Perseus paused, looking to her, "Lady Artemis, did you watch the entire battle? Not to seem rude… but why?"
"Don't presume to be able to ask a goddess on her intentions. That is your final warning Perseus. Don't test me." She snapped, before willing herself into the form of a hawk, flapping her wings madly, racing into the sky without looking back.
...
Artemis almost smiled at her rather frosty treatment of him, scanning her hunter's faces. She wondered how they were taking this so far. Their outward reactions gave her some degree of knowledge to their dispositions, but even she could not hope to see into their minds.
Angelina, who sat two places to her right, Mara in-between them, scratched her head, "My Lady, you really seem like you hate this guy," she exclaimed, "He sounds very obtuse."
Artemis nodded, "I viewed him as my reason for not being able to return the Hunt, he quickly fired up my temper. But he was very intelligent and a veteran fighter in the Macedonian army, as well as a close friend to Alexander himself. I respected that, but I had vowed to keep a close watch on him. Although… both I and you know where that led to." Artemis sipped her rabbit soup, very few mouthfuls remained in her bowl. Her hunters were all lounged against the grass, the rest having finished their soups.
Zoe spoke up, "My Lady, I will not deny that this man hath oft been… respectable, at least from thy narrations. But from whence did thy realize that you liked this man?" Artemis looked over to her lieutenant. The other hunters, followed and they murmured their assent to this.
"Oh Zoe… he became my friend. And he was that for a long time. Do not think I immediately loved a man." Artemis laughed, recalling their first adventure together. "After the battle of the Granicus River, Alexander's expedition headed south, along the Ionian coat, where many Greek colonies were liberated. There was scattered fighting, but most of the coastal march went without trouble. I hadn't spoken with him again after Granicus, but every night, the Macedonians offered sacrifices to the gods, and I had become one of the staples. Zeus, Heracles" Artemis sneered at that name, "Apollo, Dionysus, and I were the most commonly offered to of the Olympians. I still suspect he was the cause of that."
"So, you think that Perseus made sure that you were worshipped?" Anna asked. She had her hair braided, and arms cross behind her head, resting comfortably in the grass.
"I would be surprised to learn otherwise. He likely convinced Alexander. They were close, as I watched from my chariot. Alexander had his Companions, but his inner circle was a small group. Parmenion, Craterus, Ptolemy, Hephaestion, and Perseus were some of them. From then on, women were treated much better, both in the follower's camp and on campaigns… generally." Artemis frowned at the last thought. It was true, but his future conquests were something she would not forgive or forget.
Artemis shook the thought off. "In any case," she continued, "The Macedonian army was south of Sardis, the Persian providence capital, which they took after a month of siege, when they had their first major monster encounter. Most had been scared off by the size of the force and the tight security, but in entering Lycia, where the monster dwelt and protected its young…" Artemis drifted back into a memory, continuing the story to her hunters, but she was far gone in her mind.
She forced herself to not feeling the slightest bit impressed.
It had become a natural thing, for her sit on the back of her chariot, legs dangling in the open air, as she watching the camp far below. After the impression, which she gave, to the Macedonian army at Sestus, they were quite the entertainment to watch. There were the many who she grimaced at, but many of the soldiers were strong, and just men. Her constant vigilance over the campaign was the most in depth contact with the mortal world in her immortal life so far. But tonight, she stared at the passing clouds. Earlier that day had been the first report to the Olympic Council, and she was still trying to process it.
It had gone smoothly, Apollo giving his very eloquent reports of the Macedonians in their marching, skirmishes, battles, and conquests. Of the great sacrifices the Macedonians preformed at each major crossing or taking of cities. That was all perfectly well. She could have given a mild, undetailed report of her own observations, that wouldn't reveal her more personal drive. But her idiotic brother had to bring up that the Macedonians worshipped her along the caliber of her temperamental father: Zeus.
Artemis, lacking something to kick, glared at a puffy cloud, which caught the nearly full moon's light well enough. Her father had been unreasonable, by decreeing that she was forbidden from influencing Macedonian worship, which she hadn't tried to do. She wrinkled her nose, as she had said as much at the Council meeting. The rest of the council, and herself, were secretly pleased that Zeus wasn't the most worshipped for once, she suspected.
Her thoughts continued, as the worshipping Macedonians had distracted the Council- rather distracted Zeus, from most of her report. Which she was content, as she didn't want to reveal most what she watched. Perseus had become a large part of her overviews, along with the inner council and Alexander himself. Her observations had led her to one conclusion about the expedition: Alexander was the key. He had a brilliant mind for warfare, and a tactical disposition that allowed his army to move without fear throughout where he came. Everyone followed him without pause or delay, but Artemis realized that Alexander's generals only worked so well together because he led them. Left to their own devices, they would crumble into civil war.
The only individual who seemed to realize this fact was Perseus. She had watched him on the Ionian Coast conquests attempting to pacify generals and the inner council, and forge bonds with one another. He hadn't succeeded with most, his affairs with Kleitos a hampering to his plans. Artemis had found out that Kleitos was a well-respected general in the army, and had been under Philip II. He had since stayed true and not harmed any women since Sestus, but Artemis always watched him, ready to smite him for even a whisper of being out of line.
A golden glow below her snapped her out of her musings. It was from the Macedonian camp. She instantly shot to her feet and focused, bringing her vision and senses to bear on the source of the glow. An image snapped into focus. Several tents on the perimeter of the camp were ablaze, crackling madly and half-dressed soldiers ran out from them. Screams and yells pierced the night air, and Artemis quickly found the source of destruction of the Macedonian camp.
The Chimera roared its challenge, amidst the chaos. There was a large hole blasted in the thin palisade wall, and dozens of dead men surrounding the wall and tents. The fearsome beast made Artemis grab her bow off her back. It had the massive body of a lion, easily five times larger than the mountain lions of Greece. Its long thick tail swished angrily, covered in scales, with a venomous snake head on the end. But most threatening of all was the big rams head, which sprouted out of the creatures back, with enough mobility to strike down on either side of it.
Several shouts filled the air and men surged forward, forming a hasty shield wall around the Chimera's destruction, attempting to stop any further spread into the camp. The Chimera roared, the lion's head snarling. It leapt forward and tore into the defensive line. Claws carved into men, the snake lashed out, biting, and hissing, dropping many to the ground in violent spasms. The ram's head crushed shields and men alike in the mess of the skirmish.
Artemis couldn't imagine the Macedonians could hold on, but the line stabilized and several men found gaps and wounded the beast, forcing it back into the burning tents, which had collapsed, into small pockets of flames and mostly ash and debris.
There were at least twenty men wounded or killed from that small attack, and although the Chimera was wounded, it roared again to charge back into the fray. Artemis heard a twang of many bows, and four whistling arrows found their marks in the Chimera's side. The beast snarled, seeing archers on the right, preparing to reload.
Artemis knew what was coming. The Chimera twisted its lion's head and belched out a massive stream of fire, engulfing dozens in flames. The men burned alive, unable to put themselves out. Several fell on their own weapons, killing themselves to take away the pain.
"Burn mortals! Lycia is mine!" The Chimera roared, challenging the Macedonian lines which were close to wavering. Artemis clenched her hand, itching to kill the monstrosity. She never had the pleasure.
But then, the Macedonians held, and many cheered, as three men stepped out of the shield wall. All armed and ready to fight the Chimera. Artemis recognized two instantaneously, Alexander and Perseus. The third took her a second, but came to her. Hephaestion made up the third, both he and Alexander wielding spears, while Perseus had a xiphos. They all had large hoplons, and faced the Chimera defiantly.
"Leave us Chimera! We have not come to harm your nesting ground. I offer this to you once, or we will send you to Tartarus!" Alexander yelled, pointing his cavalry spear at the beast.
The Chimera rumbled, "You puny mortals, you three will make a delicious snack, before I devour your army. The puny gods who watch over you cannot save you."
Artemis stared at the Chimera in fury, 'Puny?' She would show him, Zeus's orders the least thing of concern on her mind.
Below, Perseus let out a laugh, crackling madly. Alexander and Hephaestion, almost looking like twins, wore grins as well. The Chimera snarled, raking its claws on the earth, "You dare laugh in defiance?"
Artemis, who saw it preparing to lunge forward, reacted in accordance. Her fury barely contained, she flared into her divine form, rocketing down to earth, slamming to the ground in front of the three Macedonians, shielding her full divine form from the mortal eyes. Artemis opened her eyes, kneeling in a crouch, an arrow on the string of her bow, the destruction and fire of the Macedonian camp all around her. The Chimera was a mere stone's throw in front of her. Behind her, she heard the astonished murmurings of the Macedonians, including Hephaestion, who muttered in amazement, "Di Immortales!"
The Chimera hissed loudly, stepping back slightly, "Gods cannot interfere! You are not permitted!"
Artemis grinned, "I am the Goddess of the Hunt, where hunting of wild animals is permitted in my domain. You are a wild animal, which I greatly look forward to hunting." Without delay, she drew back her bow and fired a silver arrow, which found the eye of the ram's head. She reloaded in a blur, but the Chimera was running straight towards her, roaring in pain and fury, the ram's head lifeless on its back.
She fired, leaping back, quickly discarding her bow and pulling out her hunting knives out of thin air. Her arrow struck the shoulder of the beast, but it continued forward, skidding where she had been a second prior.
It snarled, and Artemis saw a glow build up in the back of its throat. Fire jetted out a moment later, her vision becoming engulfed in golden flames.
She reacted quickly, and with her knives in hand, slashed forward with both in an X, silver energy leaping off the blades. The two met in the air, and exploded brilliantly. The blast made her skid backwards on the dirt, and her hunting tunic was singed, along with her hair, but she was unharmed.