"Yes, the Hydra species had its originator in the Lernean Hydra. It is immortal, and a cunning foe. One that does not forget it's grudges either. We have hunted the Lernean Hydra many times before, when it crawled out of its mountain lairs, reformed and ready to prey on mortals."
...
Zoe and Phoebe were nodding, recounting their run ins with the Immortal Hydra. Artemis did not like fighting the beast. It offered no reward, and it was a dangerous affair. The Hunt had lost a Hunter last time they had fought the beast.
"How many times as the Hunt killed the Hydra?" Mara spoke up, her bow at her side.
"4, isn't it, My Lady?" Phoebe responded, looking to her.
"4 for the Hunt," Artemis agreed, yet the all too familiar memories of this beast reared themselves, "5 for myself, however."
"What?! Thy has never told me this!" Zoe said sharply, and Artemis smirked, seeing a flash of Zoe's competitive streak show itself for a moment.
Artemis looked at her lieutenant, whose onyx eyes were questioning. But some of her hunters proved to be very astute.
"Wait… does that mean you killed it… during the Expedition with him?" Victoria said cautiously. The girl was a veteran of one of the Lernean Hydra Hunts, that took place in the sewers of London in the seventeenth century, which was one of their more… interesting hunts.
Artemis looked back to Zoe, whose black eyes had a flash of understanding now.
"Yes, I did. If you would like to hear the story, I would be welcome to tell it. We must wait for the cover of darkness to attack the Hydra, with all of the mortals being around during the day.
"But My Lady, the demigods moving west…"
"Will have to wait Zoe." Artemis cut in. "I will not leave a foe such as the Lernean Hydra to remain here, gorging itself of mortals and demigods alike."
That image seemed to put the Hunters in a vengeful mood, including Zoe. She had shared the suffering of watching Hunters die to the Hydra.
"My Lady, where did you fight the beast during the Expedition?" Angelina asked, as she settled back against the pillar.
Artemis too found seating, on the back of a bench, where she could sit and speak to all her Hunters.
"It seems fate has a way of repeating things… for I fought the Lernean Hydra at Tyre, with him at my side…" Artemis smiled fondly, looking at her hands.
Artemis rubbed the course sand into her palms, letting the fine grains clean them of dirt and sweat. She could only trust in Athena now, to watch over her Hunt. No arching pain, nor overwhelming despair had taken hold in her yet. This was a small comfort, as Artemis surveyed the ongoing siege.
It had been some weeks since the burning of Old Tyre, and the beachhead had grown to be a busy place. Dozens of ships were pulled onshore, serving as beach tents and barracks for soldiers. The entire army lay spread out amongst the beach and sand dunes. Some of the men were new, to her vexation, as Phoenician and Macedonian ships sailed in to join Alexander's siege. She had already punched a Macedonian sailor for daring to proposition her as he came ashore. Fortunately, Perseus had been there to turn the rest of the crew away.
She hadn't yet told him of her encounter with Aphrodite, and she almost considered not telling him. He had found her that day after the Love Goddess has disappeared, and she had been… relaxed around him. They had spoken of the senselessness of sacking Old Tyre, and the cost of the lives lost. It was the first sense of Perseus's unease with Alexander.
The emotion only continued with the siege's continuance.
"Cleoxene!" Perseus called, walking up to her from the direct of the beach.
"Perseus… looking clean as ever." Artemis responded lightheartedly, watching his familiar form climb the sand dunes.
He sat down at her side and began to rub sand on is arms and legs. She had dirty hands from freshly sharping her arrows and blades on a whetstone. But Perseus was covered in rock dust and mud from his sandaled ankles to his light tunic and hair.
"Building the mole is hard work, its amazing how far we've come."
Artemis had to concede that point. In front of them both, between two beach ships, there was an earthen walkway that had been taking shape for a week now. It was already two ship lengths long and had the width of two ship decks. It was midday, and there were dozens of men and pack animals shipping dirt and timber from Old Tyre to construct such a passageway."
"I'll remember to give Alexander the credit he deserves." Artemis answered, sourness coming into her voice. They didn't sit far from the two graves they had dug together, and she would never forgive Alexander for their deaths.
Perseus glanced sidelong at her, before turning his attention back to the mole, "You know I had no say in the burning of Old Tyre. I tried to convince him otherwise. He… doesn't listen to me."
That was the sad truth of it. Artemis had stood next to Perseus in another Council meeting, where Alexander had outlined his plans to take the city of Tyre. It was a respectable plan, a long, drawn out siege that reminded Artemis of a python, coiling around its victim in a stranglehold. But then Alexander had expressed that none would leave Tyre alive.
"He's changed, from the boy I remember. He was always bull-headed, but he was never…"
"Cruel?" Artemis finished for him.
Perseus smiled sadly at her, "In a manner of speaking, yes. I know the Tyrians have been assisting the Persians in the naval campaigns… but this feels wrong. To murder everyone in the city over the actions of its oligarchy…"
"This will be a long siege." Artemis reasoned, looking over the progress on the beachhead. While impressive, it would be many weeks until the mole was anywhere near the walls of Tyre. And even then, the Tyrians still had dozens of their own ships that were currently prowling nears their two walled harbors. Yes, it would be a long siege… "A long siege to change his mind." Artemis finished.
"I fear it will only harden his resolve. Aye, it'll be long, but if we cannot take the city quickly, Alexander will grow impatient." Perseus bit back.
They sat in silence after that. But it was… nice. Artemis found the circumstances dampening, but for the past weeks, she had really studied Perseus. He laughed with his men, and the Pellian skirmishers. Alexander lead in the field but did not assist in the construction of siege engines, or the ever-lengthening mole. But Perseus was there every day. She, on the other hand, kept busy by repairing bows and fletching new arrows daily. Mundane tasks, but necessary. She needed something to occupy her time. When she wasn't at the whetstone, she stood at the edge of camp, on the highest dune, watching. There was the absolute certainly that Anahita would send her creations, the Simurgh, after the Expedition again. It was only a matter of when, and where they would strike.
"Lady Artemis," Perseus spoke up, ignoring her cover name as no one was around them, "Do the Gods and Goddesses… change?"
"Change?" Artemis echoed, the question catching her off guard, "What do you mean?"
"Well… I suppose what I am asking is if Gods and Goddesses are affected by mortals." Perseus replied, after a little lapse of silence.
Artemis looked over to him, curious if anything by his inquiry, but he did not meet her gaze, as he stared out over the water.
"I…"
She couldn't find the words. Had she ever been changed by mortals? A rush of the memories she had of Perseus flashed through her mind in a moment. Had he changed her?
"I only ask because, in all of the stories of heroes, The Gods are separated from it all. The consequences of their actions. Ares instilling war… Demeter laying bare the fields… Apollo even, spreading pestilence. Eris. Proliferating chaos." Perseus finished quietly, tones of simmering rage leaking into his voice as he named the last Goddess.
"Perseus…I fear that the Gods and Goddesses are unable to change. It isn't in our nature to change! We are immortal, and cannot grasp the leylines of mortality. When we fade away, there is nothing for us. No afterlife. Just… nothing."
"But…you are mortal. Does that change your view on the world? On me- on mortals?" Perseus asked earnestly, swinging his head to look at her with calculating green eyes.
"I feel that even now, I am apart from you. I am a Goddess. Being cursed to walk as a mortal does not change that. I will not fight mortals unless challenged, nor will I impact this Expeditions outcome." Artemis responded, though the words felt dry in her mouth, like a repeated mantra that she had been forced to read. She furrowed her eyebrows… 'No one forced her to do anything. She was a Goddess!'
"You helped us against Anahita, the Persian Goddess of War." Perseus reasoned, his gaze faltering a little at her response.
"Yes…" She answered slowly, "But you are fortunate that I am a Goddess of the Hunt. Had a Goddess like Athena been cursed to walk here, she could hardly fight alongside you in battle. No, I chose to help you against monsters because the Gods treat mortals like pieces in a game."
"And you don't want to be one of the pieces." Perseus sighed.
Artemis frowned, "Are you disappointed by this?" 'What was Perseus getting at? She felt that she was defending her case properly, but why was she doing so in the first place?'
"It's just… The Gods were always something I believed in but was never in contact with. Like a point of navigation, a star on the horizon. And now… here you are."
"Are you calling me disappointing Perseus?" Artemis cocked an eyebrow. Of all the remarks mortals had made about her in her centuries of interacting with the mortal world… that would be a first. She put aside the small jolt of anger… and indignation at Perseus's unspoken meaning.
...
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