The Throne Room of the Gods remained silent as the waited for what the king would do. Zeus stayed perfectly silent for a few moments before thunder cracked above him, startling the gods.
"Dismissed," Zeus said, his voice calm but carrying across the hall. The others gods stood from their thrones and bowed low before flashing away one by one.
Zeus sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Hands wrapped around his arms, and he looked behind him to see Hera draping herself over his shoulders. She ran her hands up and down his arms, looking lost in thought. She hummed, looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and said, "Artemis truly is very loyal to her hunters."
"Yes," Zeus said, not really knowing where Hera was going with this.
"I have always admired that about her," Hera continued, "It is very rare that someone so undyingly loyal comes along," her expression hardened, "So, it would be no assumption to say that you knew she would react that way to your question. Therefore, the real question is…why did you act that way, dear?"
Zeus looked at his wife, and said, "It was a simple test. I do them every few centuries. I started because I wanted to see how the bonds have changed between them. Now though, I know of their eternal loyalty to each other, so I just do it to keep her on her toes."
Hera sighed, and sat back down gently on her throne beside his, "Doing that will only making them not trust you. You need to let them come to you as they like."
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
Persi drifted in and out of sleep, never really waking up. She heard soft voices above her, probably other hunters, and the hum of their speaking only helped to keep her asleep. It was nice. Persi hadn't felt so safe and warm in a long time, and she was content to stay like that fovever. The warmth deepened as she felt someone moving her around. Persi was placed into an even warmer spot, that she practically melted into.
After a while, Persi finally opened her eyes, slightly, and was blinded by the light. She shifted uncomfortably, and someone started rubbing soft circles on her back. She opened her eyes, but couldn't see anything through the fog of sleep. She waited for her eyes to adjust, and looked around. The hunter were all laying around her in a pile, leaning into each other. Some were talking in hushed voices, trying not to wake up the others.
Persi yawned, and the hand returned to her back. She looked up, and tried to jump back. Her limbs wouldn't cooperate, and it came out as more of a wiggle. She felt almost like jelly, and her skin flush a deep blue with embarrassment. Giggling erupted above her, and she looked back up.
"Sorry, My Lady," Persi mumbled, embarrassed that she was sitting in her lap.
The hand on her back started rubbing calming circled, and Artemis said, "I don't mind, Μικρὸς Λύκος."
Persi relaxed completely at the reassurance, and let out a sigh of relief. She leaned against Artemis's chest, and snuggled into her. Artemis wrapped her arms around Persi, keeping her close.
"Where did you go," Persi asked, her voice quiet.
Artemis hummed softly, and said, "I was punishing Gabe for hurting you."
Persi looked up, surprised at the honesty. A smile crossed her face, and she whispered, "Thank you."
A few moments passed before Artemis asked, "Perseis?"
Persi hummed, to comfortable to respond.
Artemis continued, "We're you surprised by my honesty."
Persi nodded slightly, and Artemis grabbed Persi's shoulders. She looked to child in the eyes, and promised, "I will never hide you from the truth, Perseis. You are certainly clever enough to have figured it out anyway."
Tears poured down Persi's cheeks, sobs breaking through. The hunters all woke up immediately, they only ever slept very lightly, and surrounded her. The pile tightened as they tried to comfort the young girl. Artemis stroked the top of her head, and the sobs turned into hiccups.
"What's young, Ὠκεανὸς παῖς," Egeria asked, appearing out of water right next to her.
Persi calmed a little more at the nickname, and snuggled closer to Artemis's chest. She said, softly, "Arty called me clever…I have never been called clever before. Everyone calls me stupid."
The hunters all looked at each other, and nodded. They moved closer, and wrapped their arms around each other, closing into a giant hug. Persi's breathing evened out as she felt her sisters around her. Her pack, the thought appeared in her mind, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought. They were, in many ways, a lot like a wolf pack.
"Pack…" Persi muttered, her voice muffled in the silky fabric of Artemis's clothes. The hunters smiled at her, clearly hearing what she had said. Some looked shocked, while others had giant smile on their faces. They had been waiting to see when she would say that; Persi didn't know how, but she knew that.
Astrid's voice appeared beside her, but Persi stayed still, "She figured it out pretty quickly."
Sophia giggled, and said, "Didn't it take you like a week to figure out the truth."
It wasn't a question, and the other hunters burst out laughing. Astrid flushed a dark red, but she was laughing with them. Persi realized that she could see them, even though she wasn't looking in their direction. Her face was still pressed against Artemis. Artemis leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "It's a pack thing."
Persi felt a wave to tiredness fall over her, and she blinked her eyes. Her eyes felt heavy with sleep. It was a weird feeling, being comfortable enough to finally fall asleep for an extended time, and Persi didn't understand it. Now that she was truly safe, it felt as though she could sleep forever and nothing would happen to her. She drifted for a while, before falling asleep to the sound of their voices.
{ ~ >^^< ~ }
The other hunters noticed immediately that Persi had fallen asleep.
Joan hummed, and said, "It's weird how easily she falls into a deep sleep."
Astrid nodded beside her, and said, "Yeah. Most hunters become very light sleepers when we join, but Persi is so different."
"It is because she is so young."
They all turned around as Zoe came into the tent, and stared up at her from their spots on the floor.
"What do you mean," Astrid asked.
"It is the reason I usually don't allow girls as young as her to join," Artemis said, and they around back around to face their lady, "Persi is a lot like a wolf pup. Young. Untrained. Needs to be protected. Since she is so young, the blessing didn't make her into a warrior."
"We will have to train her in our ways." Egeria said, before getting excited, "Can I be the one to teach her the Moon Dance?"