Luna laid in the grass, looking through her binoculars through the window of a house that the Huntresses were surveying. Their mission had started in New York and they had made their way down until now, in Tennessee. She watched as the former Huntress, Jemma, cradled her baby girl in her arms. She set the baby down in the crib once she got her little one to sleep and walked up to her bedroom to take a nap. Luna signaled for the Huntresses to take action. They silently ran towards the house and two of the huntresses held the window open while another huntress went through. She went to the other side of the room and grabbed the baby gently, making sure she didn't cry out. She laid a note in the crib that Artemis had given them several copies of. It said: "This is your punishment for breaking your vow. -Artemis and the Huntresses." The girl went back out the window and the two girls closed the window silently. The girl, whose name was Hannah, gave the baby to Luna. "Good work, Hannah. Take her back to the cabin at camp and give her to Elise. She's helping take care of the babies we adopt. As you rescued her, she is now your little sister and you get to rename her. When she becomes old enough to start training, you will be in charge of training her and you are responsible for her, now and when she's older. Take your sister and return as soon as possible. You have your moonstone, so you'll be able to find us again. Good luck, and may Artemis protect you." she sent the girl off with the baby, sighing. Another baby checked off the list. This baby made 3 that they had taken and they still had about a dozen more to go. She didn't like taking the babies, but they had to obey Artemis, and at least they were adding to their numbers, if they succeeded in taking all the babies that they had on their list, then their numbers would almost triple in size. They ran away from the house and made their way to the next address.
Mira furrowed her eyebrows as the Huntresses moved forward to the next house. She didn't like being in Tennesee... it was supposed to be noted for its circus performances, and she hated clowns... but the Huntresses had seemed to be safe so far, encountering only minor monsters that were easy to kill. Mira's training had gone fairly well as well... and also, she was practicing her biggest gift from Hecate: magic. The dragon encounter had taught her something about magic, and Mira was determined to use it. Anyway, the Huntresses were so far safe. Mira wandered away from the camp a bit - about ten feet, give or take - to practice magic and to find animals to use for meals when a red arrow appeared, not even a foot in front of her. Then it burst into a geyser of flame and disappeared. Mira screamed.
"Mira!" Luna ran over to Mira, who looked pretty shaken up. "What happened?! Is there a monster? Do we need to hunt someone down?" She got very concerned when one of her crew could be in danger. The huntresses bonded and they were all really close, like family, like sisters. She was responsible for every single one of them and she didn't want anyone getting hurt or left behind.
"Fire... arrow... there!" Mira recovered her wits slowly, but enough to recognize the patch of burnt dirt in front of her, clearly in the shape of an arrow. "It came from over there!" Mira pointed to the grove of trees. "Just a random red arrow out of nowhere... landed in between my feet and burst into flames!" Mira slipped a hand into her pocket, making sure that her little book of spell-gum and her dagger-gum was still there.
Luna raced over to the trees and looked around but didn't see anyone. Then...she notice two bare footprints in the soft dirt.Cupid. Who else would be following the huntresses barefootand shooting arrows? He's gonna pay for trying to kill one of my crew. she thought to herself, punching a tree. Artemis will be hearing about this. I'm sure she'll talk to Aphrodite about it...won't she?
Mira's eyes widened. "Look! Behind you!" She said in a whisper-shout. She turned her gum into a dagger as she slowly walked up behind the man. Then... he turned. She stood frozen in place, her face mixed with shock and terror. Thishad been her nightmare, her worstfear... and he was standing right in front of her. He was dressed in his simple white t-shirt and jeans, but his eyes were pure red, redder than the red arrows he was holding in the bow pointed at her face.
Luna whirled around, drawing her bow back and aiming it directly at the man's face. "Cupid, step away from her." Once he took a few steps back, she smiled slyly. "How did it feel? Getting captured so easily by a bunch of girls?" she asked, goading him on.
"Meh." Cupid shrugged. "I let myself be captured. But that is not why I am here... I came for this one."He turned to look once again at Mira, and she made a small whimpering sound. "No..."
"Why?" Luna said between clenched teeth. "She's a newbie, she's not valuable to you. She doesn't have any experience, and has hardly had any training." Why would Cupid want the newest girl in the crew? She'd only been a huntress for a couple days, not even a week yet. She didn't possess any skills that no other huntress had. If Cupid was after a Hecate girl, then why Mira? There were two other Hecate girls on the huntress crew, but Mira was the most inexperienced out of the three of them.
"Oh, my dear Huntress. Cupid clucked sympathetically. " On the contrary, she is very valuable to me. He studied the girl, staring at him and almost shaking with fear. "I know you don't consider her valuable, but... dear me. You must not have very much experience with me... well, of course you haven't. You're all maidens. But Mira... Mira is special. Yes, she is certainly..." Cupid smirked at the terror on the girl's face. "Different."
Luna growled and shot a God-net arrow at Cupid. "I do consider her valuable. Which is why you're only going to take her over my dead body...but wait...oh yeah, that's right, I'm immortal. You think that you and your motherare so powerful, but even love has it's limits." She grabbed Mira's arm and ran to the camp. "Huntresses! Protection circle formation NOW!" The huntresses immediately formed a circle around the two, their auras forming a protective bubble.
Cupid laughed as he approached the Huntresses. "Look at your dear little people, ready to follow you at the slightest command, jumping at your every request. Take Mira? Oh, no! I wouldn't dream of it. I simply wish to speak with her." His gaze was ever on Mira, who shrank away from him in fear. "Love has no limits, my dear little Huntress. And you're immortal unless you are harmed or killed in battle. I do believe that your past battles has proved that?" This was hitting a weak point, and he knew it. Phoebe had been close to allof the Huntresses, and her death by Orion had been felt deeply by them all.
Luna wanted to set their dogs on him but she had to remain calm, she was their leader and if she broke down, they would too. "Don't you remember what happened with the Trojan War? Your mother tried to make a woman love someone when she already had a husband. That didn't turn out so well, did it?"
'Well, no." Cupid shrugged. "Mother makes mistakes sometimes... but honestly, my dear Huntress, nobody's perfect." He smirked at Mira. "I'm sure your Huntress knows this very well, don't you Mira? My business is with you and strictly you, isn't it?" Mira trembled. "Y-yes, Cupid." With this, she grasped at some of her courage. "Don't... hurt them... C-cupid... it's me you want."
Luna grabbed Mira's arm, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Mira...you don't have to do this. Don't leave...please. I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt...you're like...the sister I never had...please." She didn't want to let go, but she knew that she had to let Mira make her own choices, so, reluctantly, she let go.
"I'm not leaving." Mira's voice was shaky. "We're just talking... right?"
"Right". Cupid agreed. "in private... but your leader, Luna, can be present." He led Mira and Luna a little ways away from the group, then faced Mira again. "So, daughter of Hecate... we meet again, yes? It has been awhile."
"I-I've never met you." Mira faltered. "Oh, I've met you." Cupid sounded amused. "Long ago... but I knew you'd return eventually."
"How could you have met her before now? She's our newest recruit and joined after we captured and released you." There's NO way they could have met before...unless Mira's spirit or soul has met Cupid before in another life...but that's not possible...right?
"Oh, my dear Huntress. Mira and I go aways back... Don't we?" Mira shook with fear. "Normally I sneak up on my victims, but... Dear me!" Cupid chuckled. "Mira was different. She had to be confronted, close up and personal. Some arrows find their way to the heart. Don't you agree, Mira?" Mira nodded, ignoring the fact that his words were pounding her brain.
"Ok, fine. But what do you need to talk to her about? You're just saying stuff that's just making her feel bad." Luna demanded. She didn't understand why Mira seemed so upset.
"Oh, no, Luna." Cupid rolled his eyes. "I have no more purpose here. Good day." Cupid flew away, and Mira collapsed.
Luna growled silently. He was going to pay, but that would have to be dealt with later. She helped Mira to her feet and they walked back to camp, Mira leaning on Luna with most of her weight. "C'mon, Magic girl, let's get you patched up."
"I...I..." Mira stuttered as she leaned on Luna, her teeth chattering. "I'm sorry..." She sat down and absently wondered what Luna was doing, but Mira's thoughts were mostly on Cupid.
Luna rested her head on Mira's and sighed. "I know...it's not your fault. Cupid can be a pain in the butt, literally."
"No... It is my fault..." Mira's eyes swam with tears. "The stuff he was telling me... He was forcing me to succumb... I had to give in..." The tears brimmed over.
Luna was confused. "What do you mean? There's no way that you could have met him before today. You weren't even with us when we captured and released him."
"No... I've never seen him, but I recognized him somehow. But he was talking to me while he was talking to you... Saying that he knew... Saying... Oh..."
"What...what is it?" Luna was more confused than ever.
"He was telling me stuff like... Well... He knew my secrets... He's been watching me since birth... I wasn't strong enough... I kept running away...
"Wait...WHAT?! Oh, when I get my hands on Cupid...it's not going to be pretty." she growled. When Cupid came after her, it was one thing, but when he stalked her crew?! That was another thing entirely.
"But he's right... I'm not strong enough... I don't have any real friends because I keep running away..."
She turned Mira toward her. "Mira. Look at me. You are strong. You took down a dragon all by yourself. And you do have friends. You have me, your big sister, and you have the other Huntresses. You are special. And NEVER let ANYONE, especially a grown man who goes around barefoot and wearing a diaper, tell you any different." She hugged Mira and rocked a little for comfort.
Mira sniffed. "You...you sure?" She wasn't very quick to believe her big sister Luna, and Cupid had been right... And he forced her to give in... He had snapped part of her that could never truly be the same again.
"I'm sure...besides, how can you take a grown man in a diaper seriously?" She chuckled at the thought, trying to lighten up the mood.
"He wasn't in a diaper." Mira pointed out. "He was in a weird sort of T-shirt and jeans and he had white wings and red eyes and looked like your typical Devil Angel of Love, modern style."
"Have you not seen modern day valentine cards? Cupid is supposed to be a baby, I think he's cuter that way. It makes it funny and helps us not take him seriously." Luna smiled.
"True." Mira shrugged, enjoying the older sister's comfort, the feeling that she had never felt directed towards herself... Love. Her childhood hadn't been the easiest, especially since her mother was a goddess.
She put her arm around Mira, "You wanna sleep in my tent tonight?"
"Yes please." Mira felt with every instinct that this was how her childhood should have been... And Luna was her mother figure she never had. Smiling like a the child she was, she followed Luna inside her tent.
Woo-hoo! Over 2,000 words! Yeah! Sorry about that... The wait and stuff. Got writers block and grounded.