoe walked behind at a sedate pace, an almost unnoticeable grin on her face. Artemis hummed lightly, noticing the kill her huntresses carried behind her anxious daughter. She made a show of thinking about her daughter's performance, making eye contact with Zoe as she did. The lieutenant nodding in reply, her grin turning into a smile.

"You did wonderfully, I'm proud of you." Artemis beamed at her daughter, rubbing her hair fondly. She meant her words of praise, knowing her daughter had put in the extra effort to show her capability. Something she can definitely say she got from her. "A clean shot it seems as well, well done Elle." The girl in question perked up, before her curious eyes noticed something in her mother's hand.

"What's that, mom?" Elenore questioned, tilting her head curiously. Her mom startled at realizing she was still holding onto the bloodied cloth, and hurriedly rushed to hide it in her cloak. Smiling nervously at her daughter, Artemis replied.

"Just a reminder little moon, just a reminder." Attempting to steer the conversation away from something she's not ready to talk about, Artemis reminds Elenore. "Don't forget the Summer Solstice is in two days, Zeus and Apollo have been pestering me to bring you along." The goddess manages a weak grin, noticing her daughter widening her eyes at the news. She made a head gesture to her huntresses and Zoe, signaling them to prepare her daughter's kill for everyone else. She knelt to her daughter's level and lightly grabbed her cheeks. "I want you to be ready when you enter the eyes of the gods, every step you take will be watched." Artemis warned her daughter, knowing that any child of hers would face scrutiny from all over the Greek Pantheon. Even with her being a favored daughter of Zeus.

"I won't let you down." Elenore nodding determinedly at her mother, as she walked off to clean herself up. Her mother not noticing as she turned her head back, her enhanced senses that she shared with her mother able to pick up a very familiar scent from the cloth she tried to hide. The only question is, who does the cloth belong to?

A short interlude that I had admittedly a lot of trouble writing, it's just to show a bit of Artemis and Elenore at this point. It took me a lot longer to just brainstorm this chapter. Next chapter will be mainly from Sylas POV, which will come out a lot faster than this one did and will be much longer. Sylas will meet some Greek demigods who are in need of direction, and will take his first step into inserting himself back into his sister's life.