Once again I've taken far to long to update this story and can only hope that you continue to bear with me. Let me thank you for continuing to read the story despite my irregular updating nad as always a special thank you to those of you who took the time to review or PM me. I hope you all will like the new chapter.
Last thing I have to say is that I will post answeres to PMs and reviews in the next chapter when ever that may be.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan do.
Aurelia's POV
Entering Camp Half-Blood at Artemis' side was really something else. No one, not a single Camper, would dare to insult a Hunter while Artemis was in a five mile radius, not even in private. The large wooden pyres for both Zoe and Bianca were already prepared as they arrived, solemnly built by the Hunters left behind.
They had been built in a large beautiful clearing inside the usually monster-infested forest surrounding the camp, no monster however would ever dare to approach this particular gathering, not with the entire Hunt and Artemis herself surrounding the two wooden constructs standing proudly shining softly in the silvery light of a cloudless night's moon. They were beautiful, in the most depressing, sad way. Both pyres were covered in amazing detailed silver shrouds decorated with scenes of life and death alike, of life struggling in defiance and of softly slipping away and embracing death, softly symbolising the cycle of life every living creature was subjugated to, even the gods.
"Tonight we have come together in order to grant two brave souls the farewell they deserve. Tonight we will mourn them in tandem in our grief, however with the first light of the morning we shall all dry our tears and live our lifes as they would have wanted us to. We will live on and keep them alive by remembering them and their deeds, what they fought for, and what they loved." - Artemis' voice was unusually soft but in the silent clearing everyone around could still hear her as clear as if she would stand next to them.
The crowd gathered for the funeral was slightly larger than most would have expected. Unusually in addition to the Hunters present for a pyre for a fallen sister there was Nico, who was allowed to the funeral seeing as Bianca had been his sister as well, Chiron, who never would miss the funeral of two true heroes despite past issues, and Apollo, who would give the last honours to the ones who fell saving his twin sister.
After Artemis had finished with her words to the others, in silence the fires were lit and the flames hungrily consumed the proud funeral pyres. Soon, catching the attention of everyone but a few there in surprise the crackling sparks of the flames, were caught by the wind and flew high through the dark of the night before seemingly settling in random places across the dark of the sky. It was only as the fires were had almost finished burning to the ground that the surprised yet solemn funeral-goers could finally make out a new form sitting in the night sky.
It showed two girls holding bows standing back to back, arrows at the ready.
"I granted them one of the highest honours possible. Only the bravest and strongest may walk the night sky. So that they can accompany us when we avenge them." - This time Artemis' voice had nothing soft about it, only strength and steely determination.
...
It was now a week since the funeral. The hunters having left Camp Half–Blood almost immediately after.
The news of Aurelia's promotion had been mostly well received by the rest of the Hunters. They were glad to have her as a leader seeing as she was everything they respected and looked for in a leader, reminding them of Zoë in a lot of ways. She was strong, determined, skilled in battle and completely devoted to the Hunt and especially Artemis.
The Hunters had also approved of Thalia as a new sister though most of them were still rather reserved towards her. It didn't go over well with them to have Zeus attempting to interfere in the Hunt's business. Still they all were a family and Thalia was now one of them, they would not let any harm come to any of the Hunt.
It was a cold winter morning when Artemis approched Aurelia. It wasn't the first time they had spoken since the funeral but those had been almost solely about introducing her to her new duties as lieutenant which had left Aurelia somewhat disappointed although she didn't really know why.
"I've heard that you could use some help with the bow."
...
Artemis' POV
During the last week Artemis had taken the time to watch her new lieutenant closely. In Aurelia she saw many traits which should have marked her as the perfect hunter but still there was something strange about it.
To many people with only a vestigial understanding of what it meant to be a hunter it would seem that while Aurelia was outstanding in her attributes, and her choice of weapon differed from what the others used, that she wasn't any different from the other hunters under Artemis' command, at least nothing more than a superficial difference. For Artemis, on the other hand, it couldn't be more obvious. Aurelia was not like the other hunters, her observations had made clear that she was vastly different, but on a very basic, instinctual level.
It was safe to say that Artemis was more than a little intrigued.
Knowing that further observations wouldn't bare anymore results, at least not as fast as she would prefer, Artemis had decided that spending time with the object of her curiosity would be the best way of action. It also was overdue to get to know her second in command on a deeper level than what they had now.
"I've heard that you could use some help with the bow." - Artemis stated to the young hunter.
Turning towards her leader Aurelia answered with mirth in her voice – "I am not as bad as the others claim. I swear it!"
"I can't let one of my Hunters be slacking off at something as crucial as the bow! Imagine the shame if my good-for-nothing brother were to find out!" - Artemis replied in an mostly serious tone, Aurelia was rather taken back for a short moment before she detected the tinge of laughter in her voice and hiding in her silver eyes along with an almost unnoticeable slight twist of her lips. - "To prevent that from ever happening I will be personally helping you. You are my lieutenant after all."
...
Standing at the makeshift archery range near their current camp the goddess and half – monster watched the targets placed a hundred meters away. For a master of the art like Artemis, or as Zoë had been, a shot from this range would be as easy and natural as breathing, however for Aurelia and many normal humans a shot like this would certainly be difficult. Though bolstered with Artemis blessing it could be done.
Watching Aurelia taking shot after shot, giving advice and improvements Artemis again began to ponder about her earlier questions. This was the third time they had met for an archery lesson like this. They would meet every second day in the evening after their duties for the day had been completed. And it proved to be a success, not only had Aurelia improved even over the small amout of time since she had started the training, but Artemis also had succeeded in becoming more familar with Aurelia every time they met.
She found that they both had much in common. They loved nature to a fault and were ruthless in the pursuit of their goals while both being completely loyal to those they loved. Also, both of them were part of the Hunt for similar reasons. Artemis had originally founded the Hunt to compensate for her lack of children and to start a family. Aurelia too had wanted a family and now as part of the Hunt she had gotten exactly what she wanted and would not hesitate to kill to protect it and everyone in it.
During their meetings as Artemis spent private time with Aurelia she had slowly came to the conclusion of what she had found so strange about Aurelia. It was in and of itself so simple she should have seen it from the beginning.
Artemis and the other members of the Hunt and Aurelia were all hunters true but there was a major difference between Aurelia and the rest of the Hunt, herself included. Simply whereas Artemis and in consequence her Hunters embodied the human side of what makes hunting, the one which stood for humanity's dominion over nature, Aurelia was of a more primal and older way of being. The Hunters stood for Humanities way of the Hunt, Aurelia however different, she was a lurker in the shadows, waiting and relying on instincts and her body to make the kill.
The wildness in her new second in command intrigued Artemis more than she would ever have thought. It was exciting for her to be around Aurelia and yet she didn't have a clear guess why.
"I think this is enough for today."
...
Aurelia's POV
"So, how did I do?"- Aurelia asked.
It had only be their third time practicing and she wanted to do Artemis proud, a feeling she knew all to well from her time training with Pan only this time it was even more intense. She didn't want to fail the one who accepted her in this makeshift family with open arms despite of what she was.
"Well, the bow will never be your weapon of choice," - Artemis started and Aurelia felt her innards twist in self disappointment, – "but you do better and better every day we practise."
Immediately she felt relief wash over her. - "I know that I am not as talented as the other hunters when it comes to the bow..."
It was a sore point for Aurelia to be lacking in the one thing her Lady was famous for. She knew that she was a skilled hunter and more than suited for the challenges ahead of her but still it bothered her.
"You don't have to be perfect Aurelia. I just ask for you to give it your all when trying but if the bow is not your preferred weapon then that's fine. And just between the two of us, I once had a huntress born from Poseidon. She was one of the best hunters I ever had skilled, brave, strong and loyal to a flaw but with a bow in her hand she was a danger to everyone and everything but her target. So I'm honestly I'm glad you even hit the target." - Artemis finished with a chuckle remembering one of her favourite hunters from a time long since past.
"There also is the fact that we don't know what to expect from you. Not only are you the first half-blood child of the Nemian lion you also are the first half-monster in the hunt at all. We don't know what you are good at, although we can make guesses with a high probability of being right. Not to forget that with the skills of yours I have already seen in action you are a certainly valuable addition to the Hunt, you can be sure of that otherwise I wouldn't have made you lieutenant."
...
Every night the Hunt gathered around the campfire after finishing their preparation for the next day. Stories of hunts and battle were exchanged and the day's events discussed. Every Hunter had something or another to say and the atmosphere was one of comradery. The highlight of those days would be when Artemis would tell a story. Artemis' stories were always something else, clearly she had inherited some of the same talent which made her brother the self-appointed god of "Entertaining".
On one of those nights, when the gathering was over and most Hunters were already headed to their tents, Aurelia approached Phoebe. The older Hunter was one of the few who didn't seem to be as accepting of her as the new lieutenant as others had been.
Through out the whole day she noticed how the older girl kept looking at her. The expression on Phoebe's face could best be described as guarded when she saw Aurelia heading her way.
"What do you want?" - The red head asked.
One of her duties as lieutenant was to get to know all the other hunters and getting a feeling for them. One could not command an elite group like this without an understanding of what each individual member could do and was like, especially with a war about to break out.
"Interesting how I wanted to ask you nearly the exact same question. I noticed you looking at me and thought that you might have a question you'd like to ask." - Aurelia countered not unfriendily.
"As a matter of fact I do have a question, just not for you." - Phoebe replied, - "I asked myself why Lady Artemis would choose you as Zoë's successor. You are not as old or experienced as almost any of the other Hunters, some of them centuries old, nor as long a member of the Hunt. I asked myself why you were chosen and when I couldn't come up with an answer I decided to observe you during your day doing your job. And finally I have come to a conclusion."
"And what would that conclusion be?" – Asked Aurelia in a calm voice masking her anxiety at finally finding out of what the other girl and most likely the rest of the veterans thought of her.
Phoebe took a long moment before answering apparently thinking of how to say what was on her mind. - "I have been a part of the Hunt since the Age of Heroes. Behind Zoë I had been the second oldest member of the Hunt... although I'm now the oldest I guess. I have seen what it takes to be the lieutenant of the Hunt, you'll have to be the unwaving rock in midst of the storming sea when others will despair, and more than that you also have to be a rock that others can hold on to and can help those falling to stand up to what faces them. I have seen Zoë and for a short time her predecessor handle this task. They both were strong females mentally, emotionally and physically." - Phoebe's serious but calm voice stopped for a moment, looking Aurelia straight into the eyes, before she continued - "Looking at you I can see the potential to be a leader just as great as Zoë had been, but I suppose only the challenges of this new era ahead of us will show for sure."
With that Phoebe rose from the log she had been using as a seat and turned away starting to walk towards her tent before looking back at Aurelia who hadn't moved and finished with a smirk – "And I look forward to stand at your side when you will prove yourself as a worthy lieutenant in leading the Hunt into battle."
With Phoebe gone Aurelia was alone, the others finishing in going to bed long before. With a sigh she sat down where moments before the ancient hunter had been sitting and stared in to the slowly dying fire.
Will I be ready for these "challenges of a new era" when they come around?
...
Lion's POV (Timeskip – one year)
It's been a year since he last saw his daughter. A year he spent searching for answers. There had been so many questions inside his head, too many to let him rest, and all of them revolving around Aurelia, his first born daughter.
Last year was only the second time he ever had seen Aurelia, the first time had been right after her birth. Back then he had left Aurelia with her mother, Lily, and the fool named James. Oh gods how he hated James!
But anything else would have been irresponsible of him.
He had no place in her life nor in Lily's. Not only would his presence have attracted all sort of trouble and attention, he himself had been in danger staying.
For all the love he held for Lily she still was just a mortal, an extraordinary, intelligent, and caring mortal but still a mortal, and he knew first hand how dangerous it was to give all ones love to a mortal. They had just no time to truly live.
To compare the life of an immortal and a mortal would be like comparing a campfire to a spark. One would still burn brightly into the night while the other had long since faded into nothingness.
That said, he was aware that some sparks could light fires which would spread over the world burning the old and bring about a new era, it had happened before, but still the spark would quench.
To leave them was a way to evade the inevitable feeling of loss and the pain coming with it, he knew that, he had tried to forget because to forget was still better than to fall into the emptiness again. The last time he had fallen it had been so bad he almost faded after this upstart Hercules killed him.
The name of his love had been Ἀγλαΐα, Aglaia. She was the love of his immortal life. Only Lily had come near the level of love he had felt for Aglaia in seeing how similar they both were.
After she was killed by her old village, for loving him, a monster, he fell into a raging killing spree in which he slayed without thought, terrorizing the village responsible for her death. Many heroes had come to stop him lured in by the promise of eternal fame but every single one failed, fallen before his claws... that was until Hercules showed up and challenged him.
It had been an uneven battle. Hercules was well rested and had come prepared for the fight while he himself was mad with pain not having rested or feed since Aglaia's death. That was not to say that Hercules wasn't one of the most powerful demigods to ever walk the earth, but even now as a god, if only a minor one, he would still be able to maul him if they fought.
Instead of reforming after he had been killed as usual, this time he had found his very essence vanishing. The only thing keeping him from entering the void forever was his wish to leave this world with a legacy before vanishing. This natural urge was what he had to thank for being here right now.
And here was now in front of a man he had known for quite sometime in mortal standards. They never had seen eye to eye even before his true form became knowledge to the one in front of him but this was the man holding many of the answers he so desperately sought.
"Lemon drop?"
...
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