Chapter Five: Law or Love

One would expect a trip from Sparta to Athens in antiquity to be terrifying for someone from the 21st century like me. With tales of bandits lying in wait to rob and rape, it would be a reasonable fear to have such fears. However, as Amber and I began to enter the wilderness and leave the battlefield, I began to hear the birds sing and draw my senses out into the surroundings. Animals ran and jumped through the brush. Ahead some ten meters, a deer and her faun ran past us. For the first time, I noticed no one shrieked, yelled, or screamed in the woods to break the peaceful ambience. I choked on tears as we continued to walk through the forest. I gasped and turned quickly at a gentle grip on my arm, ready to deck my brother or his kids for their trouble. The boys were usually wise enough to give me space, however.

"Nic, what is it?" Amber asked me gently as I caught the worry in her eyes. "You're not usually so easily startled around me."

I closed my eyes for a moment and smiled at her, "I can hear the birds and trees, Ames." I felt tears slide down my face as I let the sounds of the woods surround my senses. I laughed and wiped the tears away with a quick hand. "Do you know how hard it is to think with children screaming all hours of the night while their deliriously drunk father eggs them on without a care?" I asked before I laid my head into her chest with a happy laugh. "I can finally process at comfortable speeds and relax."

Amber smiled at me and only began to rub my back as we stood there. I couldn't help myself and moved to rest my chin on her shoulder. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

When I looked up from her shoulder, moonlight filtered through the trees and seemed to make Amber glow with unnatural light. Her clothes shimmered in the shaft of light and changed from leather armor under a white tunic. When the woman grinned at me, a stab of cold basted my chest. I backed away slowly from her and glared as my instincts flared. In a bloom of awareness, I could feel the presence of fifteen girls in the trees around me. In another flash, I had my blades in my hands. "Where is she?!"

The woman looked at me and shook her head. "(Slow down, child,)" the goddess said. "(I mean you no harm, but I cannot understand you.)"

For a moment, I wondered why Artemis could not understand me. English, my mind provided. Even the earliest forms of the language won't exist for a few thousand years. I shook my bead at her and sighed before I stowed my blades with a showy flourish. With effort, I forced myself to slow down and sit peaceably. "(So, how's The Hunt progress, Lady Artemis?)"

For her credit, the goddess didn't show any shock with the exception of a glimmer of shine in her eyes. Her hand flashed a quick signal, and eleven girls dropped into view. Part of me wanted to tear the goddess to pieces and find Amber quickly with less headache than playing nice with the goddess I hated the most out of all the immortals of Olympus. Without proper intel, I couldn't take the risk. I'd easily get lost.

I closed my eyes for a moment more and reached out through The Current, Amber?

The distinct sensation of a severe hangover met my mind. I also felt irritation and a hint of sadness. If I had to put words with them, Amber said, I'm sorry. I should have never let that bitch sneak up on me!

I sighed, For now, I sent comfort and tried to soothe Amber's melancholy. White hot rage answered me and almost made me cry out in pain. Instantly, regret flowed over our fledgling Karadim. I smiled and gently sent her comfort. I would have been content to stay in this state, but Artemis jarred me out of the focus I needed to communicate at this distance from Amber.

The goddess violently shoved me. A moment before I hit the ground, my eyes snapped open. I then caught myself and glared at her. Finally, I sighed and shook my head at the expression of almost rabid rage on the goddess' face. If you were any easier to read, Artemis, your emotions would be tattooed on your face. "(Speak.)"

"(What do you think you're doing here, you dog?!)" Artemis now vibrated with anger as she continued to speak. "(I know what you are!)"

I took a deep breath and tried to center myself in The Current. Dog? I thought, Amber's gonna skin you alive for that one. I blinked and stopped as the words sank into my mind. The words may have been different, but the tone matched Thomas note for note. A fire of rage welled up inside me as her voice morphed into that of Thomas in my mind. "You're a fag!" His voice bounced in my head like an elastic cannonball, putting cracks in my mental walls as it ricocheted around my mind. "How can you not like women? I never see you with a girlfriend. I know you're a sad cripple, but some girls find that hot!"

At my boiling point, I exploded and roared in a language neither English, Greek, or Mando'a. "(IT HONESTLY MAKES YOU MISERABLE TO SEE OTHERS HAPPY! DOES IT NOT?!)"

I blinked in shock as my mind caught up with my body. My left hand now looked like a furred tiger's paw with anthropomorphic dexterity as it stalled, centimeters from her throat. I'd seen fear before, and the look in this woman'seyes told me two truths: The goddess was terrified, and no one had ever had the guts to stand up to her bullshit before. Absently, I felt the fangs in the four corners of my mouth and smiled at the goddess. Artemis shivered and tried to shrink under my gaze. "(You are a spineless, spoiled coward,)" I snarled with a hiss. You better be glad Mother taught me better than to hurt a woman. "(You bear no compassion for the girls you claim to see as your own daughters. Your 'love' bears nothing, and. Your relationships are born from contract oaths, held in letter of law rather than real love. Therefore, you lead slaves rather than daughters!)" I willed myself into a calmer state and felt my Human form return. Then, I growled in measured Greek as my eyes continued to hold The Silver Maiden. "(Give. Me. My. Beloved.)"

Artemis glared at me. I could feel her power swell and looked up at the moon to see a fingernail in the sky. I wanted to taunt the goddess but knew animals fight the hardest when cornered. Instead, I simply moved to hold up my hands. "(We will leave you in peace and never bother you again if you surrender her to me now.)"

"(You dare to haggle with a goddess like I'm some merchant in the marketplace!)"

I shrugged, "(Just remember: I gave you a peaceful out,)" I rolled my neck as I spoke. Then, I focused. The goddess' legs wound tight like a deer waiting for a clear opening to bolt. "(Yes, better to run and save yourself. That's about your speed.)"

As expected, Artemis tried to flee.

A wolf the rough size of a draft horse jumped from the trees, collided with the goddess, and raked claws across her face. Down but far from out, the retinue of Hunters loosed arrows to try and save their lady. I watched in amazement as the wolf dodged the arrows by moving on all-fours. Then, the she-wolf launched herself at the nearest Huntress and snapped the silver bow in two like a twig in her jaws. The wolf then turned and stood between me and Artemis.

"They aren't much better than Persian cowards," I bent down slightly and scratched the she-wolf behind the ears. "I'd say the Persians were more polite. At least, they had the decency to let us know we'd be fighting in shade. Eh, Wolfie?"

Amber laughed and glared at The Lady of the Hunt, her legs primed to give chase if Artemis thought she could recapture the prize she sought. Artemis glared at Amber. Then, her eyes softened. The goddess bent down and looked at Amber with an odd kind of sympathy. Then, the goddess pulled Amber into a tight hug. "(I knew you were cursed by that vile Lukaon, daughter!)"

Amber wrenched herself free from the goddess' grip and sank her teeth into Artemis' hand. Golden ichor flowed freely from the bite. You are far from my Mama, you sick pedophile! The she-wolf then pinned Artemis on her back and snarled. (Before I came back to Nichole, I was blessed by The She-Wolf of Rome herself, Lupa!)

I grinned and fought not to laugh at the thought. Unbidden, Sif, The Great Grey Wolf lumbered into my mind's eye with Artorias' Greatsword held firmly in her jaws. My grin faltered. Sif growled and swung. I dodged with a roll. Then, I sprinted up to her with tears in my eyes and went for a quick death for the loyal companion. "Please, forgive me!"

I tumbled back to reality as pain blossomed in my arm. "Ya really shouldna done that, kid." I growled though clinched teeth before I snapped the shaft from the arrowhead and consciously deadened that area of my awareness. Wolfie, can you handle the predator?

It would be my pleasure! Amber flashed me a wolf's smile. Teach the pups how to truly fight!

I blinked, surprised. I'm starting to worry you spent too much time in Rome, Ames. I received a laugh in response before I turned my attention to Artemis' lackeys.

I glared at the woods around me. Under normal circumstances, the enchantments around the girls would hide them, but the magicks only enhanced the girls' signatures in The Current. As it was, I figured I'd play with the girls' minds a little. I took a deep breath and cleared my mind before I opened myself up to the ebb and flow of the universe. I could feel the power in the goddess and Amber as they dueled, but I kept my mind primarily focused on the Hunters with only a small portion of my mind lInked to Amber through The Karadim in case of emergency. They swirled and danced in The Current like leaves on the surface of water. With a non-native sensitivity akin to an Ashla variation of Darth Nhilis' mask which the girls used thanks to their patron, it would have been easy to slam a dam down between The Hunters and The Current with the sensitivity at the level of only a superficial linkage, but that would be far too quick a victory.

Instead, I simply sat and tuned my mind to The Current. As it rolled over and though me, The Current carried with it frustration and anticipation from the girls positioned in hides around me. It's so cute thinking they can hide from me, I thought even as I continued to meditate. After approximately forty-five minutes, I felt the frustration slowly begin to edge toward fear and uncertainty. Then, one of the girls fired. I sprang into action at attacked with my blades. I stayed too close to each Hunter by turns for her to reliably shoot without a risk of friendly fire. As I worked, I made sure to strike by nonlethal means and disarmed each girl before I gathered them in the center of the camp.

When I looked up from restraining the final girl, I smirked as Amber had Artemis over her shoulder while the goddess kicked, flailed, and screamed like the spoiled brat she was."What do you want to do with them, Ames?"

Amber shrugged and purposefully pushed the goddess off her shoulder with the motion. Then, she looked at me with puppy eyes, "Woodchipper?!"

I blinked in confusion because I could swear I hear a tail wag back and forth as Amber continued to grin at me. Instead, I opted to Gibbs slap her lightly. "Rule 11, Wolfie," I told her. "Also, I need a sitrep. What the Pit happened in Rome?!"

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