"You will hear of what you ask for. I have… decided to tell you why I mourn on this day, every year. But before I begin, I must ask you all to think of me kindly. I am still Phoebe Artemis, Goddess of Childbirth, Wild Animals, Hunting, and the Moon. I have not, and never will be something other than that."
...
There was a still eerie silence, only the crackling fire giving off any noise to supplement the unnatural silence. Phoebe broke the silence, "Milady… please, what are you talking about?"
Artemis sighed, and sat down next to the fire, the girls nearest to her, Mara, and Christina, shuffled over to make space. She looked around her hunters, all forming a semicircle around the fire, with her at the center. Zoe paused and sat at the edge of the hunters, next to Phoebe.
"It was long ago. In the fourth century B.C. where Greece was divided with itself, unification against the Persians long from Greek's thoughts. There were terrible wars raging throughout Greece, and mortals and monsters alike caused severe losses in the Hunt." Artemis glanced up at Zoe and Phoebe, whose expressions had darkened considerably in memories that had been brought to the limelight. "Athens and Sparta had bloodied each other in the Peloponnesian War. Not long after, Thebes crushed Sparta, effectively ending their reign in the Peloponnese."
"Then, Greece was conquered, by a Northern Kingdom just south of Thrace and Dacia. A fledging Kingdom, that was surrounded in the mists of Fate. Macedon. The Olympic Council was in uproar. Although the Macedonian King greatly worshipped us all, the Macedonians were too proud and boastful. Zeus was furious, as their King, Philip II, elevated himself to a Godlike status amoung the people of Greece. He had temples, coinage, and monuments, all advocating for his divinity.
His actions in associating himself as one of the gods, even an Olympian, was a undertaking which we could not ignore. The Council was split on the road forward, but I abstained from the vote, seeing no cause to worry. Tyrants, Kings, they all fall, and Philip's reign offered no direct threat to the welfare of my domains. But Eris, the goddess of Chaos, did not hesitate or abstain from the debates. She bewitched a mortal, Philip's bodyguard, and assassinated the Macedonian King.
There was uproar, but many of the Council favored Eris's action, including Zeus, Demeter, and Hephaestus. But what followed could not have foreseen, for we all thought that that was the end of it. You would all know of Alexander III. Or is more common epithet: Alexander the Great. He succeeded his father and went on a campaign to the East which has never been eclipsed in success from any other journey. the Trojan War, The Odyssey, all pale in comparison.
Alexander III journeyed to where we gods and goddesses could not interfere, and then came back from oblivion. I watched his campaigns, from my chariot every night, even beyond the limits of our power. I watched the Macedonians do what could not be done, repeatedly. I watched from afar. And came too close."
The hunters were all enthralled with her tale. Artemis knew that they all likely some general knowledge of the campaigns of Alexander the Great. But no matter their familiarity, none had personal knowledge, not even Zoe and Phoebe could claim that. But both knew how long the campaign lasted. And that was all it took, as Artemis saw Zoe and Phoebe put the dots together almost simultaneously.
Artemis saw it in their eyes first, the shock, with fire illuminated in their pupils. "My Lady!" Zoe cried, "You were gone for twelve years! That entire time, you said you were hunting a great adversary!" Phoebe shared Zoe's outrage. Artemis distinctly remembered Phoebe had joined the hunt not a decade before that departure she made. She was a new hunter at the time, and with the numbers being low at that time, it must have been harrowing to be left only with a handful of hunters.
Artemis braced herself, looking over her hunter's faces one last time, before she let out a ragged breath. "I did not lie about tracking a great adversary. During Alexander's campaigns, I followed the armies' movements, beyond the Mediterranean, into the Far East on Zeus's orders. I journeyed above the Macedonian army into a realm of Monsters, Gods, and Goddesses that were unknown to us Greeks. During that time, I… I fell in love. I fell in love with… a man."
Heat coursed through her face, as she finally admitted that fact. Blood rushed to her face and she hung her head, staring at the flickering fire, which seemed to shimmer at her admission.
The reaction was nothing short of pandemonium. All the hunters erupted in white noise, and Artemis tried to decipher their tones. There was rage, confusion, betrayal… she clenched her hands onto her shins and rested her forehead down onto her knees.
"What?! How!? Why?!"
"With a MAN?! Men are why I'm here! Why I follow you!"
"How could you!? You are a Virgin Goddess!"
"QUIET!" The hunters' shouting immediately silenced.
Artemis looked up, hearing Zoe shout above the rest of her clamoring hunters. All around, hunters were standing, some had leapt back from her as if she was afflicted with the plague. Zoe stood directly in front of her, outlined by the fire, looking down at her.
Zoe looked neither angry, nor confused. Only hurt. That made the pain that lanced through her heart hurt even more, seeing her closest friend is such distress.
"Why?" Zoe pleaded, her eyes searching. Artemis looked back to her lieutenant. She had to remedy this for her, and for her hunters. There was no running or deflecting anymore.
"I did not chose this to happen, nor do I deny that it did… at least not anymore. Please hunters, understand that I still claim to be who I am. I am still a virgin Goddess. I always will be. But I did love, and still do love, a man." Artemis spoke quietly, considering the small flames that licked the wood within their reach.
Artemis continued, as she felt some of her hunters lapse from their outright hostile stances. "Alexander had a brilliant mind, who paved the way to victory in countless encounters over armies, gods and monsters."
A hunter shouted, interrupting her, "My Lady! You fell in love with Alexander the Great!?" It was Phoebe. She was soon echoed by the others, whom steadily increased their arguments.
"Of course not!" Artemis said sternly. The mere thought of loving that man made her angry. Her hunters couldn't have known, something she planned on rectifying soon. "Alexander was a respectable man, as well as his friend, and advisor, Hephaestion. But both had their flaws and positions I found detestable."
"Then who, who did you fall in love with?" Winifred piped up, a young girl from England. She had been with Artemis since the end of World War I. Artemis saw curiosity as well as the shock and hurt on Winifred's face. This expression was mirrored by many hunters around the clearing, except for Phoebe, who still looked angry.
'I need to pacify them all.' Artemis thought to herself, thinking of the consequences that could occur if hunters stormed out.
"Listen," Artemis said, gesturing to her hunters, "I will tell you everything. I don't want this being a rift between us anymore, especially when you do not know the full story. I only want you all to promise to hear me out. I do not ask this as your Goddess of the Hunt, but as Artemis, and as a friend."
There was a general murmuring from all the hunters, and Artemis began to study them all, looking for signs of acceptance. Victoria, Elizabeth, and Kathleen all seemed willing to hear her out. The trio were all very close, as they had all been accepted into the hunt during the French Revolution. Christina and Mara were nodding slowly, although Mara whispered something in Christina's ear that she couldn't hear. The only hunter who seemed ready to bolt was Phoebe, but Zoe had a hand clamped on her forearm, and Zoe looked over to her. Artemis met her friend's gaze, and to her immense relief, saw her give a subtle nod.
"We trust you, My Lady. You hath not led us astray, and I do not think thy will now." Zoe's confident tone rang out across the camp.
"I love you girls, as if you were my own." Artemis said softly, before she steeled herself, preparing herself to tell a tale that had long be held back. "In the time of Alexander, I first followed his army as it crossed the Hellespont, the same place where Xerxes had crossed to invade Greece. That night, I rode my chariot over and observed the army. Fresh, and ready for battle. Many were enjoying… activities with camp followers, including Alexander and his personal guard. All but one. I did not know then, but his name was Perseus, one of the Companions to Alexander III."
Many hunters wrinkled their noses at the Macedonian involvement with the ladies of the night, then Laura spoke. "My Lady, Perseus did not take part?"
Artemis smiled fondly, "No… no he did not." She couldn't ever forget meeting him for the first time. Her first memories of him. "I watched him, intrigued, until one of the women cried out, and he immediately leapt into action…"