The Golden glow of Olympus was a familiar sight for Artemis, as she arrived flashing from the Forest floor. Yet her arrival today sparked a distant memory, freshly recalled, in her banishment long ago. Artemis seldom even spoke to most of the Olympians, her brother and Athena being notable exceptions. Poseidon was another who she conversed with on occasion, mostly out of thanks and owed gratitude for his actions in the Macedonian expedition. It was for this reason that Athena had always had a certain degree of unspoken fury towards her, even with their sisterhood. But even Poseidon, who she estimated to see and talk with every solstice, was a more regular acquaintance than her Father. Once, she had been loyal to a fault, and was always under her Father's spell.
Only this time, Zeus would hold no sway over her. She would be the hand that moved today. The Council Room shone above all the palaces and gardens of minor Gods and Goddesses, its great dome a beacon of Olympian strength. However, a blackened sky darkened the buildings. Darkened clouds, without the flash of lightning, and the echoing crash of thunder.
Shadows here lingered. The Earth shivered, and the sky was ready to burst. She had little time to act. The Throne room was close, and she dashed there, her speed renewed in this place of power.
With methods on calming Poseidon racing in her mind, she found herself recalling a certain memory, outside the small town of Issus. Where her first Great Battle would be seen from the burden of mortality.
Artemis stood next to Perseus, with Alexander, Hephestion, and another half a dozen Macedonian generals scattered amongst them around a table. The very same table Artemis had stood next to before, in Alexander's tent, which now held a hastily drawn map from Alexander's own scouts. The riverbed and plains of Issus. The coming battle that would happen any day. Both armies were only a mere horizon apart from one another, separated by the Pinarus river.
The delicate deerskin was marked with charcoal lines, depicting the river and certain elevation changes. On top, painted wooden figures indicated troops on either side of the field. Artemis looked over the painted landscape, paying the lingering skeptical glances that came her way no heed.
She had been on every large council meeting ever since Perseus had introduced her to Alexander. Most of the generals disliked her, which she was fine with. Most of the times, she remained quit during every council,
"Alexander, to even fathom an attack across this river is folly, Darius outnumbers us three-to-one, and his archers…" A grizzled veteran general spoke from Artemis's right.
"I don't want to hear it Parmenion." Alexander responded coldly, his gaze fixed on the river, "Our cavalry is superior in every way. That will be the key to victory here. Not the archers."
Perseus stole her a glance out of the corner of his eye, and Artemis rolled her own in concealed exasperation. It had become well known in the past month and a half that the Pellian skirmishers that she was training were becoming some of the best missile troops in the Macedonian forces, even rivaling some of the Balearic men in the expedition. They still had a long way to go, but Artemis was content for the time being with their progress. Every day, without fail, she rose with the sun to make sure that they were exercising and training. Other men had taken to joining the Pellians as well.
The men themselves had grown to be less of a burden to her than she had once thought, and ever since she had shot one of their number in the hand, the amount of loyalty that she had been given was far above generous. Granted, she had no intentions of letting her guard down around anyone, even Perseus, who happened to be the greatest issue on her hands. Even since he had apologized at the Western Gate in the mountain pass army camp, he hadn't stepped out of line. Once. The expedition had marched hundreds of miles south, towards the coast of the sea. All the while, Artemis had tried her best to hate him.
He had collected her hunting knives, that she had commissioned the blacksmith to make, without complaint. He didn't intrude on her half of the tent, which was sectioned off by heavy fabric. He didn't even snore.
Now, she had to stand besides him in a council meeting.
"Alexander, you are right, our cavalry is more experienced, but Darius has amassed Bactrian and Persian horsemen that outnumber us at least two to one. Our companions can punch through an equal number of any cavalry force in the world, but what then happens to the other points in battle? Persian horsemen can and will take advantage in the gaps in our cavalry's abilities. We cannot be everywhere at once." Perseus reasoned, his cam voice steady and said without pause.
Artemis had to admit that she half expected Alexander to order him out of the tent for questioning his plans, but from experience, Artemis had learned that the young Macedonian King often listened to Perseus. This circumstance was no exception.
Alexander looked intensely at the board in front of him, before nodded once, "We cannot. You are right. But that is where we must lay our ruse. Darius has cut us off from the North and has slaughtered our sick and wounded like a pack of wild dogs. He thinks that we will be desperate. We will let him think that this is the case."
Artemis stole a quick glance at Perseus and noticed that his face was a veiled mask of fury. Their march south had come at a cost, and luring Darius out from the Mountains that separated Syria from the heartlands of Persia had the unforeseen consequences of Darius attacking their rear field hospitals for the wounded and sick. Now, over two thousand were either dead, or handless.
The reports had come in two days ago, and Artemis had watched Perseus train against a wooden cross, attacking the post with wild abandon with a practice sword. Even enraged, his lightning quick strikes and form stayed true. It excited her, in a weird way. She hadn't sparred with Perseus since that night in the trees by Tarsus. She wanted to do so against, especially to beat him while in mortal form.
"Darius will expect us to hit his right flank, like the Granicus crossing. We won't disappoint. The center," Alexander continued, looking to his left, where the hoplite generals stood. The only one that Artemis had a name for was Kleitos, Perseus's rival. Despite the despicable caliber of man that Kleitos was, Artemis had seen his men drilling alongside her charges on occasion, and he was an experienced leader in the field, "will hit the Persians hard, crossing the river. It won't be easy, but if we are to succeed, the center must commit without fail. Kleitos, your syntagmata will lead the attack. With the skirmishers from Pella and the Agrianians supporting you.
Kleitos stroked his beard, before grunting in agreement. The man glared quickly at herself and Perseus from across the table, which Artemis responded with in kind. Kleitos had made his voice well known in the matter of what he thought about her authority in training men.
"Parmenion. I leave you with the allied Greek cavalry, and your choice of their hoplite forces, as well as my Agema. You are to engage but hold the left flank, under all circumstances. If you can hold the left, when I take our heavy cavalry and smash through the Persian and Bactrian horsemen, the day is ours."
Artemis turned from her glaring contest with Kleitos, nodding slowly with Alexander's plan. Perseus was doing the same besides her. It seemed like to be a good plan, and Artemis was already prepared to walk away and go to the shooting range when she heard her cover identity called out.
"Cleoxene, how experienced are you in hunting monsters?" Alexander asked suddenly.
For a split second, Artemis blinked rapidly, feeling all eyes shift to her. Her immediate reaction was to scowl at the young man in front of her, for even daring to ask such a question to her! The Goddess of the Hunt, unexperienced in hunting?! But then, she recalled that not everyone here knew such a fact, which likely would've sent Kleitos running off in fright.
"I have killed my fair share." Artemis responded slowly. What was his angle? Perseus hide a smile in the corner of his mouth, which Artemis dearly wanted to punch off. Plans for a sparring session were renewed in her mind now.
"Wonderful. Right before this meeting, a scouting party near the sea reported that they saw a flying dog skimming the waves. It was large, with the wingspan of two men, so the scouts say. Are you familiar with such a creature?"
The conjured image of a giant flying dog had Artemis's hunter's zeal immediately piqued.
"I cannot say. However, I will be on guard for such a creature. Did the scouts say if it was malignant or benign?" Artemis asked, tapping her fingers on the solid wooden table. She wondered what sort of a creature this was. Perhaps just a lone Stymphalian bird, misidentified. Athena would have likely known, and the absence of her presence came to Artemis in a dull ache.
"That is my worry. The scouts say the monster was carrying the carcass of a sheep in its talons. A large sheep. They also said, with some fear, that it eyed them with interest. I would rather kill this monster before we find out if it can carry men off in its talons, especially on the eve of battle. If we are to continue onwards, to where Xenophon has gone, I would like to understand what we face, Persian and monster enemies alike."
"How dangerous can a flock of dog birds be?" Kleitos sneered at her, leaning over the table into the conversation, "You watch the skies during the battle, leave the fighting to the real soldiers."
Perseus cut off her answering retort, "For your sake Kleitos, I'd hope that the birds turn out to be harmless, lest they pick your eyes out." Artemis glared at Perseus. She did not need his defense. Nor did she want it.
Kleitos seemed to have been waiting for Perseus to step in, because his response was instantaneous, "You defend her well Perseus. But far too quickly, has she- twisted- your senses so quickly already? I have never liked you Perseus, but never did I think you to be soft."
The implied twisting sent Artemis over the edge, and she lunged at Kleitos, despite the instinctive movement to grasp one of her hunting knives coming up with empty air. Had she retained her godly speed, Kleitos would have been a headless corpse. Only, the crushing weight of mortality flared within her body, and her movement forward was a mere jerk, as Perseus gripped her upper arm in a vice grip.
Fortunately, no one saw as Alexander raised his voice, "Kleitos, Perseus, cease your quarreling. We are on the edge of Eastern lands, from which Xenophon has a detailed account of the horrors they marched through. All of you know well of what I speak. The Persians were often the least of their fears. Therefore, I place great importance in having oversight over the species of monsters we will encounter." Artemis listened to Alexander, but a cold fury ran through her veins. Kleitos was forgotten. But her arm burned from were Perseus had grabbed her.
Her tentmate seemed to realize her anger, and stepped away from her, "My King."
"Council adjourned. Everyone, to your companies, we march out to meet Darius before the sun has fully risen." Alexander said calmly. The entire roomed bowed their heads, and Artemis merely cocked an eyebrow as she met Alexander's gaze. He grinned in reply.
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