Chapter Eleven

Lessons

The group of children took Artemis' statement variedly. The punk teen stiffened into a short bow, shaking off the snow from the forced tumble when Blake shoved her down. She glared up at her savior but it slid off like one of Rei's playful bites. The invisible blob that had slammed into the three hostages, quietly stepping up to the punk's side, appeared after removing a cap from her head and got instantly tied up with a ribbon with a pair of glyphs spawning around her wrists to disarm her.

Weiss stifled a snarl of pain when they shattered near instantly, a shock of blue coursing along her fingers beneath her gloves. Blake pulled her into a hug and massaged the pain away after deeming the blonde neutralized. She looked over to Yang, expecting her to join her in helping Weiss through her ordeal, but found her observing them impassively. The blank look, devoid of all emotion, reminded her far too much of Ruby and she instinctively stood at attention. This wasn't the same Yang she remembered from before the Invasion, not anymore. The glyphs she received from Weiss and used with a similar mastery, frightened her, another almighty control Hunter she had to factor into her plans.

A skin of Aura wrapped around her when the other teen drew a sword and leveled it at her. It didn't break apart like a glyph yet she couldn't take the next step into solidifying it into a clone or a physical shield. The earth Dust swirled along her skin for a few seconds before she sent it back into her sheath. Yang could protect her for the time being if needed, not that she thought the boy could even land a scratch on her.

"Put the sword down," Both Yang and Artemis spoke at the same time, seeing the situation devolve. They both stopped, making this weird combination of a giggle and a snort Blake and Weiss couldn't help but find adorable before Yang gestured for her to continue. "Your friend appeared out of nowhere after a skirmish without announcing herself. Don't fault my Hunters for reacting to her presence."

Yang, Weiss, and Blake frowned at her possessive use but couldn't fault her as they hadn't discussed how to refer to them other than as allies.

"No harm done!" The downed blonde chirped from her place in the snow. She attempted to cut through the ribbons yet ran into the thin carbon steel meshed within, disentangling them instead.

The teen with different hindquarters answered next, kneeling hastily in the snow and yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so… you're so… Wow!" Artemis rubbed the bridge of her nose and sent Zoë a silent plea of rescue. Her Lieutenant shook her head and stepped to Yang's side, ignoring her glare.

"Whoa," The girl hostage exclaimed, both her and her brother with an olive complexion to make Blake's and making them wonder where on this planet they had come from when the rest of them were all pale save for Artemis and Zoë. "Hold up. Time out."

Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger to all of them in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who… who are you people?"

Artemis's expression softened, used to dealing with children, especially female ones. Her form shimmered for a brief moment before settling into something that matched the younger group's age. "It might be a better question, my dear, to ask who are you? Who are your parents?" Having done this before, it was better to have them question their heritage first before dropping the proverbial bomb on them.

She glanced at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis. "Our parents are dead," she started. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but…" She faltered after seeing Artemis and Zoë's face. "What? I'm telling the truth."

"You are a half-blood," Zoë answered as sedately as she could, knowing this was a difficult topic for many after her millennia spent walking this earth. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

"An Olympian… athlete?"

"No," Zoë said. "One of the gods." Artemis let a sliver of her divinity leak through, tainting her silver eyes gold.

"Cool!" said the brother.

"No!" Her voice quavered. "This is not cool!"

Her brother wasn't stuck in denial, however, dancing around like he needed to use the bathroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for–"

"Nico, shut up!" She put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!"

Yang had enough at this point, having dealt with her fair share of mental breakdowns through her century of rule. She gently bopped the girl on the head to get her attention and then sat down in front of her so she was at a disadvantage. "My name is Yang. Can I have your name, little ones?" She didn't want to use the endearing term but she was still a child thrown headfirst into a new world. Showing some kindness could do marvels.

"I'm Bianca, and this is Nico," she gestured to her brother, relief breaking in her eyes that she finally had some names to place to the many new faces around her. Yang introduced everyone around her in turn, raising an eyebrow to Artemis and chiding her nonverbally. "Are you also an Olympian god?"

Yang shook her mane of hair with a chuckle escaping her. "No, Bianca, I'm simply an ally of Artemis and her Hunters. I have no godly parents and I'm strictly mortal." Zoë snorted quietly in the background but was summarily ignored. "I learned about this whole Greek world yesterday so it's all still a bit new to me. I haven't yet decided if Artemis has told me the entire truth about the gods but how about we discover that together, hmm?"

Weiss swore her ovaries exploded at the adorable scene playing out in front of her, squealing softly when Bianca took her outstretched hand. No doubt one of the other teens would've steamrolled over their worries and said something along the lines of 'trust me' and expected that to work. Maybe it worked with them as they had other people to confer their claims yet they only had each other and didn't have an adult figure in their lives to trust if this bank trust of theirs was anything to go by.

"Oo!" Nico grabbed her other hand, completely trusting her sister when she made her choice. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how Lady Artemis shot him! Is he dead?"

"He was a manticore," Artemis supplied. "He is destroyed for now but monsters never truly die. They reform after a few hundred years over and over again and must be hunted whenever they reappear."

The punk teen deadpanned something about them hunting them in turn and the siblings debated about some weird occurrences in the past when they had definitely run into other monsters, concluding with Grover, a satyr apparently, getting assigned to watch over and protect them.

"That's why we've come here to help you." The male black-haired demigod chose to speak finally. "You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to Camp."

"Camp?" She asked, tightening her grip on Yang's hand.

"Camp Half-Blood," he continued. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."

"Sweet, let's go!" Nico exclaimed with all the energy of a young boy but Yang warned him with a tight hand squeeze. His sister was more level-headed as she protested jumping into the unknown so quickly, something she could appreciate in their line of work.

"There is another option," Zoë stated but clearly didn't think her option salient, gaining the ire of the punk with yet another heated glare.

"No, there isn't." She said and Yang voiced her thoughts right after. "Your Hunters only take in females. Even if you offered her the choice, she'd have to leave her brother behind. All they have is each other and I'm loath to separate them. You certainly won't, no matter what Artemis may say to the contrary."

Yang challenged the sudden rise of Aura pressure from the goddess with her own expression, subtly shuffling the children behind her. Pride warred with Yang's statement on her behalf but she conceded the point of not separating the siblings, at least until they were older and could make a decision for themselves.

"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis set aside the point. "We'll raise the tents and make camp around Yang's ship and treat the wounded. Blake and Zoë, if you'd be so kind as to retrieve our guests' belongings from the school?" Yang acquiesced to her order, sending her away with a deft nod. Zoë followed after confirming her orders and they disappeared into the light blizzard.

Artemis beckoned them to follow and the satyr almost tripped over himself to do so, recoiling when Zoë stepped in his path. She ignored the continued glare from the punk and made her way back to ship behind her mistress. As soon as they disappeared behind the treeline, the punk stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of her. She thinks she's so… Argh!"

"I'm with you," added the male brunette. "I don't trust–"

"Oh, you're with me?" She turned on him furiously. "What were you thinking back there in the gym, Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? You knew he was a monster!" He protested feebly at her tirade. "If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved. Now we have to deal with them."

"Now now," Yang placated, coming in with the voice of experience. "While the Hunters only recruit females, that doesn't mean you can alienate your allies. At least be civil." Unless you were an S-rank and could strongarm anything, she added in her head. "I stopped Zoë for a time but it will be Bianca's decision in the end whenever it comes to it." The young girl still grasping her hand shook her head, unable to imagine ever leaving her brother behind. She'd taken care of him for so long and she couldn't bear leaving him alone. "On the other hand, you have a valid point to your teammate, just delivered wrong, Miss…"

She caught on and introduced herself, Thalia Grace, and her team, the invisible blonde coming in as Annabeth Chase and the male brunette as Percy Jackson. Yang climbed back to her feet, still leading the di Angelos and made them all follow. "Take it from a former leader of nine thousand, that your team is the single biggest boon you can take into a battlefield. Whether you've been together for decades like mine or thrown together for an emergency, never give up that advantage for a moment of glory. Too often will it lead to not only your death but the death of everyone around you."

Annabeth nodded at her words, taking them for granted and seeing the obvious wisdom that came with them, especially with how close she'd come to falling off the cliff attempting to save Percy Jackson and the siblings. Percy chafed at the lesson but accepted it with a grunt, evidently unhappy at his performance with how he'd been held at tail point and almost abducted. Thalia, however, narrowed her eyes with suspicion at her bold statement.

"And what do you know about that? You mortals have no idea how our world works and you can't be that experienced. You barely look twenty-five."

"I'm around 112 years old," Yang stated without missing a beat, savoring the trio's stumble in the snow. "Team based tactics are not exclusive to your world. If anything, they're more robust with a lack of divine abilities, a sheer breadth of developers, and much more dangerous weapons that require intense planning and execution. Don't assume I know little as I look young or because I'm not from your world." She added with an edge that had them all gulping at provoking her again before continuing. "On the other hand, a team is only as strong as the weakest link. You have to have more faith that Percy can handle his own, that he made the correct choice in an impossible decision. What if he couldn't leave Bianca or Nico or risk them disappearing by the time he got back to you? What if his communicator broke, or he was captured to ensure their cooperation? You can worry about him but never doubt him. That doesn't make him the weakest link, but you. If you disagree, do it after the mission in private."

Thalia positively recoiled at that, both stewing in her anger at this woman's advice but unable to counter her points.

You're pretty good with the kids. Weiss signed over to Yang a smolder burning bright in her eyes, letting the girl stomp angrily behind them.

"No." The instant cold negative stalled Weiss, a deep frown etching on her face. She released Bianca's hand for a moment much to her consternation to reply with one hand. Ruby kept that rule for a reason, one I might relax under extreme duress IF you and Blake were anywhere close to ready for caring for a child mentally, adopted or not. Even after a century with Pyrrha, we both decided to focus on the Unified Hunters rather than work on a family.

My mental state is fine. She protested immediately, picking up Bianca's hand almost as an afterthought to prove her wrong.

You're a twitchy mage with no control over her powers and enough self-confidence issues without Ruby to drag you into combat and suppress them. She slammed the points home and Weiss shrank into herself. Any source of pity from Yang dried up and she tore into her as her superior. You need several WEEKS of debriefing to acclimatize to the end of the war with missions against this world's equivalent of Grimm. What you don't need is a child to run to so you can run from your problems.

She practically felt the gold lasers drill into her head as Zoë and Blake passed above them in the trees, laden with several packs. She didn't need to hear what they talked about, just read their body language, and promised to confront them when they made their way to the ship.

Yang sighed heavily and poked Weiss in the forehead, startling her from her misery. That's isn't a personal critique. Who you are doesn't matter to me. I fell in love with her, don't forget that. Who you are as a Hunter concerns me as we aren't Ruby and it's incredibly hard for us to separate those two aspects. One affects the other and I want you whole.

I was fine during the two dimension hops. Weiss responded, her frown deepening.

Yes, because we didn't know any better. Yang explained, brushing a strand of her hair aside and tucking it behind her ear. We became adults just before a war and everything we learned came from that. Even our relationships were a byproduct, while completely healthy, were dangerously dependent on Ruby as a lynchpin.

You couldn't have been that bad? Weiss prodded as they stepped into the fast forming camp the Hunters erected around them.

"I nearly destroyed Beacon after I overreacted to a perceived breach, forgetting the border patrols had orders to let a few past to test the school's defense." Yang drawled, dropping Nico's hand and leaving to Bianca's care. Rei, in her wolf size, bound from their ship, bounding across the snow playfully. She stopped several times to examine the curious weather oddity, attempting to catch a few flakes before slamming into Weiss with the force of an Ursa. "Combined with my penchant to destroy anything near me at the mere mention of the Invasion's aftermath, Pyrrha hid my credentials and forced me into therapy."

"She sounds formidable," Weiss stated morosely, Rei pulsing with a void to match Ruby's and devouring everything the heiress gave it, and more. Yang watched her self-doubt evaporate, replaced with the Angel of Vacuo that condemned thousands to their death on the field and millions more with her Cataclysm. She smiled widely, lavishing the Grimm with attention. "I can see why you stuck with her for so long."

"It helps that she's drop-dead gorgeous." Yang snorted, wondering where this helpful shadow skulked when it could easily have helped her with her problems. Normal Grimm feasted on negative emotions but couldn't strip them from humanity entirely, amplifying it in turn. Like her master, and Ren weirdly enough, Re'iyah could tear them from someone to leave a blank slate, one she could replace with stable love again without all the nasty byproducts the Forever War caused. Though, her ability only worked because none of them had any reason to fear her in the first place.

She only hoped her humor wasn't a facade for her insecurities. Wherever Ruby and her ended up, Pyrrha could hopefully help similarly.

A drop of blood escaped Weiss' nose at the memory of the red-haired warrior with brilliant green eyes. She rolled her eyes, her perversion both a defense mechanism against her childhood trauma and a personality the team nurtured because they did genuinely enjoy the shameless and open Weiss over the closed and acerbic one. Blake's curious gaze from the ship had her reiterating the conversation with as few signs as she could squeeze together.

Blake raised an eyebrow, conceding the point that their many wars had forged her into a much different woman than when she first snuck her way into Beacon. It didn't mean she despised what it created her into as she couldn't see herself as anything other than an assassin or guerilla fighter, entrenched deep behind enemy lines to wreak havoc on communications, command, and supply lines. She didn't need 'fixing', not that she believed that was Yang's intention in the first place. No, she needed a return to the normalcy of Remnant before the war, where Hunters strictly dealt with Grimm.

Though she couldn't quite remember what it was like to plan a mission with only Grimm interference without first vetting the area to make sure the Fang wasn't toiling about or a secret sect of a country's military hadn't snuck in. Or having to worry about their own Council's interference with some other pseudo-political issue just to screw with their forces.

The Hunters made camp in a matter of minutes, seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire with their ship completing the other half. Rei, still nestled in Weiss's arms, paid no attention to the dozen of white wolves that appeared out of the woods, howling in unison with them. She wiggled free and leaped at them playfully, tousling with her new packmates with abandon. Artemis blinked several times in confusion, the size difference throwing her off but chalking her up to another of the weird mysteries surrounding the team.

"Yang, why do you keep a Hellhound around?" She asked, taking a seat around the bonfire on a chair her Hunters laid out for her.

"She's a Grimm, though I'll forgive you for making the same mistake Zoë made," Yang called over her pet and had her sit for her inspection. She whined at having to leave her packmates, yipping pitifully and then bounding over to her new master. She sat at her feet and accepted her pets, growing in size until she stood at shoulder height, thin bone plating coalescing from her body to protect her head, shoulders, and front paws. "Usually intensely aggressive, she used to belong to our leader until her passing."

Artemis' suspicion disappeared at the mention of her, softening into melancholy when those early morning drunken memories staggered to her mind. It wasn't hard to see or hear how she absolutely loved her, almost to the point of fanaticism. That level of devotion she usually attributed to the more… avid demigods, not to mortals. Well, not outside those antagonistic Abrahamic cults.

Still, to evoke that much devotion, that much love without being a deity to feed off of it, she must've been something. If she wasn't partnered to Weiss, she'd suspect much more than a simple leader-subordinate relationship.

"What's her name?" Artemis extended a hand to the black wolf.

"Re'iyah, but we just call her Rei for short." She nudged the wolf forward and she behaved like any puppy meeting a new person. Rei practically leaped onto the goddess, licking her face much to her consternation until she calmed her down with a few head scratches. The Grimm whined pitifully, meeting her gaze, before curling around her feet. "She's confused. You and our leader shared the same eyes."

"I've never had a child." She remarked.

Yang raised an eyebrow, again challenging her. "Not by blood." She gestured to her Hunters, slowly finishing their unpacking and gathering around the campfire. Artemis nodded gratefully, relieved someone finally realized what they meant to her. The wind didn't bother them while within the camp confines, the snow falling gently and all of them conversing in quiet tones while roasting marshmallows.

That left the mission fireteam sequestered between them and her fireteam, awkwardly attempting to settle themselves into an unfamiliar environment. Grover still made puppy eyes at Artemis, something she ignored resolutely, Thalia sat in a stupor glancing at Yang and Percy, and the other two gravitated to the di Angelos siblings nestled next to them, answering their questions to the best of their abilities. Weiss and Blake both listened in with one ear, absorbing any tidbits of information.

"Campers," Artemis stated loudly, silencing the background talk amongst them. "Forgive my Hunters if they don't welcome you. We rarely have boys in this camp as they're usually forbidden from contact with my Hunters. Don't flirt with them and they won't harm you." Zoë idly twirled a finger in the air and mimicked a pair of horns sprouting from her head from her place behind Yang. Artemis shooed her away wearily. "To my Hunters, behave. They will remain with us until I can get you to camp with my brother in the morning."

They all protested at that but a sharp reminder that their only other option was getting crammed into Yang's ship again silenced most of them.

"I must hunt a creature I've not hunted in millennia, prey so old I've nearly forgotten." She muttered, staring at her Lieutenant. They had learned much from their reconnaissance. "Alone, Zoë. I will not risk the Hunt in this. Between you, Yang, and Apollo, you can keep my girls safe until I return by the Winter Solstice."

Yang nodded, accepting the duty without question. It got her her meeting with Apollo sooner than expected and if he was anything like Artemis, he'd be a delight to fight or flirt with.

"For now, rest. Apollo will be here in the morning." She stretched, standing from her seat before addressing the Hunt again. "I will return at daybreak. Do not aggravate Yang by attempting to recruit Bianca." She disappeared in sparkles of moonlight to drive her chariot across the sky.

The campers turned to her in confusion, wondering why a goddess of all things was warning them off a mortal. They were still somewhat stunned Artemis hadn't immediately slammed her down for her challenge to Bianca after their skirmish. She didn't look menacing, Zoë throwing her a pack of marshmallows and chocolate while attempting to feed them to the black shadow creature they dared not anger for fear of the goddess turning on them.

Re'iyah chewed at the squishy white treat, tearing it to shreds and covering herself in sticky strings. The chocolate she similarly decimated, dark streaks mingling with her form with nothing ending up in her stomach. Yang laughed rambunctiously, doing her best to remove everything she ate. "She can't eat regular stuff. She feasts on negative emotions. Whenever you're sad or angry, she gravitates to that and takes it from you."

"Thy pet is confusing," Zoë complained with no real bite, rubbing her head and smiling when she curled up in her lap. She didn't know quite what to make of this creature, looking almost like a Hellhound but didn't show any of the aggression

"Yeah, and the existence of Greek gods isn't" Yang retorted, Zoë giving her a point. Contrary to how Yang expected her team to take the revelation of these so-called gods after their combat against Salem and Ozpin, Blake and Weiss didn't seem to care. Not in complete apathy, but along the lines of nothing bothering to differentiate between the superpowers of Remnant and the Greek ones.

To them, it was a continuation of their endless struggle, not a break from it.

She was the odd one out.

The survivor.

She wanted to change them, to repair the damages of their wars, but maybe they were actually mentally stable beyond their lack of Aura control. Weiss seemed fine, a little shaken given her death and the new scars that wracked her body in pain whenever she exerted her Semblance, but mentally fine. She was still a pervert without a mouth filter. She still had her Aura, was a tactical genius, and could still be a bitch with a heart of gold.

Blake on the other hand was her usual caustic self. Quiet to a fault, stubborn and unafraid to smack her leaders if she thought them wrong. Loyal to a fault as well, still clinging to them despite all of them knowing she could survive easier without them weighing on her shoulders. That fear never went away, remembering the many times Ruby sent her out with only one of Weiss' tracking glyphs. Weeks could go by without word from her until she returned without fanfare, a new assassination or sabotage trickling in as rumor.

Artemis watched from above as Zoë attempted to catch a marshmallow from the air. Weiss caught it in a glyph when it inevitably bounced off her lips, blue lines of energy streaking across her gloveless fingers again when it broke. She hadn't seen her so carefree in a long time, not since she took her to visit her old haunt in Ephesus. No doubt she was worried about her impending hunt but she took to the team far quicker than she expected. Locked in her teenage years reminded her too often she was only two millennia younger, and with her mostly choosing to remain in a similar form for the rest of her girls, she rarely got the chance to speak or interact with others as adults.

She, by default, took the role of a mother figure and while she did often talk to her, her own divinity kept her separated. They'd be good for her, adult figures she could relate to if only because they weren't divine and not trapped in their teenage years. She had nothing to fear about them corrupting her girls other than perhaps having to reveal the exact meaning of her oath since she took it.

She did her best not to think about the seeming lie she'd kept from her girls for the better part of their existence. Apollo, for all the shit she gave him, was a better brother than she'd ever admit to him aloud. He'd always known about the oath and he never even brought it up just to taunt her, fearing the absolute tantrum Zeus would throw. Apollo and Hermes could do whatever they wanted but Chaos-forbid Athena or her decide to pursue anyone. He was immensely happy when they both swore off men and left it at that.

Somehow her brother and only Hestia ever really bothered thinking about why she constantly surrounded herself with women. Some of the other Olympians probably had suspicions but either didn't care and left her alone or constantly annoyed her, like Aphrodite, in a game. She was still somewhat baffled she never noticed anything.

Still, it wasn't like she could've challenged her father anyways so it was still best to let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe she'd get a chance to rethink her Hunt after this war. Preferably where she could put Yang between her and her father's master bolt. Not that she didn't like her, she was a welcome addition to her forces despite her mortal lineage claim, but better for her to run off to her mother's island and throw her to him.

With a few hours left until her brother caught up to her, she observed the world below her, watching them all break for the night with Blake and three other Hunters post up to prepare a watch.

AN: Welcome to the new year. I'll attempt to keep updates to around once a month if not more than that if I can help it. I'm in the middle of home renovation and a new part of my career I need to focus on. Hope the chapter suffices your hunger. Drop a review and favorite if it did to keep up to date on all the updates. You can also follow me on twitter RoseProduces to see what I get up to.