The moon was high, as we marched through the forest tracking our prey. We needed to hurry, tonight is the night before the winter solstice. That's when Zeus will want a report on the hunt. We have followed these men halfway across Greece, but for some reason they have managed to stay one step ahead of us. This has never happened before, and I can see the worry on both Artemis and Persephone's faces. Someone or something was planning something, and it wasn't good. We were heading further away from the cities than we had ever been.
We continued running until Artemis and Persephone stopped ahead of us, kneeling down to look at the ground. When I saw the tracks I knew what they were instantly, wolves, probably werewolves, and from the size I knew it wasn't Lupa. So now we know how these mortals were able to stay so far ahead of us, Lycaon, the king of werewolves was helping him. Time to hunt us a wolf. We'd had scraps with them before, it never ended well. As we all started checking our silver weapons, we were stopped in our tracks by a loud growl to our left. As we turned I leaped back just in time to avoid the large paw adorned with shiny silver claws slash where my head was just previously. Out from the trees walked a large lion with golden fur, almost twice the size of the largest bear I've ever seen and sparkling fangs, roaring loudly towards us. Within a second silver arrows started bouncing off or breaking against its fur. As it went to step towards me again Phoebe cracked it on the back of its head with the end of her spear.
It stumbled forwards, not expecting the hit, when Persephone struck. Two swords out she did a full spin before hitting both of the lion's back legs. A hit that would have normally taken a monster down, but this was the Nemean Lion, and the only person I knew of that had taken it down was that vile man Heracles. So I have no idea how we are going to survive this, but we will do our best to take it down. It spun with a quickness I didn't expect from a beast this large, with its claw it swiped towards Persephone forcing her to dance away from the repeated attacks, her movements were so precise and fluid, no one in the hunt could match her when it came to evading attacks, not even Artemis. She looked like she was in a beautiful and deadly dance with the beast, narrowly avoiding everything. Until she overstepped, landing on a pad of wet leaves her foot flew forwards and she went down fast. Recovering she rolled just before the claw came down right where her chest would have been, only catching her shoulder. Grazing her shoulder he sliced a shallow cut, deep enough to cause a good amount of blood but not a danger to her life.
Immediately after cutting Persephone all us hunters moved to attack the lion and defend our new Lieutenant, but paused when we saw the Lion, completely frozen in place just looking at his paw. It lifted his paw up to his nose and looked to smell it before it just stopped growling and what not. It just layed down looking at Persephone and just put his nose to the ground. Artemis stepped forwards and gave Persephone a piece of ambrosia.
"It's safe, Persephone, he's not attacking. It is almost like he's asking for your forgiveness. It's like he recognizes your scent from somewhere. Come on, put your hand out for him, trust me." Artemis spoke from beside a still on edge Persephone.
Persephone hesitantly reached her hand out towards one of the deadly monsters in all history, the second her hand touched the top of the lion's head a loud purr came from the beast. Looking up at her the lion gave a quick lick on the palm of her hand. Before going forward quickly, tackling Persephone to the ground with a oof, causing all of us to raise our bows before we were stopped by Persephone laughing. A sound I haven't heard in a while, looking around the large head I saw Persephone smiling while trying to block her face from the tongue that would stop licking her. Persephone finally was able to push the lion off of her and stand up, without missing a beat she looked right at Artemis with the same face she uses whenever she wants two pomegranates instead of one.
"Can I keep him? Please?" I almost laughed hearing her say that to Artemis, I figured it would be a quick no but looking at her, I knew Persephone was going to be keeping it. Artemis tries to hide her emotions a lot but us hunters have developed an ability to see past her neutral expression.
Looking back to Persephone when she almost squealed glee before hugging the lion, happy for the first time in days. Someone asked her what she was going to name it and Persephone looked thoughtful for a minute.
"I'm going to name him Iapetus. After my uncle." To say I was shocked to hear her say that would be an understatement .
"After my grand-father?" The surprise in my voice was evident to even me.
"I wasn't on earth for long after my birth but according to Nyx Iapetus adored me and he was my favorite uncle." She smiled towards me while petting the newly named Iapetus. Before looking back to Iapetus and pouting. "It would be nice if you were smaller though, then I could carry you." Before she could finish the sentence Iapetus started glowing slightly before shrinking to the size of a large kitten. In a second Persephone scooped up the small animal before rubbing her check on the top of its head. "Yay Petus, you're so cute."
I looked towards Artemis just in time to see her smile and roll her eyes before whistling and starting to move again. We had forgotten that we were even on a hunt when the Nemean showed up but now we had to finish it. It wouldn't be long till we got to the camp, then there would probably be a large fight. As we walked I glanced over to Persephone who was walking with a cat on her head with his front paws hanging down in front of her face, causing her to giggle every time its paw brushed her nose. We had walked for so long, just following tracks left by wolves and humans, that I am just itching for a fight and I know Persephone was feeling the same. I can see her rubbing her ring on her right hand, the one that hides her swords, a sign that she is worried about something. Usually related to the hunt, something that has become quite a regular occurrence since she became Lieutenant. She can sense something, I know it, I can feel it, but she won't say anything so that she doesn't worry about the rest of the hunt. She hides it as well as Artemis does but I know her too well I can pick up on her signs.
Instinctively I pulled out my bow, notching an arrow in the process but not drawing it back, seeing my actions the rest of the hunt follow my lead, with a flash two swords appear in Persephone's hands as she rushed forwards through the tree, Artemis next to her and us on her heels. Before she exited the tree line she jumped up on the side of a tree using it to push up further, landing on a thick branch before she jumped off it high into the sky, cracking the branch with the force that was put upon it but not breaking it off. As I came running through the treeline I saw her almost soaring through the air before she plunged her two swords through the chest of two men who were standing guard at the edge of the small clearing that they set their base up in. As more men came flooding out of the dozen or so tents, I raised my bow nailing the first 2 that got close to her with arrows right in their throats. I watched as Persephone with swords in her hands, blood dripping with blood, went forwards ducking one sword before jabbing one into the throat of one before beheading another without hesitating, moving on to two more, I watch her as she moves through the men almost twice her size in a beautiful dance, she moved so flawlessly not a single drop of blood was getting on her silver uniform, before she paused there was only a few of the soldiers left, looking at them she opened her mouth to say something when a cry to my left had me spinning in position, to a sight that made my blood run cold. Staring right at us all was a large wolf, with the neck of one of the newest hunters, barely in the hunt but it was clear she was dead, blood pooled underneath it as the body hung limp before it dropped and the wolf howled loudly. Before I could release my arrow a sword went flying past us nailing the wolf in the throat pinning it to the tree behind it before the wolf dissolved into gold powder.
"Oh that's just great, the little huntress whore has found a new Lieutenant to replace the pathetic one that was killed by that sea brat." Said a large man, his hair was greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looked like finger bones. His robes were tattered fur - wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others. The furs didn't look cured, and from the smell, they weren't very fresh. His frame was lithe and muscular, like a runner. He had pale skin pulled tight over his skull. His teeth were sharpened like fangs. His eyes glowed bright red like the wolf who had killed the huntress. "But I'm afraid it's time for you all to meet your ends at the hands of me, Lycaon, The Werewolf King, and my wolves. So now why don't you just lay down an…"
Lycaon was cut off by a second sword, identical to the other one that was thrown, slamming into his left shoulder, sending him flying backwards. Managing to stay on his feet Lycaon roared in anger, dozens of large wolves came rushing out of the trees, arrows rained down on the charging werewolves taking a couple of them out in the process. Looking towards Lycaon all I released the arrow towards his heart, turning towards me from where he was glaring at Persephone, Lycaon caught the arrow with his hand before jumping up transforming in midarm landing as a large black wolf bigger than some of the largest horses I had seen. Lycaon came lunging towards me faster than I would have expected, as I stepped backwards my ankle caught on a tree root and I fell backwards. Lycaon jumped towards my throat, I knew I was done, there was no way for me to defend myself when an even larger golden lion leaped over me tackling Lycaon to the ground. Lycaon's loud roar was like a puppy's bark compared to the ear piercing roar that came from Iapetus. Lycaon leaped at the lion's neck just to be swatted across and to the ground, leaping to the side just in time to avoid the sharp teeth that grazed his neck. Lycaon slash at the side of the larger beast, his claws casting sparks and it didn't even leave a scratch, Lycaon and wasn't fast enough to dodge the claw that came back towards him. Catching him on the side of his head and neck, Lycaon was sent flying, transforming midair. Four wounds ran down the side of his face and down to his chest, blood dripping onto the ground, Lycaon looked around the battlefield where he only had about a dozen of werewolves still standing, the ground almost covered in golden dust, mostly around where Persephone was standing slaughtering any wolf that got close. With a growl Lycaon howled and took off the direction he came from, the remains of his pack following close with their tails between their legs.
Looking around at the rest of the hunt I saw them standing over the body of our fallen sister, stepping up beside Persephone. I placed one hand on her shoulder and felt her jump.
"Are you okay?" To say I was worried would be an understatement, I was worried of how she would handle this one.
"Yes, she will spend the rest of her days hunting with our fallen sisters in Elysium. Now I have to talk to Artemis about what this means, girls clear out the disgusting man camp and set up camp on the other side of the clearing, I want guards up with sight lines everywhere, if a rabbit goes to the bathroom close to our camp I want to know how many pebblets there are."
As the rest of the hunt and I started doing what she said I caught her slipping into the tent that belonged to what looked like the leader of the camp.